Psychiatric Aides Salary
The median pay for a psychiatric aides in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY is $50,140/year ($24.11/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $38K at the entry level to $57K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 95.84), that's roughly $52,316 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,343/month, about 41% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $50K get you in Buffalo-Cheektowaga?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Buffalo-Cheektowaga’s Regional Price Parity (95.84). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About psychiatric aides
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What this looks like in Buffalo-Cheektowaga
Buffalo-Cheektowaga sits well above the national pay line for psychiatric aides, local pay runs about 12% higher than the U.S. median of $45K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,343/month, which is 40.1% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 95.84) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. The pay premium is real, but so are the offsets.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for psychiatric aides in metros near Buffalo-Cheektowaga, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City | $50K | $44K |
| Utica-Rome | $59K | $63K |
| Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh | $76K | $69K |
| Syracuse | $50K | $52K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY
Entry-level psychiatric aides (10th percentile) start around $38K. Mid-career wages sit at $50K. Top earners bring in $57K or more, a $18K spread from bottom to top.
Psychiatric Aides pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Psychiatric Aides salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | $55K | +23% | 620 |
| Washington | $53K | +17% | 330 |
| Hawaii | $52K | +16% | 30 |
| Maryland | $51K | +15% | 250 |
| Nevada | $51K | +14% | 220 |
| Rhode Island | $51K | +14% | 130 |
| New York | $50K | +12% | 5,120 |
| Alaska | $49K | +10% | 190 |
| Illinois | $49K | +8% | 120 |
| Oregon | $48K | +8% | 1,550 |
| Vermont | $48K | +7% | 330 |
| California | $48K | +6% | 3,760 |
| Maine | $47K | +4% | 110 |
| Montana | $46K | +3% | 330 |
| Colorado | $46K | +3% | 300 |
| Michigan | $46K | +2% | 1,410 |
| New Jersey | $46K | +2% | 2,060 |
| Massachusetts | $45K | +1% | 950 |
| Oklahoma | $45K | +0% | N/A |
| Indiana | $45K | -0% | 1,930 |
| Pennsylvania | $45K | -0% | 1,620 |
| Connecticut | $45K | -1% | 520 |
| Texas | $43K | -5% | 1,760 |
| Utah | $41K | -9% | 130 |
| Missouri | $40K | -11% | 110 |
| Iowa | $39K | -13% | 400 |
| Kentucky | $39K | -14% | 250 |
| Ohio | $38K | -14% | 980 |
| North Carolina | $38K | -14% | N/A |
| Kansas | $38K | -15% | 580 |
| Florida | $38K | -16% | 2,210 |
| West Virginia | $38K | -16% | 220 |
| Virginia | $37K | -17% | N/A |
| Georgia | $37K | -18% | 1,090 |
| South Carolina | $36K | -19% | 200 |
| Arkansas | $36K | -19% | 490 |
| Mississippi | $31K | -32% | 2,490 |
| Louisiana | $30K | -33% | 280 |
| Alabama | $27K | -40% | 790 |
Showing 1–10 of 39 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track psychiatric aides salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Buffalo-Cheektowaga numbers change.
Related careers in Healthcare Support
Frequently asked questions
Can a psychiatric aide afford a 2BR apartment alone in Buffalo-Cheektowaga?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $50K, rent takes 40.1% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,343/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,000/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for psychiatric aides in Buffalo-Cheektowaga?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new psychiatric aides typically earn — is $38K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,308/month. At HUD’s $1,343/month FMR, rent would take 58% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is psychiatric aide a high-paying job in Buffalo-Cheektowaga?
Local pay is 12% above the national median — $50K here vs. $45K nationally.
How does Buffalo-Cheektowaga compare to the national average for psychiatric aides?
Buffalo-Cheektowaga pays $50K median vs. the U.S. average of $45K — that’s +12%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 95.84), the purchasing-power equivalent is $52K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do psychiatric aides make in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY?
The median is $50,140 a year, that works out to about $24 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $38,470, and experienced psychiatric aides can clear $56,960. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $50K enough to live in Buffalo-Cheektowaga?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,348/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,343/month, which eats 40.1% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a psychiatric aides salary go in Buffalo-Cheektowaga?
Buffalo-Cheektowaga has a Regional Price Parity of 95.84 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median psychiatric aides salary is worth about $52,316 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do psychiatric aides get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.