School Psychologists in California
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$90,812
after federal, FICA and California tax
Tax takes
$36,968
28.9% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$80,664
California costs more than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in California — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$127,780
Kept after tax
$90,812
Worth in national money
$80,664
State rank
1
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- This is a good state for the work. California pays school psychologists a middle wage of $127,780, ranking 1 of 51 states and sitting about 33.12% above the national middle.
- This is one of the better-paid jobs in California. It ranks 70 out of 492 occupations the state publishes figures for, which puts it in the top quarter locally.
- The wage here flatters the reality. From $127,780 the take-home is $90,812. But California costs more than the national average, so that money behaves more like $80,664 would elsewhere. Worth knowing before comparing offers across states. The average is higher, $127,830, because the best-paid pull it up.
- California's median for school psychologists is $127,780, about 33.12% above the national figure and 1 of 51 states reporting. Whether that premium reaches the worker depends on the two adjustments below, which is the part a wage table cannot tell you.
- Within California, school psychologists ranks 70 of 492 occupations by median pay, placing it in the top quartile of the local distribution. This is the comparison a resident actually makes — against neighbors rather than against the same job elsewhere.
- Retained pay after federal, FICA and California income tax is $90,812 for school psychologists, from $127,780. The state's price level exceeds the national average, so the price-adjusted equivalent is $80,664. ⚠️ This is purchasing power and not a wage; cross-state offer comparisons that stop at the nominal figure systematically overvalue high-cost states. The mean of $127,830 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
Compare this career across states
Choose your filing status and local taxes, compare pay, and keep a shortlist.Compare wage and personal-pay outcomes by state, with selected resident local taxes and saved career choices.
Pay band: School Psychologists
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $97,200 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $127,780 |
| Top tenth earn over | $160,170 |
| This salary | $127,780 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in California | $90,812 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $98,604 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$20,806 |
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $116,535 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$28,910 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 113 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- A median is the middle, not an offer. Half of school psychologists in California earn under $127,780 and half over. The published range runs $97,200 at the tenth percentile to $160,170 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind California's $90,812, worked from $127,780. That is on purpose. It lets states be compared with each other, not with each other's family circumstances. Local city taxes are left out. Locally this work ranks 70 of 492.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $80,664 uses one figure for the whole of California. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 492 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 70.
- Figures are distribution medians for school psychologists in California, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $97,200 to $160,170; within-state dispersion of that width routinely exceeds the dispersion between states, so tenure, employer and metropolitan area predict an individual's pay better than geography does.
- The California take-home of $90,812, on $127,780 for work ranking 70 of 492 locally, models the simplest household deliberately: holding it constant is what makes the interstate comparison meaningful. It also means the absolute figure overstates liability for most real filers, and municipal income taxes are outside the model entirely. The occupation ranks 70 of 492 in the state.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $80,664, worked from $127,780, deflates by a statewide parity that conceals substantial intra-state variation, concentrated in housing — so it supports comparison between states rather than the pricing of a move to a particular California address, on work sitting at 70 of 492 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $97,200 and the top tenth $160,170, so most people doing this work in California sit within a fairly tight band.
Does a bigger number here mean I am better off?
A larger wage in a dearer place is not automatically more. Adjusted for local prices, this pay behaves like $80,664 of national purchasing power.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Into four separate taxes, not one. Federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare apply everywhere, and California adds its own income tax on top — which is why $90,812 of this wage survives to your account.
Can I compare this job across every state?
This occupation is published everywhere — all 51 of them — so comparing states measures real differences rather than gaps in the data.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($97,200 to $160,170) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to California rather than a national figure.
How does the state price level affect real compensation?
California's regional price parity sits above the national average, so nominal wages overstate purchasing power. Deflating take-home by the state price level gives $80,664 in national-average terms. ⚠️ RPPs are an all-items index; housing parities vary far more widely than the headline figure.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $90,812 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and California income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Is this occupation's state coverage complete?
State-level estimates are published for all 51 jurisdictions for this occupation, so cross-state comparison is not confounded by suppression. ⚠️ Estimates remain survey-based and carry sampling error; small differences between adjacent states should not be over-read.