2023 Salary Report for Clinical and Counseling Psychologists in California

Salary Report for California Clinical and Counseling Psychologists

California Rankings

Compare California to U.S.

California Clinical and Counseling Psychologists earn an average of $122,790 which is 23% more than the national average salary of $99,640.

Type	California	U.S.	% Difference
Average Hourly Wage	$59.03	$47.90	23.24%
Average Annual Salary	$122,790	$99,640	23.23%

Salary Range by Education and Experience

In California, 50% of Clinical and Counseling Psychologists earn between $82,140 and $138,550 a year, depending on factors such as level of education, experience, location and place of employment.

About 10% of Clinical and Counseling Psychologists earn more than $205,460, a rate generally associated with highly educated and experienced Clinical and Counseling Psychologists.

Approximately 10% of Clinical and Counseling Psychologists earn under $61,770, a rate generally reserved for less experienced or entry level Clinical and Counseling Psychologists.

Percent	Experience	Employed	Annual Salary
10%	Less than a Year	1,025	Under $61,770
15%	2 – 4 years	1,538	$61,770 – $82,140
25%	5 – 9 years	2,562	$82,140 – $126,470
25%	10 – 14 years	2,562	$126,470 – $138,550
15%	15 – 20 years	1,538	$126,470 – $205,460
10%	20+ years	1,025	Above $205,460

Adjusted for Cost-of-Living

After being adjusted for cost-of-living, Clinical and Counseling Psychologists in California psychologists earn about $111,243 per year which is more than the average U.S. psychologist of $99,640.

Cost-of-living in California is 10% higher than the national average, which means California residents have an overall higher cost for food, housing, utilities and transportation compared to other states.

More cost-of-living reports for U.S. States.

Salary Compared to Related Professions

With an average annual salary of $122,790, California Clinical and Counseling Psychologists tend to earn less than Industrial Organizational Psychologists ($123,090).

However, Clinical and Counseling Psychologists tend to earn more than Marriage and Family Therapists ($59,320), Substance Abuse Counselors ($59,790), Social Workers ($64,940), Health Care Social Workers ($84,690), School Psychologists ($96,530), Forensic Psychologists ($112,210), and Psychology Teachers ($114,950).

Title	Annual Salary
Industrial Organizational Psychologists	$123,090
Clinical and Counseling Psychologists	$122,790
Psychology Teachers	$114,950
Forensic Psychologists	$112,210
School Psychologists	$96,530
Health Care Social Workers	$84,690
Social Workers	$64,940
Substance Abuse Counselors	$59,790
Marriage and Family Therapists	$59,320

Salaries Ranked by California Cities

The average salary for Clinical and Counseling Psychologists in California is $122,790. The top cities that pay Clinical and Counseling Psychologists the most are Santa Maria-Santa Barbara ($98,460), Redding ($79,970) and San Diego-Carlsbad ($136,630).

When adjusted for cost-of-living, the cities that pay Clinical and Counseling Psychologists the highest average annual salary are Chico ($99,497), Santa Cruz-Watsonville ($92,588) and Santa Maria-Santa Barbara ($89,493).

The following table shows the average yearly salary range for Clinical and Counseling Psychologists in each city, and the average yearly salary after being adjusted for cost-of-living in that state.

The difference column shows how much more or less purchasing power a Clinical and Counseling Psychologists salary will have in that area.

Area	Average Salary	COL Adjusted	Difference
San Diego-Carlsbad	$136,630	$120,496	$-16,134
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara	$134,200	$119,693	$-14,507
Napa	$130,540	$117,150	$-13,390
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward	$129,880	$110,659	$-19,221
Vallejo-Fairfield	$124,930	$115,228	$-9,702
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim	$122,170	$109,188	$-12,982
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande	$120,760	$110,253	$-10,507
Madera	$120,680	$125,330	$4,650
Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade	$119,240	$112,385	$-6,855
Stockton-Lodi	$117,920	$113,603	$-4,317
Hanford-Corcoran	$116,900	$121,669	$4,769
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario	$116,500	$112,332	$-4,168
Salinas	$116,480	$105,174	$-11,306
Santa Rosa	$116,400	$105,972	$-10,428
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura	$115,810	$103,959	$-11,851
Fresno	$114,390	$114,573	$183
Bakersfield	$114,280	$115,225	$945
Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California	$112,960	$113,039	$79
North Coast Region of California	$110,120	$110,197	$77
Visalia-Porterville	$109,550	$112,278	$2,728
North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California	$106,170	$106,244	$74
Modesto	$103,240	$100,516	$-2,724
Santa Cruz-Watsonville	$101,310	$92,588	$-8,722
Chico	$100,970	$99,497	$-1,473
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara	$98,460	$89,493	$-8,967
Redding	$79,970	$80,042	$72

Salary FAQ for California Clinical and Counseling Psychologists

City and Rural Summaries

Official Data Sources for Clinical and Counseling Psychologists: Salary Data | Projected Employment | Cost of Living Data