An official website of the United States government

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Field of degree: Psychology

PRINTER-FRIENDLY

Psychology field of degree. Employment: 3,141,710. Median annual wage: $50,000.

View Chart Data

Table 1. Psychology degree, 2019
Data	Psychology	All fields
Employment	3,141,710	56,820,460
Median wage	50,000	60,000
Percent employed part time	20	15
Percent employed in occupations requiring at least a bachelor's degree	60	61
Percent with an advanced degree	48	37
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.

Chart 1. Types of psychology majors, 2019.

View Chart Data

Chart 1. Types of psychology majors, 2019
Psychology majors	Major share
Psychology	92%
Counseling Psychology	3
Miscellaneous Psychology	2
Industrial And Organizational Psychology	1
Clinical Psychology	1
Other	1
Note: The sum of percents by major may not total 100 due to rounding. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.

Chart 2. Employment distribution of workers with a psychology degree, by occupational group, 2019.

View Chart Data

Chart 2. Employment distribution of workers with a psychology degree, by occupational group, 2019
Occupational group	Occupational group share
Management occupations	14%
Community and social service occupations	14
Educational instruction and library occupations	13
Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations	10
Office and administrative support occupations	9
Other	40
Note: The sum of percents by major may not total 100 due to rounding. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.

Table 2. Top-employing occupations for workers with a psychology degree.

View Chart Data

Table 2. Top-employing occupations for workers with a psychology degree
Occupational Outlook Handbook profile	Percent growth, projected 2020–30	Typical entry-level education	Percent degree holders in this field, this occupation, 2019	Percent of this occupation with an advanced degree, 2019
Postsecondary teachers	24%	See How to Become One	3%	73%
Educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors	11	Master's degree	3	60
Human resources specialists	10	Bachelor's degree	2	18
Lawyers	9	Doctoral or professional degree	2	92
Registered nurses	9	Bachelor's degree	2	12
Elementary school teachers, except special education	7	Bachelor's degree	4	48
Personal service managers, all other; entertainment and recreation managers, except gambling; and managers, all other	7	Bachelor's degree	3	20
Social workers, all other	6	Bachelor's degree	4	40
Physicians, all other; and ophthalmologists, except pediatric	5	Doctoral or professional degree	2	100
Psychologists, all other	2	Master's degree	3	92
Note: Occupational profiles may comprise multiple SOC occupations, which may have differing education categories. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program (projected growth, entry-level education) and U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (degree holders, advanced degrees).

Suggested citation:

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Field of degree: Psychology,
at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/field-of-degree/psychology/psychology-field-of-degree.htm (visited May 16, 2022).

Last Modified Date: Friday, December 3, 2021