SalariesWhat the occupation covers
Apply principles of psychology to human resources, administration, management, sales, and marketing problems. Activities may include policy planning; employee testing and selection, training, and development; and organizational development and analysis. May work with management to organize the work setting to improve worker productivity.
Official definition from the Standard Occupational Classification, code 19-3032.
The pay range
Pay differs a lot inside one occupation, with experience, employer and place. The table shows where the lines fall.
| Share of workers | A year | A month* | A week* | An hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest 10% earn less than | $79,010 | $6,584 | $1,519 | $37.99 |
| Lowest 25% earn less than | $107,310 | $8,942 | $2,064 | $51.59 |
| Median (half earn less, half more) | $193,950 | $16,162 | $3,730 | $93.24 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $222,280 | $18,523 | $4,275 | $106.86 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $247,220 | $20,602 | $4,754 | $118.86 |
* Month and week are the yearly figure divided by 12 and by 52, worked out here for convenience. BLS publishes the yearly and hourly figures.
How it compares
The median for all occupations in the United States was $50,980 a year. The median for Industrial-Organizational Psychologists is $193,950, which is 280% higher. Among the 48 occupations of the field Life, Physical, and Social Science, it ranks number 1 by median pay. With 790 jobs, it makes up about 0.1 of every 10,000 jobs in the country.
Industrial-Organizational Psychologists pay by state
The occupation is most concentrated in Oregon, where its share of all jobs is 5.8 times the national share.
No state matches.
| State | Jobs | Median a year | Average a year | Median an hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon | 60 | $174,980 | $147,400 | $84.13 |
| Texas | 40 | $139,520 | $130,430 | $67.08 |
Sorted by median pay, highest first. "Not published" means BLS did not release that figure for the state, usually because too few employers were surveyed. "$239,200 or more" is the highest value BLS reports in the state tables.
Similar occupations by pay
Common questions
How much do Industrial-Organizational Psychologists earn in the United States?
The median pay was $193,950 a year in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $79,010 and the highest-paid 10% more than $247,220.
How many people work as Industrial-Organizational Psychologists?
About 790 jobs in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Checked in November 2026. Figures are for employees, before tax, and leave out overtime pay and benefits. They are official statistics, not advice or a pay offer; see bls.gov/oes for the original tables.