How much do psychiatrists make?

Psychiatrist salary 2026 · BLS occupation: Psychiatrists (SOC 29-1223) · Updated October 28, 2026

Answer

Psychiatrists in the US earned a median of $281,870 a year ($135.51 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned $154,150 to $362,740.

Median annual pay: $281,870; Mean $269,940
Median hourly pay: $135.51; Mean $129.78
Typical range (10th–90th): $84.1K–$447K; $84,060 to $446,520
US jobs: 27,980; +7.2% projected, 2025–35

BLS OEWS, May 2025, released April 30, 2026. Wages include tips, commissions and production bonuses but not overtime premiums, shift differentials, other bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers are not included. Methodology

How to become a psychiatrist: steps, years and cost · Best-paying state after cost of living: Louisiana

Psychiatrist pay range

Annual wages, May 2025

10th percentile$84,060
25th percentile$154,150
Median$281,870
75th percentile$362,740
90th percentile$446,520

Half of all psychiatrists earned more than $281,870 and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% made under $84,060; the top 10% made over $446,520. The middle 50%, from the 25th to the 75th percentile, ran from $154,150 to $362,740.

These percentiles describe everyone in the occupation at one time. They are not pay steps by years of experience: they mix new and senior workers, different states, employers and hours. Pay generally rises with experience, credentials and specialization, but BLS does not publish pay by experience.

Percentile	Annual	Hourly	Monthly
10th	$84,060	$40.41	$7,005
25th	$154,150	$74.11	$12,846
Median (50th)	$281,870	$135.51	$23,489
75th	$362,740	$174.39	$30,228
90th	$446,520	$214.67	$37,210
Mean (average)	$269,940	$129.78	$22,495

Psychiatrist salary by state

Median annual pay; cost of living from BEA regional price parities 2024

Median annual pay for psychiatrists by state. Darker tiles pay more. A dash means BLS did not publish a figure.

Highest-paying states

1. California $353,500
2. Louisiana $345,040
3. Alaska $342,170
4. Minnesota $336,410
5. Wisconsin $331,070

Lowest-paying states

46. West Virginia $63,320
45. Idaho $75,470
44. Arkansas $124,750
43. Nebraska $135,180
42. North Carolina $168,880

Best after cost of living: Louisiana. Its median of $345,040 is worth about $391,171 at national-average prices, more than in California once prices are counted.


