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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?

    PhD / PsyD roles we recruit across the US are advertised at roughly $92k – $145k, typically $92k entry, $115k mid-career and $145k at senior or supervisory level. In California, where an individual offer lands inside that range is driven by licensure, setting, caseload and local cost of living rather than a state-wide average. 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.

    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.

    Why we do not publish a CA average

    We publish what we actually see advertised on roles we recruit. We do not hold a statistically valid state-level survey, so quoting a California average would be guesswork dressed as data. For official state wage estimates, use the federal source and treat it as a floor for negotiation, not a target.

    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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    All PhD / PsyD jobsNational PhD / PsyD salary guideCalifornia market and licensure

    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