Which state pays psychiatric technicians the most?

District of Columbia, at a median of $67,430. After adjusting for prices, Nebraska is highest, at $63,672 in US-average prices.

Psychiatric Technicians: Pay by State and the Programs That Lead There

Q: What education do psychiatric technicians need?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists postsecondary nondegree award as the typical education to start, plus less than 5 years of related work experience. The federal crosswalk from fields of study to jobs links 2 programs here to psychiatric technicians: Mental Health and Addiction Services (Associate's) and Mental Health and Addiction Services (Certificate).

156,960 jobs in the US
Typical education to start: postsecondary nondegree award
Occupation code 29-2053

BLS wages May 2025 · BLS projections 2025 to 2035 · BEA price parities 2024

The short answer

Psychiatric technicians earn a median of $45,130 a year in the US, across all experience levels. Pay is highest in District of Columbia ($67,430) and lowest in Louisiana ($31,440). After adjusting for prices, Nebraska is highest ($63,672) and Louisiana lowest ($35,643). Jobs are projected to grow 22% from 2025 to 2035, with about 17,000 openings a year across the US.

Median pay$45,130US, all experience levels

Bottom 10% earn under$35,090US

Top 10% earn over$60,750US

Projected job growth22%2025 to 2035, about 17,000 openings a year

Pay for psychiatric technicians by state

Median pay across all experience levels. "After prices" divides it by the state's price level (US average = 100), so states can be compared by what the pay buys.

#	State	Median pay	After prices	Jobs	Bottom 10%	Top 10%
1	District of Columbia	$67,430	$61,355	380	$42,440	$78,460
2	Oregon	$59,820	$57,875	1,250	$44,570	$73,530
3	New York	$58,080	$53,817	2,040	$41,650	$85,920
4	Nebraska	$57,370	$63,672	1,390	$39,490	$62,000
5	Connecticut	$55,500	$53,566	1,040	$41,250	$77,540
6	Hawaii	$55,150	$50,159	2,060	$45,830	$63,720
7	New Jersey	$54,040	$49,667	2,520	$45,770	$64,620
8	Washington	$52,470	$49,031	1,920	$44,030	$76,730
9	Massachusetts	$52,000	$49,169	5,340	$40,140	$66,330
10	Alaska	$51,650	$50,460	340	$40,270	$77,830
11	California	$49,140	$44,382	14,100	$40,880	$88,090
12	Rhode Island	$48,520	$47,438	990	$43,450	$62,490
13	Virginia	$48,320	$47,792	3,950	$38,580	$58,530
14	Vermont	$47,560	$48,551	600	$40,630	$58,360
15	Colorado	$47,430	$46,025	1,740	$40,940	$59,810
16	Nevada	$46,450	$46,460	2,060	$38,480	$56,250
17	Georgia	$46,250	$48,030	5,560	$37,530	$58,130
18	Illinois	$46,200	$46,219	9,410	$36,820	$53,620
19	Missouri	$45,840	$50,475	4,450	$34,870	$55,530
20	Arizona	$45,640	$45,333	8,160	$36,240	$56,420
21	Maryland	$45,520	$43,369	680	$34,500	$61,190
22	Maine	$45,320	$46,698	620	$39,320	$51,740
23	New Hampshire	$44,660	$42,874	260	$44,180	$60,530
24	Pennsylvania	$43,930	$45,023	10,340	$36,920	$54,000
25	Kansas	$43,780	$48,608	1,670	$36,710	$49,300
26	Florida	$43,570	$42,132	12,710	$35,280	$57,290
27	Michigan	$43,140	$44,836	4,850	$36,630	$72,550
28	Iowa	$42,910	$48,894	690	$36,370	$46,310
29	Idaho	$41,490	$43,448	780	$37,980	$48,180
30	South Carolina	$40,970	$43,702	560	$35,390	$53,170
31	Indiana	$40,910	$43,834	6,790	$36,010	$50,190
32	Utah	$40,770	$41,238	1,940	$34,760	$47,870
33	North Carolina	$40,630	$43,074	5,950	$33,900	$50,530
34	Kentucky	$40,370	$44,776	910	$31,300	$54,750
35	Minnesota	$40,300	$40,864	3,550	$36,830	$58,490
36	Wisconsin	$40,290	$42,818	4,430	$32,560	$84,760
37	Texas	$39,970	$41,182	11,350	$33,240	$49,250
38	North Dakota	$39,960	$44,920	270	$38,350	$55,760
39	Tennessee	$39,800	$43,322	3,810	$31,370	$53,940
40	Montana	$39,190	$41,407	310	$35,030	$54,350
41	Ohio	$39,140	$42,189	3,950	$31,550	$48,840
42	Oklahoma	$39,060	$44,466	820	$34,080	$62,400
43	New Mexico	$39,020	$42,316	660	$31,390	$49,760
44	Delaware	$38,410	$38,484	350	$32,100	$47,320
45	Alabama	$36,680	$41,296	3,290	$23,330	$45,870
46	Arkansas	$35,930	$41,329	1,900	$29,790	$44,130
47	Mississippi	$35,320	$40,620	930	$27,540	$49,770
48	West Virginia	$34,100	$38,102	770	$30,130	$44,270
49	Louisiana	$31,440	$35,643	2,420	$28,400	$36,830

State names link to the state's college page. BLS publishes no median pay for psychiatric technicians in South Dakota, Wyoming, and Puerto Rico.

Programs that lead to this job

The federal crosswalk from fields of study to jobs links these programs to psychiatric technicians. Figures are medians across each program type's US programs. Program names link to the national ranking.

Program	Programs	Year 1 pay	Debt
Mental Health and Addiction Services (Associate's)	35	$32,481	$18,561
Mental Health and Addiction Services (Certificate)	21	$31,575	$16,384

Program figures are first-year pay for new graduates. The job's median pay covers every experience level.

Common questions

Psychiatric technicians earn a median of $45,130 a year in the US, across all experience levels (May 2025). The bottom 10% earn less than $35,090, and the top 10% more than $60,750.

About this data

Pay is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics for May 2025. It covers all experience levels and all industries, and leaves out self-employed workers.
Projections are the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections for 2025 to 2035, for the whole US.
Price levels are the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities for 2024.
Program figures are College Scorecard medians across programs, and only include students who received federal financial aid.

Sources

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk
U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study files, June 2026 release