Psychiatrist Salary: What the Federal Data Shows (Plus Telepsychiatry)
Psychiatrists earn a median of $281,870 a year in the US, per the most recent federal wage data (BLS, May 2025 estimates, released May 2026). The spread is wide: the 10th percentile sits at $84,060, which mostly reflects part-time and early-career arrangements, while the 90th percentile reaches $446,520. State medians run from the low $200s to $353,500 in California.
This page covers the state-by-state numbers, what telepsychiatry pays relative to in-person work, and how psychiatrist pay compares with PMHNP pay on the same care teams. Everything is sourced to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and refreshed each spring when new estimates come out.
National snapshot
That last number explains a lot about behavioral health hiring: fewer than 28,000 employed psychiatrists serve the entire country. Scarcity is the market condition behind every figure on this page.
Highest-paying states
| Rank | State | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $353,500 |
| 2 | Louisiana | $345,040 |
| 3 | Alaska | $342,170 |
| 4 | Minnesota | $336,410 |
| 5 | Wisconsin | $331,070 |
Two of these five (Louisiana and Alaska) employ fewer than 100 psychiatrists in the federal sample, so treat their exact ranks loosely. The dependable pattern: states with severe psychiatrist shortages relative to demand pay a premium, and it's often not the coastal states people expect. Minnesota and Wisconsin over New York is the detail worth noticing.
Psychiatrist salary by state
| State | Employment | 10th pctile | Median | 90th pctile | Mean |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 50 | $83,170 | $342,170 | $421,650 | $278,800 |
| Arizona | 380 | $128,350 | $249,720 | $385,760 | $264,260 |
| Arkansas | 150 | $66,030 | $124,750 | $375,080 | $182,100 |
| California | 5,420 | $113,990 | $353,500 | $496,230 | $315,380 |
| Colorado | 270 | $134,050 | $266,370 | $353,330 | $258,210 |
| Connecticut | 560 | $75,190 | $326,670 | $481,590 | $292,660 |
| Delaware | 100 | $57,150 | $279,410 | $410,910 | $243,740 |
| District of Columbia | 310 | $45,150 | $183,080 | $304,250 | $181,090 |
| Florida | 1,930 | $71,680 | $316,200 | $568,460 | $328,060 |
| Georgia | 470 | $89,990 | $237,480 | $369,790 | $227,430 |
| Hawaii | 170 | $156,990 | $289,990 | $302,450 | $271,330 |
| Idaho | 110 | $75,470 | $75,470 | $302,230 | $159,470 |
| Illinois | 870 | $134,770 | $258,740 | $447,930 | $269,000 |
| Indiana | 410 | $161,820 | $284,110 | $454,930 | $297,220 |
| Iowa | 170 | $77,320 | $295,270 | $427,810 | $273,190 |
| Kansas | 60 | $147,070 | $278,100 | $339,990 | $265,280 |
| Kentucky | 160 | $74,200 | $237,770 | $361,640 | $221,190 |
| Louisiana | 90 | $190,550 | $345,040 | $443,710 | $321,300 |
| Maine | 80 | $110,690 | $300,180 | $328,390 | $275,050 |
| Maryland | 460 | $154,720 | $305,320 | $449,640 | $306,100 |
| Massachusetts | 1,060 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Michigan | 560 | $81,390 | $291,850 | $399,920 | $272,010 |
| Minnesota | 580 | $90,470 | $336,410 | $446,520 | $333,320 |
| Mississippi | 110 | $61,380 | $213,680 | $339,790 | $218,620 |
| Missouri | 240 | $122,240 | $312,680 | $644,800 | $345,860 |
| Nebraska | 180 | $53,160 | $135,180 | $353,450 | $196,590 |
| Nevada | 90 | $100,880 | $210,030 | $377,600 | $203,980 |
| New Hampshire | 90 | $69,970 | $246,140 | $294,770 | $199,220 |
| New Jersey | 1,290 | $87,120 | $194,070 | $404,870 | $244,560 |
| New Mexico | n/a | $172,340 | $227,730 | $388,100 | $238,260 |
| New York | 4,130 | $86,120 | $265,890 | $443,340 | $252,840 |
| North Carolina | 620 | $101,080 | $168,880 | $297,250 | $201,840 |
| Ohio | 690 | $82,650 | $244,990 | $423,440 | $250,210 |
| Oklahoma | 80 | $123,220 | $271,640 | $356,840 | $272,510 |
| Oregon | 430 | $62,300 | $314,880 | $391,230 | $282,210 |
| Pennsylvania | 830 | $148,050 | $278,970 | $394,740 | $282,370 |
| Rhode Island | 270 | $145,780 | $287,610 | $480,690 | $257,290 |
| South Carolina | 200 | $129,250 | $237,250 | $308,430 | $226,360 |
| South Dakota | 60 | $130,000 | $226,180 | $341,360 | $270,220 |
| Tennessee | 410 | $65,820 | $214,880 | $359,990 | $210,520 |
| Texas | 1,690 | $73,330 | $228,460 | $391,890 | $221,100 |
| Utah | 260 | $158,990 | $299,670 | $358,180 | $288,370 |
| Vermont | 80 | $77,450 | $302,770 | $424,200 | $298,070 |
| Virginia | 370 | $129,440 | $295,010 | $372,180 | $272,960 |
| Washington | 360 | $92,320 | $304,920 | $363,850 | $265,600 |
| West Virginia | 90 | $63,320 | $63,320 | $465,770 | $173,570 |
| Wisconsin | 550 | $86,340 | $331,070 | $393,500 | $282,980 |
Reading notes, because psychiatrist data has quirks the raw table doesn't explain. Massachusetts is suppressed entirely in this release, and a few small-sample states (Idaho and West Virginia, each with roughly 100 or fewer psychiatrists sampled) show medians equal to their 10th percentile, which is a data artifact rather than a real market fact. BLS also top-codes very high wages, so the true ceiling in high-paying states runs above what the 90th percentile column can show.
