Quick answer: The San Jose metro employs about 590 clinical and counseling psychologists (BLS OEWS, May 2025), and licensing is set at the state level, through your state board of psychology.
Compare psychology programs enrolling now:
Licensing is a state matter, not a city one. Licensed clinical work runs through each state’s board of psychology - in most states a doctorate, supervised hours and the EPPP examination - and master’s-level counseling licenses run through separate behavioral health boards. The bachelor’s is the required first step and the standard admission ticket to those graduate programs, not a license itself.
See the California licensing and pay overview for the statewide picture, and confirm current requirements with your state board of psychology.
Schools in our database near this area, ranked by BOC Score. The list favors schools with a related program on record, but program availability and delivery format change, so confirm directly with any school that it currently offers the program you want.
This page lists 10 schools within 45 miles, closest group first, then ordered by BOC Score with the highest at the top. 10 of them carry a score.
Scores come from IPEDS (2024) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Earnings are for all graduates of a school, not one program, so treat them as a signal about the institution rather than about this subject. Sponsored listings are paid placements and are labelled as such; they are separate from this ranking and never change it. Read the full methodology.
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Clinical and Counseling Psychologists in the San Jose area earn a median $102,710 per year, above the national median of $100,580 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
| Metric | San Jose metro | California | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual wage | $102,710 | $116,000 | $100,580 |
| 10th percentile | $39,890 | $62,900 | $55,170 |
| 25th percentile | $76,020 | $77,050 | $73,210 |
| 75th percentile | $168,700 | $162,360 | $135,200 |
| 90th percentile | $197,470 | $188,050 | $180,960 |
| Employment | 590 | 12,840 | 75,990 |
| Location quotient | 1.06 | - | 1.00 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Metro figures cover the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metropolitan statistical area.
The San Jose median of $102,710 is above the national median of $100,580, and below the California statewide median of $116,000 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
The metro’s location quotient of 1.06 means clinical and counseling psychologists are more concentrated here than in the average U.S. labor market (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Higher concentration generally means more employers competing for the same people, and an easier job change later.
Behavioral health employment follows the treatment system: hospitals, community mental health centers, school districts and residential programs are the employers, so demand tracks the local health system.
| Metro area | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | $99,250 | 4,790 |
| San Diego | $72,090 | 1,650 |
| San Francisco | $166,400 | 1,540 |
| Riverside | $92,730 | 1,130 |
| Sacramento | $153,050 | 630 |
| Oxnard | $116,960 | 300 |
| Fresno | $129,120 | 280 |
| Santa Rosa | $116,620 | 200 |
Figures: BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Wage and employment figures describe the occupation as measured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, not the graduates of any particular program, and individual outcomes may vary. Licensing rules change; confirm current requirements with the responsible state board before enrolling.
The median annual wage for clinical and counseling psychologists in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area is $102,710, above the national median of $100,580 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
The San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area employs about 590 clinical and counseling psychologists (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Licensing is handled at state level rather than by city. Licensed clinical work runs through each state's board of psychology - in most states a doctorate, supervised hours and the EPPP examination - and master's-level counseling licenses run through separate behavioral health boards. The bachelor's is the required first step and the standard admission ticket to those graduate programs, not a license itself. Confirm current requirements with your state board of psychology.
The academic portion of these programs is widely available online for working adults, while labs, clinical hours or supervised field work are completed in person. Check that the program's accreditation satisfies your state board of psychology.
The San Jose metro median is $102,710 against a statewide median of $116,000 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Compare that gap with the difference in living costs before treating it as a raise.
About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.
