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The national median salary for Psychiatric Aides is $44,907 per year ($21.59/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $37,752 and $49,941 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $60,445 per year. There are approximately 35,520 psychiatric aides employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Assist mentally impaired or emotionally disturbed patients, working under direction of nursing and medical staff. May assist with daily living activities, lead patients in educational and recreational activities, or accompany patients to and from examinations and treatments. May restrain violent patients. Includes psychiatric orderlies.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
-0.4%
Little or no change
Annual openings
5K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
39K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
0% from new growth100% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
High school diploma or equivalent
Experience
None
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals
NAICS 622200
14K
$46,340
State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999200
6K
$42,560
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
NAICS 622100
4K
$45,180
Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Facilities
NAICS 623200
4K
$40,250
Offices of Other Health Practitioners
NAICS 621300
1K
$40,690
Wage range across top 5 industries: $40,250 to $46,340 (15% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$15.43
$32,094
P25
$18.15
$37,752
P50MEDIAN
$21.59
$44,907
P75
$24.01
$49,941
P90
$29.06
$60,445
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · health sector
Hot
Openings Rate
5.4%
Quits Rate
1.9%
Health Care & Social Assistance openings rebounded to 1.36M (+87K) in March with rate at 5.4%. Hires rose to 700K (+75K). The sector remains structurally tight; compensation pressure persists for clinical roles.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average psychiatric aides salary?
The national median salary for Psychiatric Aides is $44,907 per year ($21.59/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $37,752 and $49,941 annually.
How much do top-earning psychiatric aides make?
The 90th percentile salary for Psychiatric Aides is $60,445 per year ($29.06/hr). The 75th percentile is $49,941 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for psychiatric aides?
Entry-level Psychiatric Aides (10th percentile) earn approximately $32,094 per year ($15.43/hr). The 25th percentile is $37,752 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 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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