Alabama	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Alaska	$342,170	3	$334,284	6	$164.51	50	0.17
Arizona	$249,720	28	$248,041	31	$120.06	380	0.12
Arkansas	$124,750	44	$143,495	44	$59.97	150	0.12
California	$353,500	1	$319,274	7	$169.95	5,420	0.30
Colorado	$266,370	25	$258,481	28	$128.06	270	0.09
Connecticut	$326,670	6	$315,288	8	$157.05	560	0.33
Delaware	$279,410	21	$279,947	23	$134.33	100	0.20
District of Columbia	$183,080	41	$166,586	42	$88.02	310	0.44
Florida	$316,200	7	$305,761	13	$152.02	1,930	0.20
Georgia	$237,480	32	$246,622	33	$114.17	470	0.10
Hawaii	$289,990	18	$263,745	25	$139.42	170	0.26
Idaho	$75,470	45	$79,031	45	$36.28	110	0.12
Illinois	$258,740	27	$258,849	27	$124.40	870	0.14
Indiana	$284,110	20	$304,418	15	$136.59	410	0.13
Iowa	$295,270	15	$336,444	5	$141.96	170	0.11
Kansas	$278,100	23	$308,767	12	$133.70	60	0.04
Kentucky	$237,770	31	$263,723	26	$114.31	160	0.08
Louisiana	$345,040	2	$391,171	1	$165.88	90	0.05
Maine	$300,180	13	$309,304	9	$144.32	80	0.13
Maryland	$305,320	10	$290,895	19	$146.79	460	0.17
Massachusetts	—	—	—	—	—	1,060	0.29
Michigan	$291,850	17	$303,325	16	$140.31	560	0.13
Minnesota	$336,410	4	$341,114	4	$161.74	580	0.20
Mississippi	$213,680	38	$245,742	35	$102.73	110	0.10
Missouri	$312,680	9	$344,297	3	$150.33	240	0.08
Montana	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Nebraska	$135,180	43	$150,028	43	$64.99	180	0.17
Nevada	$210,030	39	$210,074	39	$100.98	90	0.06
New Hampshire	$246,140	29	$236,298	36	$118.34	90	0.14
New Jersey	$194,070	40	$178,365	41	$93.30	1,290	0.30
New Mexico	$227,730	35	$246,964	32	$109.49	—	—
New York	$265,890	26	$246,375	34	$127.83	4,130	0.43
North Carolina	$168,880	42	$179,039	40	$81.19	620	0.13
North Dakota	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Ohio	$244,990	30	$264,072	24	$117.78	690	0.12
Oklahoma	$271,640	24	$309,234	10	$130.60	80	0.05
Oregon	$314,880	8	$304,641	14	$151.39	430	0.22
Pennsylvania	$278,970	22	$285,912	20	$134.12	830	0.14
Rhode Island	$287,610	19	$281,199	22	$138.28	270	0.54
South Carolina	$237,250	33	$253,069	30	$114.06	200	0.09
South Dakota	$226,180	36	$255,323	29	$108.74	60	0.13
Tennessee	$214,880	37	$233,896	38	$103.31	410	0.12
Texas	$228,460	34	$235,387	37	$109.84	1,690	0.12
Utah	$299,670	14	$303,113	17	$144.07	260	0.15
Vermont	$302,770	12	$309,081	11	$145.56	80	0.28
Virginia	$295,010	16	$291,789	18	$141.83	370	0.09
Washington	$304,920	11	$284,937	21	$146.60	360	0.10
West Virginia	$63,320	46	$70,751	46	$30.44	90	0.12
Wisconsin	$331,070	5	$351,847	2	$159.17	550	0.19
Wyoming	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

BLS OEWS, May 2025, state estimates. Adjusted pay = median ÷ (state price level ÷ 100), using BEA regional price parities for 2024; it ignores taxes. Figures for states with few workers in the occupation have larger survey errors and can change sharply from one year to the next. “—” means BLS did not publish the figure (5 states). State names link to each state’s highest-paying jobs.

Best-paying metro areas for psychiatrists

103 metro areas with published pay

Highest median pay
Metro area	Median	Adjusted	Jobs
Chattanooga, TN-GA	$239,200+	—	50
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA	$239,200+	—	140
Salem, OR	$239,200+	—	60
Springfield, IL	$413,890	$446,267	40
Burlington-South Burlington, VT	$409,950	$406,096	50
Gainesville, FL	$404,240	$417,893	—
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	$403,430	$353,405	720
Ocala, FL	$396,200	$416,028	40
New Haven, CT	$381,890	$365,239	140
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	$370,510	$326,251	1,610

Most jobs
Metro area	Jobs	Median	Adjusted
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	4,180	$249,130	$221,325
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	1,610	$370,510	$326,251
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	760	—	—
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	720	$403,430	$353,405
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	640	$279,410	$272,452
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	600	$258,750	$249,771
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	550	$246,990	$226,838
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	490	$364,530	$342,468
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX	420	$249,070	$252,532
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	410	$240,930	$233,708

BLS OEWS, May 2025, metropolitan statistical areas; adjusted with BEA metro price parities (2024).

What moves psychiatrist pay: employers and settings

Location moves psychiatrist pay a long way. California has the highest state median at $353,500, followed by Louisiana at $345,040, Alaska at $342,170, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Louisiana also comes out best after adjusting for living costs, at $391,171. At the bottom, Arkansas is at $124,750, Idaho at $75,470, and West Virginia is lowest at $63,320. State medians depend on which employers report there, so treat a state figure as a rough guide rather than an offer.

Setting matters too. Offices of physicians, the largest employer, pay a median of $299,670; outpatient care centers pay $297,400. General hospitals pay $223,880; colleges and universities, where psychiatrists teach and do research, pay $141,400. Among public employers, local government pays a median of $328,790. State government pays $249,080; private employers pay $286,260.

