Psychology

Contains Stem Majors

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Total Degrees
Awarded in 2022

202,315

growing 3.39%

Median In-State
Public Tuition

$7,992

growing 2.26%

Median Out-of-State
Private Tuition

$35,880

growing 4%

Average Wage

$79,881

growing 8.24%

People in Workforce

2.84M

growing 3.12%

Average Employee Age

41.3

growing 0.0348%

About

In 2023, the locations with the highest concentration of Psychology degree recipients are New York, NY, San Diego, CA, and Los Angeles, 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. 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, $7,992 for in-state public colleges, and $35,880 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 (947 total). The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded, is Public, 4-year or above (118,928 completions).

Institutions

Institution with the Most Degrees Awarded in Psychology (2023)

Southern New Hampshire University
3,918 degrees awarded
Liberty University
3,000 degrees awarded
Capella University
2,709 degrees awarded

The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded in Psychology, is Public, 4-year or above (118,928 completions in 2023).

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

$7,992

Median In-State Public

$35,880

Median Out of State Private

Southern New Hampshire University has the most Psychology degree recipients, with 3,918 degrees awarded in 2023.

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, The Wright Institute has the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Psychology, with 100%.

Degrees Awarded by County

Counties with the Most Degrees Awarded in Psychology

Los Angeles County, CA
10,997 degrees awarded
San Diego County, CA
5,848 degrees awarded
Maricopa County, AZ
5,461 degrees awarded

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

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 $79,881 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 Miscellaneous petroleum & coal products.

Yearly Income for Common Jobs

$79,881

Average Wage in Workforce

± $1,253

8.24%

1 Year Growth

± 2.06%

The average salary for Psychology majors is $79,881 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.

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, Physicians, and Magnetic resonance imaging technologists.

Occupations by Share

2.84M

2022 Workforce

± 40,963

3.12%

1 Year Growth

± 2%

The number of Psychology graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 3.12%, from 2.75M in 2021 to 2.84M in 2022.

The largest single share of Psychology graduates go on to work as Elementary & middle school teachers (4.32%). This chart shows the various jobs filled by those with a major in Psychology by share of the total number of graduates.

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 Outpatient care centers.

Highest Paid

The highest paying industries of Psychology majors, by average wage, are Miscellaneous petroleum & coal products, Petroleum refining, and Internet publishing, broadcasting & web search portals.

Industries by Share

2.84M

2022 Workforce

± 40,963

3.12%

1 Year Growth

± 2%

The number of Psychology graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 3.12%, from 2.75M in 2021 to 2.84M in 2022.

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 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 41.3.

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 (101,103 students).

Workforce Age

41.3

Average Age in 2022

± 0.188 Years

0.0348%

1 Year Change

± 0.648%

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 30 years old, which represent 3.2% and 3.11% 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 Doctorate degree.

Sex Imbalance for Common Institutions

Female (80.4%)

Most Common Sex with a Degree in this Field

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

Race & Ethnicity by Degrees Awarded

Most Common Race or Ethnicity

White
101,103 degrees awarded
Hispanic or Latino
47,167 degrees awarded
Black or African American
21,869 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 Sex

Most Common Race/Ethnicity and Sex Combination

White Female
56,364 degrees awarded
Hispanic or Latino Female
25,000 degrees awarded
White Male
13,125 degrees awarded

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.

Global Diversity

Most Common Countries of Origin

Mexico
27,685 degree recipients
India
22,194 degree recipients
Philippines
17,988 degree recipients

High Relative Number of Students

United Arab Emirates
2.85 times more than expected
Norway
2.7 times more than expected
Antigua & Barbuda
2.66 times more than expected

There are a relatively high number of people that were born in United Arab Emirates that hold Psychology degrees (2.85 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 (27,685 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 Programming, Operations Analysis, and Science.

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

Radar Distribution

Bar Chart

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