Psychology faculty salaries are idling

Since 2016-17, median salaries for psychology faculty haven’t budged—and for some academic ranks, they have even declined, according to a report from the APA’s Center for Workforce Studies (CWS). What’s more, psychologists earn less than their peers in other social sciences and in many STEM disciplines, says Peggy Christidis, PhD, a senior research officer in the CWS and co-author of the report. "Salaries for psychologists just aren’t going up," she says.

The report draws on data from 258,731 full-time faculty at 847 U.S. colleges and universities, collected by the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR). According to those data, the median salary for tenured or tenure-track professors of all ranks across all institutions was 75,107ドル in 2018–19.

Salaries were highest at doctoral institutions, where median salaries for tenured or tenure-track faculty ranged from 71,025ドル for new assistant professors to 113,820ドル for full professors. At master’s institutions, new assistant professors earned a median 59,975ドル while full professors took home a median 86,272ドル. At both doctoral and master’s institutions, median salaries decreased slightly between 2017–18 and 2018–19.

At baccalaureate institutions, median salaries ranged from 58,955ドル for new assistant professors to 82,029ドル for full professors. Those wages were about the same as in 2017–18, except for new assistant professors, whose salaries increased almost 4% since last year.

The annual survey has gathered salary information for 38 years, and in the last few years it has expanded to collect additional demographic information about factors such as sex, race/ethnicity, age and the number of years a person has been at a specific rank, says Jacqueline Bichsel, PhD, a psychologist and director of research at CUPA-HR. The result is a rich resource that can help answer broader questions about wages and wage disparities, Bichsel says. Among this year’s findings:

Location makes a difference. Salaries varied considerably between geographic regions. "Across the U.S., it’s no surprise that the highest salaries are in New England and the Pacific region, with the lowest salaries in parts of the Midwest and the South," Christidis says. "That seems to correlate with the cost of living."

Collapsed across academic rank, faculty in New England earned a median salary of 89,400,ドル and those in the Pacific region earned 89,000ドル. Median salaries were lowest in the East South Central (74,900ドル), West North Central (74,700ドル) and West South Central (73,300ドル) regions.

Institution matters. The type of institution also makes a difference in a faculty member’s paycheck. When collapsed across all academic ranks, tenured/tenure-track psychology faculty at private independent institutions earned about 2,500ドル or 3% more than psychology faculty at public institutions, and 9,800ドル or 14% more than psychology faculty at private religious institutions.

For faculty employed at public institutions, collective bargaining units have a notable impact on wages. Across ranks, the median salary of psychology faculty at public institutions with collective bargaining units was approximately 9,900ドル or 14% higher than that of faculty working at public institutions without collective bargaining units.

Tenure-track professors earn more. Across academic ranks and institution types, non­tenure-track faculty earned about 78 cents for every dollar earned by tenured/tenure-track faculty. But collective bargaining was also a boon to non-tenure-track faculty. In institutions with labor unions, non-tenure-track faculty, across all ranks, earned 20% more than their counterparts at institutions without unions.

Psychology salaries lag behind other disciplines. Last year’s salary survey found psychologists earned less than many of their counterparts in social sciences and STEM fields, and this year’s results are no different. At private independent institutions, for example, full professors of psychology earned a median 96,570ドル compared with 103,413ドル in other social sciences (a classification that includes political science, economics, sociology, anthropology and geography). That trend held across all types of institutions and across academic ranks. Similar patterns were seen in other STEM disciplines, with psychology faculty earning less than their peers in physical sciences, computer sciences and engineering.

Disparities remain among women and minorities. Psychology is a field dominated by women, especially among younger faculty. Among tenured/tenure-track positions, women accounted for 65% of new assistant professors, 64% of assistant professors and 56% of associate professors. At the full professor rank, however, just 46% of faculty were women, though that was up from 44% last year.

Among new assistant professors and assistant professors, female faculty earned roughly the same as their male colleagues. But a pay gap remained at higher ranks, with female full professors earning just 95% of what male full professors earned—about 5,100ドル less per year on average. "Over a lifetime as a career faculty psychologist, women are losing a heck of a lot of money," says Bichsel.

A different picture emerged for racial and ethnic minorities. The median salaries for racial/ethnic minorities were 3% to 8% higher than salaries for white psychology faculty. Yet racial/ethnic minorities were notably underrepresented among psychology faculty, making up just 18% of associate professors and 12% of full professors.

These types of data can help institutions identify and address pay and hiring disparities related to race, ethnicity and gender, Bichsel says. "The first step in closing those gaps is to understand where they exist."

The salary data are also valuable for prospective psychology faculty—and the departments that wish to hire them, Christidis adds. "These data are really useful when you’re negotiating a salary," she says. "Good salaries entice good applicants."

113,820ドル

Average salary of a tenured psychology professor at a U.S. doctoral university

71,025ドル

Average salary of a new tenure-track assistant professor at a U.S. doctoral university

82,029ドル

Average salary of a tenured psychology professor at a U.S. baccalaureate college

58,955ドル

Average salary of a new tenure-track assistant professor at a U.S. baccalaureate college