The overall spread is wide: $84,060, the 10th percentile, to $446,520, the 90th. The median is $281,870. Those percentiles describe the spread of pay across all psychiatrists, not steps in a career; state, employer, hours and part-time or academic roles all feed into it.

Where psychiatrists work
Industry	Share of jobs	Median pay
Offices of Physicians	31%	$299,670
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	17.6%	$223,880
Outpatient Care Centers	11.2%	$297,400
Offices of Other Health Practitioners	7.3%	$198,730
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools	5.4%	$141,400
State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals	5.3%	$254,660

Private employers and government
Employer type	Jobs	Median pay
Private employers	21,790	$286,260
State government (incl. schools and hospitals)	4,230	$249,080
Local government (incl. schools and hospitals)	1,960	$328,790

BLS OEWS, May 2025, national industry-specific and ownership estimates (4-digit NAICS).

What psychiatrists do

A psychiatrist is a medical doctor (MD or DO) who specializes in mental illness. Because they are physicians, psychiatrists can do things other mental health professionals cannot: order lab work and brain imaging, rule out medical causes of symptoms, prescribe and adjust medications, admit patients to a hospital, and give treatments such as electroconvulsive therapy. Many also provide psychotherapy, though in busy practices much of the talk therapy is handled by psychologists, counselors and social workers while the psychiatrist manages diagnosis and medication.

The work happens in physician offices, general hospitals, outpatient mental health clinics, state psychiatric hospitals, prisons, universities and over video. Psychiatrists treat depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety, ADHD, eating disorders and substance use, and some focus on one group such as children, older adults or people in the legal system. A typical week mixes new-patient evaluations, shorter medication follow-ups, team meetings with nurses and therapists, paperwork for insurers and courts, and on-call duty for emergencies.

A typical day

Interview new patients and their families to build a full psychiatric and medical history
Make a diagnosis and write a treatment plan that may combine medication, therapy and other services
See returning patients to check symptoms, side effects and lab results, then adjust doses
Talk through a patient's condition and treatment options with relatives or guardians
Coordinate with therapists, nurses, social workers and primary care doctors on shared patients
Assess people in crisis in the emergency department or on an inpatient unit, including risk of harm
Write chart notes, prior authorizations, disability forms and court or agency reports

Also called: adolescent psychiatrist, adult psychiatrist, attending psychiatrist, board certified psychiatrist, child and adolescent psychiatrist, child psychiatrist, consulting psychiatrist, forensic psychiatrist.

How to become a psychiatrist

Full guide

To become a psychiatrist, you earn a bachelor's degree, finish four years of medical school (MD or DO), pass the USMLE or COMLEX licensing exams, complete a four-year psychiatry residency and get a state medical license. Plan on about 12 years after high school.

Typical time: 12 years; Fastest: About 11 years
Minimum education: MD or DO from an LCME- or COCA-accredited medical school, plus a 4-year ACGME-accredited psychiatry residency
License: Required in all 50 states and DC (state medical license)
Typical training cost: $214K–$215K; See the guide for what it includes

Read the step-by-step guide to becoming a psychiatrist: each step with its time and cost, education options, exams, licensing and advancement.

Is it worth it? Training cost against pay

Compare careers

Training time: 12 years; Typical path in our guide
Training cost: $214K–$215K; Tuition and exam fees, before aid
Median pay: $281,870; $230,890 above the all-jobs median ($50,980)
Cost vs. one year's pay: 76–76%; Training cost as a share of a year at the median

Once qualified, the pay difference over the typical US job at the median ($230,890 a year before tax) would repay the training cost in less than a year after training ends (12 years in our guide). This is a rough guide: it ignores taxes, financial aid, interest, earnings given up while training and how pay changes over a career. How we calculate ROI.

