Psychiatric Technicians: salary, outlook & degrees
Care for individuals with mental or emotional conditions or disabilities, following the instructions of physicians or other health practitioners. Monitor patients' physical and emotional well-being and report to medical staff. May participate in rehabilitation and treatment programs, help with personal hygiene, and administer oral or injectable medications.
Middle half $38,430–$50,160. 156,960 jobs.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
54% hold a bachelor's or higher. Those with one: $37,057.
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers with at least a high school diploma; EducationGuide calculation
About 17,000 openings a year, including replacements.
BLS Employment Projections 2025-35
Medium preparation.
BLS; O*NET 31.0 job zone
Degrees that lead to this career
What workers ages 25-34 in this job studied, among those with a bachelor's or higher. This is what people actually did, not a requirement.
| Field of bachelor's degree | Share | Degree pages |
|---|---|---|
| Psychology | 35% | Psychology |
| English Language And Literature | 4% | English |
| Social Work | 3% | Social Work |
| Family And Consumer Sciences | 3% | Human Development and Family Studies · Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services |
| Physical Fitness Parks Recreation And Leisure | 3% | Kinesiology / Exercise Science · Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies |
| Sociology | 2% | Sociology |
| Nursing | 2% | Nursing |
| General Medical And Health Services | 2% | Health Sciences |
| Biology | 2% | Biology |
| Criminal Justice And Fire Protection | 2% | Criminal Justice · Security / Homeland Security |
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata (ages 25-34, employed, bachelor's or higher; top 10 fields); EducationGuide calculation.
Education workers say the job requires
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers (“required level of education”); small samples, so treat shares as approximate.
Pay by state and metro
| State | Median wage |
|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $67,430 |
| Oregon | $59,820 |
| New York | $58,080 |
| Nebraska | $57,370 |
| Connecticut | $55,500 |
| Hawaii | $55,150 |
| New Jersey | $54,040 |
| Washington | $52,470 |
| Massachusetts | $52,000 |
| Alaska | $51,650 |
| California | $49,140 |
| Rhode Island | $48,520 |
| Virginia | $48,320 |
| Vermont | $47,560 |
| Colorado | $47,430 |
| Nevada | $46,450 |
| Georgia | $46,250 |
| Illinois | $46,200 |
| Missouri | $45,840 |
| Arizona | $45,640 |
| Maryland | $45,520 |
| Maine | $45,320 |
| New Hampshire | $44,660 |
| Pennsylvania | $43,930 |
| Kansas | $43,780 |
| Florida | $43,570 |
| Michigan | $43,140 |
| Iowa | $42,910 |
| Idaho | $41,490 |
| South Carolina | $40,970 |
| Indiana | $40,910 |
| Utah | $40,770 |
| North Carolina | $40,630 |
| Kentucky | $40,370 |
| Minnesota | $40,300 |
| Wisconsin | $40,290 |
| Texas | $39,970 |
| North Dakota | $39,960 |
| Tennessee | $39,800 |
| Montana | $39,190 |
| Ohio | $39,140 |
| Oklahoma | $39,060 |
| New Mexico | $39,020 |
| Delaware | $38,410 |
| Alabama | $36,680 |
| Arkansas | $35,930 |
| Mississippi | $35,320 |
| West Virginia | $34,100 |
| Louisiana | $31,440 |
Florida metro areas
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach$44,500
- Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford$45,440
- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater$40,340
- Jacksonville$40,540
- North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota$38,010
- Port St. Lucie$37,260
- Cape Coral-Fort Myers$46,200
- Gainesville$38,780
Virginia metro areas
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria$50,840
- Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk$47,420
- Richmond$48,320
- Roanoke$45,020
- Kingsport-Bristol$37,610
California metro areas
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim$48,040
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario$48,470
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont$54,640
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom$47,810
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad$48,120
- Fresno$53,680
- Stockton-Lodi$95,580
- Napa$83,960
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: median annual wage, all workers in the job. Metro areas: the largest by employment.
What the work takes
Top skills
- Active Listening
- Monitoring
- Speaking
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
Knowledge used
- Psychology
- Therapy and Counseling
- English Language
- Customer and Personal Service
- Medicine and Dentistry
Work styles
- Empathy
- Dependability
- Stress Tolerance
- Cooperation
- Self-Control
People in this job tend to have Social (helping), Investigative (analytical) interests.
O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0): skills and knowledge by importance; work styles; interest high points.
Psychiatric Technicians: questions
How much do psychiatric Technicians make?
Psychiatric Technicians earn a U.S. median $45,130 a year; the middle half earn $38,430 to $50,160 (BLS, May 2025). Workers ages 25-34 in this job earn a median $35,797 (Census ACS 2020-2024).
Is psychiatric Technicians a growing field?
BLS projects growth of 22.3% from 2025 to 2035, with about 17,000 openings a year, including replacements.
What degree do you need to be a psychiatric Technician?
BLS lists the typical entry education as postsecondary nondegree award. In O*NET's survey, 32% of workers say a bachelor's or higher is required. Among workers ages 25-34 with a bachelor's, the most common field of degree is psychology (35%).
How much do psychiatric Technicians make in Florida?
The median in Florida is $43,570 a year (BLS, May 2025), compared with $45,130 nationally.
Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35); O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0); U.S. Census Bureau ACS microdata. SOC 29-2053. Method
Data: JSON · Markdown · all careers
Cite this: “Psychiatric Technicians: salary, outlook and degrees,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/careers/psychiatric-technicians.