What is a Typical Industrial Organizational Psychology Salary?

An industrial organizational psychology salary will range between >>. The range is broad due to differences in pay based on geographical location, job type, education level, and experience. Industrial organizational psychology salaries are the lowest for people with master’s degrees in entry level positions and highest for those with doctorates and many years of experience. In this article, I review industrial organizational psychology salaries for various jobs and explain the factors that impact salary. 

Industrial organizational psychology jobs vary widely. To show more accurately the salary to expect in an industrial organizational psychology job, I will review three examples of common jobs in the field to illustrate. Then, I will describe factors that influence pay so you can have more accurate salary expectations.

Industrial Organizational Psychology Salary: Consulting Jobs

Consulting job titles in industrial organizational psychology vary widely, depending on the functions you perform. A common job category for industrial organizational psychology consulting is that of Human Capital Consultant. The actual title may differ, depending on the consulting firm. This job involves providing organizations advice and/or services in human resource related areas as a third-party. Consulting firm, such as Deloitte, often offer human capital consulting, among other consulting services. Jobs in human capital consulting are some of the most lucrative positions someone with a degree in industrial organizational psychology can obtain. At the time of writing this article, ICF was advertising remote positions in human capital consulting, at the master’s degree level, for a pay range of $80,656 – $137,116. Deloitte was promoting a similar position, with only a bachelor’s degree required plus one year of experience with a similar pay range of $85,000 – $173,000.

Higher Education Teaching Job Salaries

Teaching in industrial organizational psychology is also a common job, an option for both those with master’s and Ph.D. degrees. Those with master’s degrees may typically teach undergraduate students; whereas, graduate programs typically require faculty members to hold Ph.D.’s.

The National Center for Education Statistics provides ongoing reports on higher education salaries. On average, professors across levels in experiences made $91,908 a year in 2021. At the entry-level, assistant professors, who may teach in graduate or undergraduate programs, made an average of $77,903 a year. The Society for Industrial Organizational Psychology’s 2022 Salary Survey showed that professors in industrial organizational psychology-related programs earn much higher than professors on average. Those with doctoral degrees earned an average of $115,000 when teaching in public universities.

Government Job Salaries

Many industrial organizational psychology professionals work for the federal, state, or local government. Government jobs can provide many benefits, such as job security and opportunities to advance through promotions and career ladders. Salaries for government jobs vary by job function. One common job that an industrial organizational psychology professional might hold in the federal government is that of Personnel Psychologist. At the time of writing this article, the US Department of Justice was advertising on USAjobs.gov a Personnel Psychologist position with a salary range of $95,973-$124,764. The job was advertised as a GS-14 grade. Numerous federal agencies also had jobs available under the title of “Management Analyst” with scale/grades ranging from G9-G14 and salaries from $50,643 – $126,233 respectively.

Government positions have other appealing perks. One of the most valuable benefit of working in a government position is arguably job stability. Government jobs are typically resilient to economic conditions. You are unlikely to see the same massive layoffs (i.e., reduction in force actions) occurring in commercial industries repeating in government agencies. When there are reductions in force, government employees may receive benefits, transfer opportunities, and/or preferential status when applying to other government jobs. Considering the volatility in the market at the time of this writing, job stability is an important factor to consider.

Factors Influencing Industrial Organizational Psychology Salaries

There are many factors that influence industrial organizational psychology job salaries, such as geographic location of the job, number of years of experience, education level, and the job type. Many of these factors are obvious, but let’s take a look at a few comparisons to illustrate.

Geographic Location Impacts Salaries

Regarding geographic location, if you work in an area with a higher cost of living, you are more likely to earn a higher salary in an industrial organizational psychology job. For example, at the time of writing this article, a search in LinkedIn jobs showed that at KPMG, the job of Senior Associate, HR Transformation – Human Capital Advisory listed a salary range for Colorado applicants at $80,100 – $142,000 and the same job for New York applicants was $92,700 – $164,500. It is important to consider cost of living before taking a position, particularly one that requires you to relocate.

Experience Impacts Salaries

Experience is highly valued in industrial organizational psychology jobs. Particularly in practice, you should see salary increases as you advance in your career. In fact, after several years of job experience, you will qualify for mid-senior roles that pay six-figure salaries. A recent Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) Salary Survey showed that practitioners with a master’s degree made on average $65,668 with less than 2 years of experience; whereas, those with 5-9 years of experience made an average of $109,488 annually. Participants in the salary survey showed a consistent increase in salary based on the number of years of experience.

Education Impacts Salaries

Education level also impacts salary. Those with a master’s degree will generally earn less than those with a doctorate. Such that, someone entering the field in a practitioner role with a master’s could expect a starting salary of around $65,000 and with a doctorate $100,000. SIOP’s Salary Survey also showed how salaries do even out (and in fact master’s degree practitioners overtook Ph.D. level practitioners) with 15 – 19 years of experience.

Job Type Impacts Salaries

Finally, job type will definitely impact salary averages. Those working in academic roles, such as teaching in higher education typically earn less than those working in practice. Although, those working in business or management schools (e.g., teaching organization behavior management or human resource management) may see salaries equivalent to positions in practice. Of course, the more experience and longer one’s tenure in a position, the higher the salary.

Conclusions

As you can see, salaries for jobs in industrial organizational psychology vary widely. At first glance, jobs in this field may appear very lucrative. However, based on my experience, it is critical to look at specific job categories, along with other contextual factors, such as your career interests, education level, and geographic area to get an accurate gauge. You may come across consulting jobs with six figure starting salaries. However, considering your lifestyle preference, perhaps you would not accept one of these high-paying jobs anyway. You can learn more about entry-level jobs in this field here.

To explore salaries further, I would recommend using the Bureau of Labor Statistic’s estimates. You can search by job titles and find up-to-date salary information on their website. Check out the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology’s I-O JobNetwork website to browse industrial organizational psychology job openings. Some of the job advertisement’s include salary information (wish they all did!). Indeed is also a reliable resource for finding salary information.

You should also consider your personal and family needs. What salary would you feel comfortable earning, particularly after investing in post-graduate level education?