Job outlook for psychiatrists

BLS Employment Projections 2025–35

Projected growth: +7.2%; All occupations +3.5%
Jobs in 2025: 30,000; 32,100 projected for 2035
Openings each year: 900; New jobs plus replacements
Self-employed: 3.2%; Not in the pay figures above

BLS projects psychiatrist jobs to grow 7.2% from 2025 to 2035, from 30,000 to 32,100. That is about twice the 3.5% average for all occupations and faster than the 4% projected for physicians and surgeons as a group. BLS links the growth to rising demand for psychiatric care and wider access to mental health services. About 900 openings are expected each year, most of them to replace psychiatrists who retire or leave the field. Only 3.2% are self-employed, so most new psychiatrists join hospitals, clinics or group practices.

Related careers and their pay

Pediatrician$210,040
Neurologist$248,560
Registered Nurse$97,550
Psychologist$100,580
Nurse Practitioner$132,300
Cardiologist$496,010
OB-GYN$292,910
Orthopedic Surgeon$358,550

Related occupations from O*NET 31.0; median annual pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.

Psychiatrist salary FAQ

How much do psychiatrists make an hour?

The median hourly wage for psychiatrists was $135.51 in May 2025. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $40.41 an hour and the highest-paid 10% more than $214.67. Hourly figures are BLS estimates for all workers in the occupation, full-time and part-time.

Which state pays psychiatrists the most?

California has the highest median pay for psychiatrists, $353,500 a year, followed by Louisiana ($345,040) and Alaska ($342,170). After adjusting for each state's price level, Louisiana comes out ahead at about $391,171 in national-average dollars.

Do psychiatrists make $200,000 a year?

Most do: based on the BLS percentiles, between 50% and 75% of psychiatrists earn more than $200,000 a year. The median is $281,870, and the top 10% earn more than $446,520. Pay generally rises with experience, specialization and location.

What is the difference between a psychiatrist and a psychologist?

A psychiatrist is a physician with an MD or DO who completed a four-year psychiatry residency, so they can prescribe medication, order medical tests and admit patients to a hospital. A psychologist usually holds a PhD or PsyD and focuses on psychological testing and therapy; in most states psychologists cannot prescribe. Many patients see both, with the psychologist providing weekly therapy and the psychiatrist managing medication. See our psychologist page for that path.

Do psychiatrists do talk therapy?

They are trained in it. Psychotherapy is part of the outpatient training in every psychiatry residency, and some psychiatrists build practices around long therapy sessions. In many clinics and hospitals, though, psychiatrists spend most of their time on evaluations and medication management, with shorter follow-up visits, while psychologists, counselors and social workers deliver weekly therapy. How much therapy you do depends largely on the setting and practice model you choose.

Where do most psychiatrists work?

The largest group, 31%, works in offices of physicians. General medical and surgical hospitals employ 17.6%, outpatient care centers 11.2%, and colleges, universities and professional schools 5.4%. State government agencies other than schools and hospitals employ another 5.3%. California and New York have the most psychiatrist jobs, followed by Florida, Texas and New Jersey.

Sources

Data updated October 28, 2026 · Text checked against its sources October 28, 2026

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates, released April 30, 2026, SOC 29-1223
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035, released September 2026
O*NET 31.0 Database (29-1223.00), U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0; tasks rewritten by Careers and Salaries
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by state and metro area, 2024
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, May values
U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study and institution data, most recent cohorts, released 2026-10-15
Physicians and Surgeons, Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · checked October 28, 2026
MCAT Scheduling Fees, Association of American Medical Colleges · checked October 28, 2026
The Cost of Applying to Medical School, Association of American Medical Colleges · checked October 28, 2026
Apply for Exams, United States Medical Licensing Examination (FSMB and NBME) · checked October 28, 2026
Frequently Asked Questions, National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners · checked October 28, 2026
Psychiatry: Initial Certification Requirements, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology · checked October 28, 2026
ABPN Fee Schedule, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology · checked October 28, 2026
ACGME Program Requirements for Graduate Medical Education in Psychiatry, Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education · checked October 28, 2026
License Finder, CareerOneStop, U.S. Department of Labor · checked October 28, 2026

Careers and Salaries is not affiliated with the Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Found an error? Tell us; corrections are listed on the editorial policy page.