School Psychologists Salary
The median pay for a school psychologists in St. Louis, MO-IL is $76,880/year ($36.96/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $54K at the entry level to $102K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 95.09), that's roughly $80,850 in purchasing power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,218/month, or 24.1% of estimated take-home pay.
So what does $77K get you in St. Louis?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by St. Louis’s Regional Price Parity (95.09). 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 school psychologists
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What this looks like in St. Louis
Pay for school psychologists in St. Louis runs about 20% below the U.S. median of $96K. Housing is manageable: a 2-bedroom at the HUD median costs $1,218/month, 24.5% of take-home, well inside the 30% guideline. Cost of living (RPP 95.09) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Lower pay, lower costs, St. Louis can be a reasonable trade-off for school psychologistss who value affordability over top-dollar markets.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for school psychologists in metros near St. Louis, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas City | $78K | $84K |
| Springfield | $74K | $84K |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | $91K | $87K |
| Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin | $80K | $83K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, St. Louis, MO-IL
Entry-level school psychologists (10th percentile) start around $54K. Mid-career wages sit at $77K. Top earners bring in $102K or more, a $48K spread from bottom to top.
School Psychologists pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View School Psychologists salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $128K | +33% | 8,340 |
| Colorado | $125K | +30% | 1,380 |
| New Mexico | $110K | +15% | 630 |
| Maryland | $110K | +14% | 1,520 |
| Washington | $109K | +13% | 1,420 |
| District of Columbia | $108K | +12% | 250 |
| New York | $107K | +11% | 9,070 |
| Oregon | $106K | +11% | 570 |
| Connecticut | $101K | +5% | 1,140 |
| Georgia | $99K | +3% | 1,650 |
| Massachusetts | $99K | +3% | 3,300 |
| Delaware | $96K | +0% | 280 |
| New Jersey | $95K | -1% | 2,130 |
| Rhode Island | $95K | -1% | 210 |
| Alaska | $94K | -2% | 120 |
| Nevada | $94K | -2% | 290 |
| Arizona | $92K | -4% | 1,100 |
| Ohio | $91K | -5% | 2,050 |
| Nebraska | $89K | -7% | 440 |
| Virginia | $86K | -11% | 1,200 |
| Minnesota | $85K | -11% | 1,060 |
| Florida | $85K | -12% | 2,020 |
| Illinois | $85K | -12% | 3,590 |
| Michigan | $84K | -13% | 1,480 |
| Wyoming | $84K | -13% | 120 |
| Texas | $84K | -13% | 4,250 |
| Wisconsin | $83K | -13% | 1,180 |
| Vermont | $83K | -14% | 180 |
| Pennsylvania | $82K | -14% | 2,600 |
| Hawaii | $82K | -14% | 90 |
| Maine | $82K | -15% | 120 |
| Montana | $80K | -17% | 170 |
| South Dakota | $78K | -18% | 110 |
| Utah | $78K | -19% | 490 |
| Indiana | $78K | -19% | 710 |
| Tennessee | $77K | -20% | 900 |
| South Carolina | $77K | -20% | 720 |
| Kentucky | $75K | -21% | 590 |
| West Virginia | $75K | -22% | 250 |
| Alabama | $75K | -22% | 370 |
| Iowa | $74K | -22% | 400 |
| New Hampshire | $73K | -23% | 360 |
| North Carolina | $73K | -24% | 1,540 |
| Kansas | $73K | -24% | 630 |
| Idaho | $72K | -25% | 310 |
| Missouri | $70K | -27% | 520 |
| Louisiana | $69K | -28% | 670 |
| North Dakota | $69K | -28% | 90 |
| Oklahoma | $65K | -32% | 510 |
| Arkansas | $64K | -33% | 440 |
| Mississippi | $61K | -36% | N/A |
Showing 1–10 of 51 (all 50 states + DC)
Track school psychologists salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when St. Louis numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a school psychologist afford a 2BR apartment alone in St. Louis?
Yes — at the median salary of $77K, rent takes 24.5% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,218/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for school psychologists in St. Louis?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new school psychologists typically earn — is $54K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,240/month. At HUD’s $1,218/month FMR, rent would take 38% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is school psychologist a high-paying job in St. Louis?
Local pay runs 20% below the national median — $77K here vs. $96K nationally.
How does St. Louis compare to the national average for school psychologists?
St. Louis pays $77K median vs. the U.S. average of $96K — that’s -20%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 95.09), the purchasing-power equivalent is $81K — below the national median.
How much do school psychologists make in St. Louis, MO-IL?
The median is $76,880 a year, that works out to about $37 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $54,000, and experienced school psychologists can clear $102,450. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $77K enough to live in St. Louis?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,966/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,218/month, which eats 24.5% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a school psychologists salary go in St. Louis?
St. Louis has a Regional Price Parity of 95.09 (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 school psychologists salary is worth about $80,850 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do school psychologists 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.