Forensic Psychology Salary

In order to become a forensic psychologist, you have to earn a doctorate degree in psychology. That requires five to seven years of training beyond the four years you will likely spend getting a bachelor’s degree. Because of the sheer amount of time you will spend in school earning this degree, it is important to know what the forensic psychology is that you may receive when you graduate. That will help you determine if this career path is worth the effort for you. The information below provides approximations for the possible earnings you will have as a forensic psychologist.

Average Forensic Psychology Salaries

Forensic psychologists make an average of $34,457 to $140,323 a year, according to PayScale.com. That reflects average base salary levels of $34,886 to $104,960, plus $197 to $39,453 in annual bonus money. These numbers encompass annual earnings for forensic psychologists across the nation, and they will likely raise in the future based on inflation. You will likely earn a salary on the lower end of that scale initially, but your earnings could double or triple over time.

Assuming that an average school year costs $20,000 to $40,000 a year in undergraduate school and even more in graduate school, your Forensic Psychology Salary may not make up for your school costs at first. If you have enough financial aid to cover most of your degree program, you should not have trouble paying back student loans whenever you get out of college. Most forensic psychologists are very well off because of the salaries they earn.

Factors that Influence Forensic Psychologist Salary Levels

The range for average forensic psychology salaries is rather expansive, so you may want to learn about the different factors that could influence your future pay level. Two thirds of forensic psychologists in the job force are women, but women tend to earn less money than men. The average salary for a female forensic psychologist is between $47,453 and $76,103. The same average for men is between $51,395 and $104,768. Women can make more money than men, but that does not always happen.

The amount of time you have worked in the field will make a big difference in the amount of money you earn. More experienced forensic psychologists tend to get requests for more work, and they get paid for their expertise. You may have to work for ten years in the field to make $100,000 a year or more, but after that, the high salary will come naturally.

The area of the country you work in will also have an impact on the amount of money you make as a forensic psychologist. The highest paying city in America is Washington, D.C., where salaries range from $60,000 to $245,659 a year. The second highest paying salary is Miami, Florida, where salaries range from $60,000 to $85,989 a year. Most of the Midwest has pay rates much lower than that, but the cost of living is lower in those areas as well. Thus the pay levels may balance out in the end.

Forensic Psychology Salary Compared to Other Psychology Salaries

Forensic psychologists tend to be paid well in comparison to other psychologists. They can work as clinical psychologists when they are not working on a criminal justice project, and then they can earn money working with the government and law enforcement. A standard clinical psychologist salary is $39,049 to $151,068 a year, and a general psychologist salary is between $31,626 and $122,647. Student services coordinators only make $24,725 to $51,234 a year. Based on those numbers, forensic psychologists fall right into place with other members in this profession.

Job Outlook for Forensic Psychology

Forensic psychology is one of the fastest growing criminal justice careers, and as a result, the demand for members of this profession should extend well into the future. This will bode well for your potential forensic psychologist salary in the future, as you should have no trouble finding work after you earn your degree. Doctoral degrees are required for work in this field, but you can earn a bachelor’s degree in psychology before you go to grad school. That will have a negative impact on your pay scale, so keep that in mind before you stop your education.

Conclusion

As a whole, forensic psychologists make good money. Many members of the profession say that the reward of helping others is more important than the money they make in their job. You will have to determine if that kind of forensic psychology salary will be good enough for you in the end.