Frequently Asked Questions about Psychology Workforce

How many psychologists are licensed in the United States?
There were approximately 106,000 doctoral-level licensed psychologists in the United States .

How are psychologists distributed across the country?
Psychologists are unevenly distributed across the nation, with higher concentrations located in the Northeast, along the Pacific coast, and generally in urban areas.

What proportion of the nation's behavioral health providers are psychologists?
In 2013, approximately 16 percent of the behavioral and social science providers were identified as psychologists.

How often do health service psychologists work with other health-care providers?
Most health service psychologists ( 74 percent ) provide collaborative care. About 67 percent of licensed psychologists reported collaborating with behavioral health professionals, including psychiatrists, social workers and counselors.

How many psychologists are employed?
In 2013, about 87 percent of people with psychology research doctorates were employed, 1 percent were unemployed and 11 percent were not in the labor force.

What are the characteristics of online job advertisements for licensed psychologists?
In 2014, there were approximately 12,000 online job postings for licensed (or license-eligible) psychologists in the United States.

Where can I find information about psychology internships?
Please contact Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centersopens in new window .

What is the gender composition of the psychology workforce?
In 2013, approximately 68 percent of the psychology workforce is female and 32 percent is male.

What is the racial/ethnic composition of the psychology workforce?
In 2013, the racial/ethnic minority composition of the workforce was four percent Asian, four percent Black/African American, five percent Hispanic and two percent other racial/ethnic groups.

What is the gender composition of psychology faculty?
In 2013, 46 percent of psychology faculty were female and 54 percent were male.

What are the demographic characteristics of APA members?
CWS publishes APA Member and Division Profiles which provides demographic, education, and employment characteristics of APA members by member status.

How much do psychology faculty earn?
In the 2014-15 academic year, psychology faculty had a mean salary of $74,000opens in new window  (PDF, 267KB). Salary levels were higher for tenure or tenure-track faculty and for those working at public institutions.

How much do recent recipients of psychology doctorates earn?
Among 2014 graduates with research doctorates in psychology, median salaries were lowest ($40,000 ) for those entering postdoctoral study positions, and highest for those entering industry employment: $75,000 for business or industry, $69,000 for government and $60,000 for nonprofit organization.

How many psychology degrees are awarded each year?
In the 2013 academic year, 6,496 psychology doctorates were awarded in the U.S., a 32 percent increase from 2004.

How many psychology bachelor's-degree holders work in STEM occupations?
Psychology bachelor's-degree recipients work in a variety of occupations . About 10 percent work in U.S. Census-defined science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) occupations and 10 percent work in STEM-related occupations.

What proportion of psychology doctorate holders work in the psychology field?
In 2013, approximately 47 percent of employed psychology doctorate holders worked as psychologists, 19 percent worked as social science postsecondary teachers, and 8 percent worked as top- and mid-level management positions.

What percentage of undergraduate psychology majors continue on to earn graduate degrees?
In 2013, approximately 45 percent of psychology bachelor holders had graduate degrees in any field. For more information, see report The Economic Value of College Majorsopens in new window  (PDF, 8MB) by Georgetown University's Center for Education and the Workforce.

What is the gender and racial/ethnic composition of psychology doctorates?
By 2014, the ratio of women to men who received psychology doctorates had risen to 2.5 to 1 . Since 2005, the number of doctorate recipients has grown by 12 percent among Black/African Americans, 36 percent among Hispanic/Latinos and 46 percent among Asians.

What percentage of psychology doctorates have bachelor's degrees in psychology?
In 2014, approximately 64 percentopens in new window  (PDF, 47KB) of recipients of research doctorates in psychology had bachelor's degrees in psychology, according to the National Science Foundation's Survey of Earned Doctoratesopens in new window .

How many international students are studying psychology in the United States?
In 2014, approximately 6.7 percentopens in new window  (PDF, 47KB) of recipients of research doctorate in psychology were temporary visa holders, according to the National Science Foundation's Survey of Earned Doctoratesopens in new window  (PDF, 145KB).

What are the acceptance rates for graduate psychology programs?
In the 2013–14 academic year, potential students submitted more than 110,000 applications to U.S. and Canadian graduate psychology programs, with an overall acceptance rate of 13 percent.

How long does it take to complete a doctoral degree in psychology?
In 2014, recipients of research doctorates in psychology took a median of 7.0 yearsopens in new window  (PDF, 47KB) from graduate school entry to complete their degrees, according to the National Science Foundation's Survey of Earned Doctoratesopens in new window .

Where can I find information about psychology graduate programs?
See Summary Report of Graduate Study in Psychology by APA's Office of Graduate and Postgraduate Education and Training.

Where can I find more information about APA-accredited programs?
Please refer to APA Commission on Accreditation's Annual Report Online summary reports .

Will my degrees from outside the United States meet requirements for licensure or work in the U.S.?
Please contact the APA Office of International Affairs for questions related to the portability of non-US degrees.

How much debt do recent doctoral graduates carry?
For 2013 and 2014 graduates, the median debt was $82,000 , according to the survey by the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students (APAGS). Median debt was highest for health service psychology (HSP) PsyD graduates ($200,000).

What kind of financial aid do undergraduate psychology majors receive?
The type and amount of financial aid often depended on the type of institution in which the student is enrolled.