Psychology

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Total Degrees
Awarded in 2017

173,351

growing 0.205%

Median In-State
Public Tuition

$7,178

growing 3.97%

Median Out-of-State
Private Tuition

$30,746

growing 2.08%

Average Wage

$67,241

growing 1.81%

People in Workforce

2.64M

growing 3.83%

Average Employee Age

41.2

growing 0.185%

About

The locations with the highest concentration of Psychology degree recipients are New York, NY, Los Angeles, CA, and Minneapolis, MN. The locations with a relatively high number of Psychology degree recipients are Richfield, MN, Summerland, CA, and Palo Alto, CA. The most common degree awarded to students studying Psychology is a bachelors degree.

Photo by Neil Conway

Institutions

Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Psychology and the types of students that study this field. Liberty University awards the most degrees in Psychology in the US, but Michigan School of Professional Psychology and Wisconsin School of Professional Psychology have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Psychology.

Tuition costs for Psychology majors are, on average, $7,178 for in-state public colleges, and $30,746 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 (958 total). The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded, is Public, 4-year or above (98,692 completions).

Institutions

Institution with the Most Degrees Awarded in Psychology

The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded in Psychology, is Public, 4-year or above (98,692 completions).

The following chart shows the share of universities that offer Psychology programs, by the total number of completions, colored and grouped by their sector.

Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

$7,178

Median In-State Public

$30,746

Median Out of State Private

Liberty University has the most Psychology degree recipients, with 2,180 degrees awarded in 2017.

The following bar chart shows the state tuition for the top 5 institutions with the most degrees awarded in Psychology.

Specialized Colleges

Highest Concentration Institution

Out of all institutions that offer Psychology programs and have at least 5 graduates in those programs, Michigan School of Professional Psychology and Wisconsin School of Professional Psychology have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Psychology, with 100% and 100%, respectively.

Degrees Awarded by County

Counties with the Most Degrees Awarded in Psychology

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest number of degrees awarded in Psychology by year.

Growth in Awarded Degrees

Counties with the Fastest Growing Number of Degrees Awarded

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest growth in degrees awarded for Psychology.

Employment

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 $67,241 and the most common occupations are Elementary & middle school teachers, Social workers, all other, and Other managers.

The industry that employs the most Psychology majors is Elementary & secondary schools, though the highest paying industry, by average wage, is Petroleum refining.

Wages

Yearly Income for Common Jobs

$67,241

Average Wage in Workforce

± $1,097

1.81%

1 Year Growth

± 2.3%

The average salary for Psychology majors is $67,241 and the most common occupations are Elementary & middle school teachers, Social workers, all other, and Other managers.

This chart shows the average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Psychology majors.

Highest Paying Locations

Highest Paying Pumas

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.

Occupations

Most Common

The most common occupations Psychology majors, by number of employees, are Elementary & middle school teachers, Social workers, all other, and Other managers.

Most Specialized

Compared to other majors, there are an unusually high number of Psychology majors working as School psychologists, Clinical and counseling psychologists, and Other psychologists.

Highest Paid

The highest paid occupations by median income for Psychology majors are Surgeons, Nurse anesthetists, and Physicians.

Occupations by Share

2.64M

2018 Workforce

± 39,533

3.83%

1 Year Growth

± 2.06%

The number of Psychology graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 3.83%, from 2.54M in 2017 to 2.64M in 2018.

The largest single share of Psychology graduates go on to work as Elementary & middle school teachers (5.3%). This chart shows the various jobs filled by those with a major in Psychology by share of the total number of graduates.

Industries

Most Common

The most common industries that employ Psychology majors, by number of employees, are Elementary & secondary schools, Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, and General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals.

Highest Paid

The highest paying industries of Psychology majors, by average wage, are Petroleum refining, Electronic component & product manufacturing, n.e.c. , and Rail transportation.

Industries by Share

2.64M

2018 Workforce

± 39,533

3.83%

1 Year Growth

± 2.06%

The number of Psychology graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 3.83%, from 2.54M in 2017 to 2.64M in 2018.

The industry which employs the most Psychology graduates by share is Elementary & secondary schools, followed by Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges. This visualization shows the industries that hire those who major in Psychology.

Specialty Locations

PUMAS with a relatively high number of Psychology majors

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States where there are a relatively high population of Psychology majors.

Diversity

Demographic information on those who earn a degree in Psychology in the US. The average age of a person in the workforce with a degree in Psychology is 41.2, and the most common degree type these workers hold is a Bachelors Degree. Female employees are more likely to hold Psychology degrees, and White students earn the majority (91,793) of the degrees.

Workforce Age

41.2

Average Age in 2018

± 0.197 Years

0.185%

1 Year Change

± 0.678%

This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Psychology. The most common ages of employees with this major are 28 and 27 years old, which represent 3.52% and 3.32% of the population, respectively.

Degrees Awarded

The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Psychology are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.

Workforce Degrees

The most common degree types held by the working population in Psychology are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Professional degree.

Gender Imbalance for Common Institutions

Female (78.2%)

Most Common Gender with a Degree in this Field

This chart shows the granted degrees by gender at the 5 institutions that graduate the most students in Psychology.

Race & Ethnicity by Degrees Awarded

Most Common Race or Ethnicity

White
91,793 degrees awarded
Hispanic or Latino
31,757 degrees awarded
Black or African American
19,883 degrees awarded

This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Psychology for each race & ethnicity. White students earned the largest share of the degrees with this major.

Race & Ethnicity by Gender

Most Common Race/Ethnicity and Gender Combination

White Female
52,175 degree-grads_ethnicity_genders awarded
Hispanic or Latino Female
17,378 degree-grads_ethnicity_genders awarded
White Male
14,463 degree-grads_ethnicity_genders awarded

This chart illustrates the differences by gender for each race & ethnicity of Bachelors Degree recipients in Psychology. White Female students, who earn most of the degree-grads_ethnicity_genders in this field, are the most common combination of race/ethnicity and gender.

Global Diversity

Most Common Countries of Origin

Mexico
25,656 degree recipients
India
21,166 degree recipients
Philippines
15,830 degree recipients

High Relative Number of Students

Croatia
5.01 times more than expected
Indonesia
3.59 times more than expected
Scotland
2.9 times more than expected

There are a relatively high number of people that were born in Croatia that hold Psychology degrees (5.01 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 (25,656 degree recipients).

Skills

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 Reading Comprehension. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Psychology majors need more than the average amount of Coordination, Management of Financial Resources, and Systems Analysis.

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 Coordination is very distinctive for majors, but the Reading Comprehension, Speaking, and Writing are the three most important skills for people in the field.

Radar Distribution

Bar Chart

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