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In 2024, the locations with the highest concentration of Psychology degree recipients are New York, NY, San Diego, CA, and Minneapolis, MN. In 2024, the locations with a relatively high number of Psychology degree recipients are Petaluma, CA, Toro Canyon, CA, and Culver City, CA. The most common degree awarded to students studying Psychology is a bachelors degree.
Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Psychology and the types of students that study this field. Southern New Hampshire University awards the most degrees in Psychology in the US, but The Wright Institute and Richmont Graduate University have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Psychology.
Tuition costs for Psychology majors are, on average, $8,150 for in-state public colleges, and $36,750 for out of state private colleges.
The most common sector, by number of institutions, that offers Psychology programs are Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above institutions (937 total). The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded, is Public, 4-year or above (121,439 completions).
The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded in Psychology, is Public, 4-year or above (121,439 completions in 2024).
The following chart shows the share of universities that offer Psychology programs, by the total number of completions, colored and grouped by their sector.
Southern New Hampshire University has the most Psychology degree recipients, with 4,601 degrees awarded in 2024.
The following bar chart shows the state tuition for the top 5 institutions with the most degrees awarded in Psychology.
Out of all institutions that offer Psychology programs and have at least 5 graduates in those programs, The Wright Institute has the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Psychology, with 100%.
This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest number of degrees awarded in Psychology by year.
Information on the businesses and industries that employ Psychology graduates and on wages and locations for those in the field.
The average salary for Psychology majors is $85,100 and the most common occupations are Elementary & middle school teachers, Other managers, and Social workers, all other.
The industry that employs the most Psychology majors is Elementary & secondary schools, though the highest paying industry, by average wage, is Metal ore mining.
The average salary for Psychology majors is $85,100 and the most common occupations are Elementary & middle school teachers, Other managers, and Social workers, all other.
This chart shows the average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Psychology majors.
This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States colored by the average salary of Psychology majors.
Note that the census collects information tied to where people live, not where they work. It is possible that Psychology majors live and work in the same place, but it is also possible that they live and work in two different places.
The most common occupations for Psychology majors, by number of employees, are Elementary & middle school teachers, Other managers, and Social workers, all other.
Compared to other majors, there are an unusually high number of Psychology majors working as Psychologists, Other therapists, including exercise physiologists, and Counselors.
The highest paid occupations by median income for Psychology majors are Surgeons, Physicians, and Podiatrists.
The number of Psychology graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 3.54%, from 2.95M in 2023 to 3.06M in 2024.
The largest single share of Psychology graduates go on to work as Elementary & middle school teachers (4.13%). This chart shows the various jobs filled by those with a major in Psychology by share of the total number of graduates.
The most common industries that employ Psychology majors, by number of employees, are Elementary & secondary schools, Outpatient care centers, and Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges.
The highest paying industries of Psychology majors, by average wage, are Metal ore mining, Internet publishing, broadcasting & web search portals, and Clay building material & refractories manufacturing.
The number of Psychology graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 3.54%, from 2.95M in 2023 to 3.06M in 2024.
The industry which employs the most Psychology graduates by share is Elementary & secondary schools, followed by Outpatient care centers. This visualization shows the industries that hire those who major in Psychology.
This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States where there are a relatively high population of Psychology majors.
Note that the census collects information tied to where people live, not where they work. It is possible that Psychology majors live and work in the same place, but it is also possible that they live and work in two different places.
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Psychology in the United States.
The average age of a person in the workforce with a degree in Psychology is 41.4.
The most common degree type these workers hold is a Bachelors Degree. Female employees are more likely to hold Psychology degrees, and White students are the most common race/ethnicty group awarded degrees in Psychology (101,654 students).
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Psychology. The most common ages of employees with this major are 30 and 32 years old, which represent 3.17% and 3.11% of the population, respectively.
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Psychology are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
The most common degree types held by the working population in Psychology are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Doctorate degree.
This chart shows the granted degrees by sex at the 5 institutions that graduate the most students in Psychology.
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Psychology for each race & ethnicity.
In 2024, White students earned the largest share of the degrees with this major.
This chart illustrates the differences by sex for each race & ethnicity of Bachelors Degree recipients in Psychology.
White Female students, who earn most of the degrees in this field, are the most common combination of race/ethnicity and sex.
There are a relatively high number of people that were born in United Arab Emirates that hold Psychology degrees (2.98 times more than expected), and the most common country of origin by total numbers for non-US students earning a degree in this field is Mexico (32,162 degree recipients).
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Psychology field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Psychology majors need many skills, but most especially Active Listening. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Psychology majors need more than the average amount of Social Perceptiveness, Negotiation, and Service Orientation.
These two visualizations, one a radial chart and one a bar chart, show the same information, a rating of how necessary the following skills are for Psychology majors. Toggle between "value" and "RCA" to see the absolute rating of that skill (value) and the revealed comparative advantage (RCA), or how much greater or lesser that skill's rating is than the average. The longer the bar or the closer the line comes to the circumference of the circle, the more important that skill is. The importance of Social Perceptiveness is very distinctive for majors, but the Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, and Speaking are the three most important skills for people in the field.
Photo by Neil Conway