Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary
SOC 25-1066 · 2024-2034
Teach courses in psychology, such as child, clinical, and developmental psychology, and psychological counseling. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
How the U.S. Department of Labor describes this work. Published in English only.
What California expects of this job
- Typical pay in California
- $110,345per year
- Projected openings
- 3,770
- Projected change
- +2%
- Usually needs
- Doctoral or professional degree
Skills this work uses most
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, rates how important each of these is to this work, and they are listed in that order, most important first. The ratings themselves are not shown, because the data carries the number without the scale it was measured on. The names are as published, in English.
- Learning Strategies
- Speaking
- Reading Comprehension
- Instructing
- Active Listening
- Writing
Pay by region
| Region | Typical pay in California | Projected openings |
|---|---|---|
| Fresno MSA (Fresno and Madera Counties) | $169,248 | 80 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties) | $134,386 | 370 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA (El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo Counties) | $133,358 | 180 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA (San Diego County) | $126,877 | 380 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA (San Benito and Santa Clara Counties) | $124,905 | 460 |
| Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) | $123,071 | 310 |
| Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD (Orange County) | $106,979 | 290 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara MSA (Santa Barbara County) | $104,752 | 110 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County) | $101,548 | 1,740 |
| San Rafael MD (Marin County) | Not reported | 30 |
What the pay actually ranges across
- The lowest-paid tenth earn under
- $70,109
- A quarter earn under
- $83,884
- Half earn under
- $110,345
- Three quarters earn under
- $170,297
- The highest-paid tenth earn over
- $211,695
A median is one point. These are the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for California, and they say how far apart the people doing this job actually are. Read them as the spread across everyone already in the work — not as a starting wage and not as a promise about where anyone lands.
Similar work
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, names these as occupations involving work similar to this one — its own reading of the job, not a grouping by code. They keep O*NET's order, and only those California publishes a projection for are shown.
| Occupation | Typical pay in California | Projected openings | Projected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education Teachers, Postsecondary | $114,981 | 2,850 | +2.6% |
| Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary | $50,516 | 28,690 | +2.6% |
| Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary | $169,732 | 20,800 | +19.2% |
| Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary | $131,357 | 1,350 | -4.8% |
| Mathematical Science Teachers, Postsecondary | $134,338 | 2,830 | -2.4% |