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The national median salary for Industrial-Organizational Psychologists is $109,845 per year ($52.81/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024. The middle 50% of earners make between $80,787 and $198,162 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $224,578 per year. There are approximately 1,050 industrial-organizational psychologists employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
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.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+6.3%
Faster than average
Annual openings
400
per year, on avg
Workforce today
6K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
8% from new growth93% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Master's degree
Experience
None
On-the-job training
Internship/residency
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 4 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services
NAICS 541600
570
$133,160
Scientific Research and Development Services
NAICS 541700
180
$130,630
Management of Companies and Enterprises
NAICS 551100
30
$143,370
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools
NAICS 611300
30
$81,840
Wage range across top 5 industries: $81,840 to $143,370 (75% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$24.94
$51,875
P25
$38.84
$80,787
P50MEDIAN
$52.81
$109,845
P75
$95.27
$198,162
P90
$107.97
$224,578
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · professional sector
Cooling
Openings Rate
4.2%
Quits Rate
2.0%
Professional & Business Services openings tumbled 318K in March -- the largest single-sector drop in this release. Openings rate fell from 5.5% to 4.2%. Layoffs jumped to 527K (+99K). White-collar demand has cooled abruptly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average industrial-organizational psychologists salary?
The national median salary for Industrial-Organizational Psychologists is $109,845 per year ($52.81/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2024 data. The middle 50% earn between $80,787 and $198,162 annually.
How much do top-earning industrial-organizational psychologists make?
The 90th percentile salary for Industrial-Organizational Psychologists is $224,578 per year ($107.97/hr). The 75th percentile is $198,162 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for industrial-organizational psychologists?
Entry-level Industrial-Organizational Psychologists (10th percentile) earn approximately $51,875 per year ($24.94/hr). The 25th percentile is $80,787 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
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