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    Salary / PhD / PsyD / California

    PhD / PsyD salary in California

    What PhD / PsyD roles are advertised at, and the California factors that change the number.

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    How much does a PhD / PsyD earn in California?

    Federal wage data for California puts the median for clinical and counseling psychologists at $116,000 a year, with the middle of the market between $62,900 and $188,050 and about 12,840 people employed in the state (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). The largest single behavioral health market in the country and the most competitive for BCBAs and pediatric therapists. Pay expectations track cost of living, which is why remote and hybrid models spread here first. Nationally, the PhD / PsyD roles we recruit are advertised at roughly $92k – $145k; the national PhD / PsyD salary guide sets out the entry, mid-career and senior figures behind that.

    PhD / PsyD advertised pay by experience

    Entry
    $92k
    First role after certification
    Mid-career
    $115k
    Two to five years, full caseload
    Senior
    $145k
    Supervisory scope or specialist skill

    Official California wage data

    Federal wage data for California puts the median for clinical and counseling psychologists at $116,000 a year, with the middle of the market between $62,900 and $188,050 and about 12,840 people employed in the state (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025).

    Median
    $116,000
    Mean
    $123,570
    10th percentile
    $62,900
    90th percentile
    $188,050

    Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. State wage tables

    What changes a PhD / PsyD offer in California

    • LCSW, LMFT and LPCC are all licensed by the BBS, with distinct associate pathways (ASW, AMFT, APCC).
    • Setting: Autism diagnostic clinics, Hospitals, School districts price differently for the same credential.
    • Caseload cap and billable or productivity target, which decide whether a bonus is real.
    • Metro cost of living within the state; a city premium is not the same as a better offer.
    • Scarcity: Acute in autism diagnostic assessment, where waitlists are long and evaluators are scarce. School psychology shortages are structural in most states.

    How to read the CA figures

    The federal estimates above are the official California picture for clinical and counseling psychologists, published annually and lagging the market by about a year. What we publish alongside them is what we actually see advertised on roles we recruit today. Use the federal median as a floor for negotiation and the advertised range as the live signal.

    Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data

    Last reviewed August 2026.

    Live PhD / PsyD roles in California

    No live PhD / PsyD roles in California right now. Tell us your license status and target setting and we will contact you when the next California search opens.

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    Open PhD / PsyD roles elsewhere in the US

    How to work as a PhD / PsyD in California

    1. 1

      Confirm the credential

      State licensure as a psychologist; doctoral degree. This is the baseline every California employer screens on before anything else.

    2. 2

      Check the CA requirement

      LCSW, LMFT and LPCC are all licensed by the BBS, with distinct associate pathways (ASW, AMFT, APCC).

    3. 3

      Check the multi-state routes

      PSYPACT: not a member; Counseling Compact: not enacted Compact participation changes, so confirm the current position with the California board rather than a secondary source.

    4. 4

      Build board processing into your start date

      Processing time, not eligibility, is the usual cause of a delayed start. Agree a start date with the licensing timeline already in it.

    5. 5

      Match the credential to open work

      Compare the advertised range for PhD / PsyD roles, roughly $92k – $145k, against the live California vacancies on this page, or join the talent network to be contacted when the next California search opens.

    Continue with PhD / PsyD in California

    PhD / PsyD pay and licensure in California: common questions

    Do you need a license to work as a PhD / PsyD in California?
    LCSW, LMFT and LPCC are all licensed by the BBS, with distinct associate pathways (ASW, AMFT, APCC). Confirm the current position with the California board before you accept a start date, as processing time is the usual cause of a delayed start.
    What is the average PhD / PsyD salary in California?
    Federal wage data for California puts the median for clinical and counseling psychologists at $116,000 a year, with the middle of the market between $62,900 and $188,050 and about 12,840 people employed in the state (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). Advertised pay on the PhD / PsyD roles we recruit nationally sits at roughly $92k – $145k, and offers land inside that band according to setting, caseload and metro cost of living.
    Does PhD / PsyD pay in California differ from the rest of the US?
    We publish advertised pay on the roles we recruit, not a California average. Across the US those PhD / PsyD roles are advertised at roughly $92k – $145k, and where a California offer lands inside that band is driven by setting, caseload and metro cost of living. For an official comparison, California median pay for clinical and counseling psychologists is $116,000; treat that as a negotiating floor.
    Where are the PhD / PsyD jobs in California?
    The largest single behavioral health market in the country and the most competitive for BCBAs and pediatric therapists. Pay expectations track cost of living, which is why remote and hybrid models spread here first. The live PhD / PsyD vacancies we hold in California are listed on this page; when nothing is open there today, the national PhD / PsyD board carries every role we currently hold.
    Who employs PhD / PsyDs in California?
    The employers hiring this credential are autism diagnostic clinics, hospitals, school districts, private group practice, academic medical centers. Which of those dominates in California follows the local funding and provider mix rather than any national pattern, and it is the single biggest driver of what an offer looks like: the same PhD / PsyD is priced differently by a center-based provider, a school district and a hospital system.
    What do employers look for when hiring a PhD / PsyD in California?
    First, the credential and the right to practise: state licensure as a psychologist; doctoral degree. LCSW, LMFT and LPCC are all licensed by the BBS, with distinct associate pathways (ASW, AMFT, APCC). After that, hiring managers screen on the specifics of the work — caseload size you have carried, the settings you have worked in, supervision responsibility, and documentation or payer experience. Availability matters too: a realistic start date that accounts for board processing usually beats a stronger resume that cannot start.
    What does the salary range on this page actually mean?
    Two different things, kept separate on purpose. $92k – $145k is what PhD / PsyD roles we recruit are advertised at across the US — a live market signal, not a survey. The federal figures are official California estimates for clinical and counseling psychologists: $116,000 median, with $62,900 at the 10th percentile and $188,050 at the 90th. They cover the whole occupation in the state, are published annually and lag the market by roughly a year, so read the median as a negotiating floor rather than a target. Neither number is an offer; where you land inside a range is set by setting, caseload and metro cost of living.

    PhD / PsyD pay in other states

    A clinical director and a hiring lead shaking hands across a meeting-room table.

    Hiring PhD / PsyDs in California

    Pay is the last thing that fixes a stalled search

    Evaluation-heavy roles must state the expected evals per week and the report-writing time allowance. Roles that hide it stall.

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    • Behavioral health only
    • Recruiting across all 50 states
    • Pay published on every role
    • Recruitment partnerships, not job spam