Psychiatrist Salary by State (2026)

Psychiatrists earn the most in California at $353,500 a year and the least in West Virginia at $63,320 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $281,870. All 46 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.

Highest median
$353,500

California

National median
$281,870

BLS OEWS, May 2025

Lowest median
$63,320

West Virginia

States reporting
46

of 54 OEWS areas

Top 5 states for Psychiatrists

  1. 1. California$353,500 median · $319,274 adjusted · 5,420 employed
  2. 2. Louisiana$345,040 median · $391,171 adjusted · 90 employed
  3. 3. Alaska$342,170 median · $334,284 adjusted · 50 employed
  4. 4. Minnesota$336,410 median · $341,114 adjusted · 580 employed
  5. 5. Wisconsin$331,070 median · $351,847 adjusted · 550 employed

Lowest-paying states for Psychiatrists

  1. 46. West Virginia$63,320 median · $70,751 adjusted · 90 employed
  2. 45. Idaho$75,470 median · $79,031 adjusted · 110 employed
  3. 44. Arkansas$124,750 median · $143,495 adjusted · 150 employed
  4. 43. Nebraska$135,180 median · $150,028 adjusted · 180 employed
  5. 42. North Carolina$168,880 median · $179,039 adjusted · 620 employed

Psychiatrist salary in every state

Sort by any column. Employment is the number of psychiatrists OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.

Annual wages by state, sortable by median, quartiles, employment and cost-of-living adjusted median
#
1California$353,500$173,990$414,6405,420$319,274
2Louisiana$345,040$215,770$373,13090$391,171
3Alaska$342,170$118,600$393,92050$334,284
4Minnesota$336,410$279,600$382,210580$341,114
5Wisconsin$331,070$196,700$349,230550$351,847
6Connecticut$326,670$135,190$404,850560$315,288
7Florida$316,200$179,670$474,2501,930$305,761
8Oregon$314,880$257,780$336,410430$304,641
9Missouri$312,680$260,600$466,780240$344,297
10Maryland$305,320$229,860$411,740460$290,895
11Washington$304,920$175,900$332,330360$284,937
12Vermont$302,770$221,000$409,95080$309,081
13Maine$300,180$248,140$316,49080$309,304
14Utah$299,670$286,770$321,560260$303,113
15Iowa$295,270$151,560$360,900170$336,444
16Virginia$295,010$215,150$322,890370$291,789
17Michigan$291,850$190,630$364,230560$303,325
18Hawaii$289,990$280,380$290,040170$263,745
19Rhode Island$287,610$145,790$304,210270$281,199
20Indiana$284,110$232,380$357,000410$304,418
21Delaware$279,410$187,270$304,990100$279,947
22Pennsylvania$278,970$235,240$342,920830$285,912
23Kansas$278,100$217,360$314,50060$308,767
24Oklahoma$271,640$224,490$333,32080$309,234
25Colorado$266,370$228,210$313,920270$258,481
26New York$265,890$101,460$333,8704,130$246,375
27Illinois$258,740$166,750$379,160870$258,849
28Arizona$249,720$204,870$327,350380$248,041
29New Hampshire$246,140$76,030$294,77090$236,298
30Ohio$244,990$171,140$311,190690$264,072
31Kentucky$237,770$132,450$288,780160$263,723
32Georgia$237,480$103,200$318,110470$246,622
33South Carolina$237,250$155,250$272,230200$253,069
34Texas$228,460$104,290$305,5301,690$235,387
35New Mexico$227,730$224,920$248,940N/A$246,964
36South Dakota$226,180$201,330$341,36060$255,323
37Tennessee$214,880$76,870$312,950410$233,896
38Mississippi$213,680$127,880$330,650110$245,742
39Nevada$210,030$100,880$249,08090$210,074
40New Jersey$194,070$155,310$341,5701,290$178,365
41District of Columbia$183,080$71,550$289,360310$166,586
42North Carolina$168,880$133,240$266,850620$179,039
43Nebraska$135,180$53,160$339,880180$150,028
44Arkansas$124,750$75,340$291,200150$143,495
45Idaho$75,470$75,470$237,340110$79,031
46West Virginia$63,320$63,320$334,25090$70,751

How the cost-of-living adjustment works

The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.

For Psychiatrists, that changes the ranking: California leads on raw pay at $353,500, while Louisiana leads once prices are taken into account at $391,171.

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.

Psychiatrist pay by state: FAQ

Which state pays Psychiatrists the most?

California reports the highest median wage for Psychiatrists at $353,500 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Louisiana ($345,040) and Alaska ($342,170).

Which state pays Psychiatrists the least?

West Virginia reports the lowest median for Psychiatrists at $63,320 a year, $290,180 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Where do Psychiatrists earn the most after cost of living?

Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts Louisiana first at $391,171 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $345,040. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.

← Back to the full Psychiatrist career profile for outlook, skills and how to become one