What telepsychiatry pays
Telepsychiatry salary is one of the most-searched questions in this field, and the honest answer starts with what the data can and can't say. BLS does not track telepsychiatrists separately; remote and in-person psychiatrists sit in the same occupation code, so the tables above are the benchmark for employed telepsychiatry roles too.
What differs is the structure of the pay, and it falls into three patterns.
Salaried W2 roles
Salaried W2 roles at virtual-first groups and telepsychiatry networks generally benchmark against the same market as in-person outpatient psychiatry, with the meaningful upside being zero commute and multi-state reach.
1099 contract work
Hourly and per-encounter contract work (1099) trades benefits for rate and flexibility, and those contractor earnings sit entirely outside the federal wage data on this page, so treat any 1099 rate you see quoted online as a different measurement, not a contradiction.
Multi-state licensure
Third, licensure reach changes earning power: a psychiatrist licensed in multiple states can fill the highest-paying demand wherever it is, which is the economic logic behind compact licensure. Our telepsychiatry jobs guide covers the regulatory side, and the PSYPACT explainer covers cross-state practice (for psychologists; physician licensure runs through the IMLC).
The practical takeaway: telepsychiatry is not a discount on psychiatrist pay. For employed roles it draws from the same wage market, and it widens which state markets one clinician can serve.
Psychiatrist vs PMHNP pay
On many care teams the prescriber question is psychiatrist versus psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. The pay gap is large: the all-NP federal median is $132,300 (BLS doesn't split PMHNPs out, and PMHNPs typically run above the all-NP figure, so treat it as a floor). That roughly $150,000 difference per prescriber is why PMHNP hiring is growing faster than psychiatrist hiring across behavioral health, and why psychiatrist scarcity keeps their wages climbing anyway.
Frequently asked questions
How much do psychiatrists make?
The national median is $281,870 a year (BLS, May 2025 estimates). The middle of the market runs well into six figures, with a 90th percentile of $446,520. The low 10th percentile ($84,060) largely reflects part-time and training-adjacent arrangements.
Which states pay psychiatrists the most?
By median wage: California ($353,500), Louisiana ($345,040), Alaska ($342,170), Minnesota ($336,410), and Wisconsin ($331,070). Shortage-driven demand, not coastal cost of living, drives most of the list.
How much do telepsychiatrists make?
There's no separate federal wage category for telepsychiatry. Employed telepsychiatrists benchmark against the same figures as in-person psychiatrists; 1099 contract rates are structured differently and aren't captured in federal employee wage data.
Do psychiatrists earn more than psychiatric nurse practitioners?
Yes, by a wide margin: the psychiatrist median is $281,870 versus a $132,300 median for all nurse practitioners (PMHNP-specific pay typically runs above that all-NP floor).
Where these numbers come from
Wage figures are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 estimates (occupation code 29-1223, Psychiatrists), released May 2026 and the most recent federal data available. OEWS reports wages for employees; independent contractor rates are not included. Some state figures are suppressed or top-coded in the source data and marked n/a. All figures are estimates and marked as such. We refresh this page when BLS publishes new estimates each spring.
Hiring or job hunting now? Explore psychiatrist and telepsychiatry opportunities from employers recruiting this month.
Browse live psychiatrist and telepsychiatry listings