SalaryExplorer

SOC 19-3034 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

School Psychologists — Sacramento

Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA · 10 metro areas compared

$131,920 /year
$63.42per hour
460jobs in area
+37.4%vs US median

In Sacramento, CA the median wage for School Psychologists reaches $131,920 a year.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $95,99010TH$103,03025TH$111,990MEDIAN$131,92090TH$155,500

How pay has moved

$139,515$93,94520212022202320242025$131,920
$101,540 in 2021 to $131,920 in 2025, +29.9% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to grow more slowly than average

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
+0.7%
Openings per year
3,800
Typical entry-level education
Master's degree
On-the-job training
Internship/residency

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

5.3% of people in this occupation work for themselves.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

In Sacramento, CA the median wage for School Psychologists reaches $131,920 a year. That is 37.4% more than the national median of $95,990. The middle half of workers in this occupation earn between $111,990 and $137,180. The lowest tenth earn under $103,030, while the highest tenth earn more than $155,500.

The area has 460 jobs in this occupation, giving a location quotient of 1.04 — a measure of how concentrated the occupation is here relative to the country as a whole. El Centro leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $145,400. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 74th of 648 by median pay.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$103,030+7.3%
25th$111,990+16.7%
Median (50th)$131,920+37.4%
75th$137,180+42.9%
90th$155,500+62.0%
Mean$127,440+32.8%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in California

Median annual wage for School Psychologists, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1El Centro$145,40050
2Riverside$139,400760
3Merced$133,23090
4San Diego$131,070850
5San Francisco$130,540680
6San Jose$130,520260
7Oxnard$129,610220
8Modesto$128,750100
9Stockton$128,630200
10Santa Maria$128,110110

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Sacramento run 6.7% above the national average, so the median of $131,920 buys what $123,636 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way the gap against the national median narrows to 28.8% above the national median in real terms.

Published median

$131,920as reported by BLS

Local price level

106.7US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$123,636US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $131,920 a year, 37.4% above the national median.
  • Published pay spans $103,030 to $155,500 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 460 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is El Centro, at $145,400.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for School Psychologists in Sacramento, CA?

The median annual wage is $131,920, or $63.42 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $95,990, so pay in Sacramento, CA is 37.4% higher. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in Sacramento, CA earns more than $155,500 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $103,030 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

Which area nearby pays the most?

The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in El Centro, at $145,400 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 460 jobs in this occupation in Sacramento, CA. Self-employed workers are not included.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.