Best US Cities for Psychiatrists
Top US cities for Psychiatrists ranked by estimated median salary, with cost-of-living-adjusted earning power.
| # | City | Estimated salary | Cost mult. | vs national |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $330,600 | 1.45× | +$80,600 |
| 2 | Honolulu, HI | $323,300 | 1.30× | +$73,300 |
| 3 | Oakland, CA | $316,000 | 1.35× | +$66,000 |
| 4 | Boston, MA | $311,100 | 1.22× | +$61,100 |
| 5 | Irvine, CA | $308,800 | 1.30× | +$58,800 |
| 6 | Scottsdale, AZ | $305,000 | 1.18× | +$55,000 |
| 7 | Miami, FL | $295,800 | 1.12× | +$45,800 |
| 8 | San Diego, CA | $295,600 | 1.21× | +$45,600 |
| 9 | Yonkers, NY | $294,200 | 1.20× | +$44,200 |
| 10 | Anchorage, AK | $294,200 | 1.20× | +$44,200 |
| # | City | Salary | Hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $330,600 | $159/hr |
| 2 | Honolulu, HI | $323,300 | $155/hr |
| 3 | Oakland, CA | $316,000 | $152/hr |
| 4 | Boston, MA | $311,100 | $150/hr |
| 5 | Irvine, CA | $308,800 | $148/hr |
| 6 | Scottsdale, AZ | $305,000 | $147/hr |
| 7 | Miami, FL | $295,800 | $142/hr |
| 8 | San Diego, CA | $295,600 | $142/hr |
| 9 | Yonkers, NY | $294,200 | $141/hr |
| 10 | Anchorage, AK | $294,200 | $141/hr |
| 11 | New York City, NY | $294,000 | $141/hr |
| 12 | Seattle, WA | $291,300 | $140/hr |
| 13 | Long Beach, CA | $291,300 | $140/hr |
| 14 | Anaheim, CA | $291,300 | $140/hr |
| 15 | Chula Vista, CA | $286,800 | $138/hr |
| 16 | Baltimore, MD | $285,200 | $137/hr |
| 17 | Philadelphia, PA | $280,600 | $135/hr |
| 18 | Henderson, NV | $280,600 | $135/hr |
| 19 | Los Angeles, CA | $280,300 | $135/hr |
| 20 | Portland, OR | $279,600 | $134/hr |
| 21 | Newark, NJ | $279,600 | $134/hr |
| 22 | Sacramento, CA | $279,600 | $134/hr |
| 23 | Riverside, CA | $279,600 | $134/hr |
| 24 | Orlando, FL | $279,100 | $134/hr |
| 25 | Raleigh, NC | $277,500 | $133/hr |
| 26 | Worcester, MA | $277,500 | $133/hr |
| 27 | Denver, CO | $276,700 | $133/hr |
| 28 | Stockton, CA | $272,300 | $131/hr |
| 29 | Aurora, CO | $272,300 | $131/hr |
| 30 | Hialeah, FL | $272,300 | $131/hr |
| 31 | Houston, TX | $271,400 | $130/hr |
| 32 | Las Vegas, NV | $270,800 | $130/hr |
| 33 | Minneapolis, MN | $270,800 | $130/hr |
| 34 | Plano, TX | $270,800 | $130/hr |
| 35 | New Orleans, LA | $268,400 | $129/hr |
| 36 | Phoenix, AZ | $268,000 | $129/hr |
| 37 | Tampa, FL | $268,000 | $129/hr |
| 38 | Gilbert, AZ | $268,000 | $129/hr |
| 39 | Salt Lake City, UT | $268,000 | $129/hr |
| 40 | Wilmington, DE | $265,000 | $127/hr |
| 41 | St. Paul, MN | $265,000 | $127/hr |
| 42 | Boise, ID | $265,000 | $127/hr |
| 43 | Fresno, CA | $265,000 | $127/hr |
| 44 | St. Louis, MO | $263,700 | $127/hr |
| 45 | Winston-Salem, NC | $263,700 | $127/hr |
| 46 | Nashville, TN | $263,500 | $127/hr |
| 47 | Colorado Springs, CO | $263,500 | $127/hr |
| 48 | St. Petersburg, FL | $263,500 | $127/hr |
| 49 | Madison, WI | $263,500 | $127/hr |
| 50 | Jacksonville, FL | $260,700 | $125/hr |
| 51 | Memphis, TN | $260,700 | $125/hr |
| 52 | Mesa, AZ | $260,700 | $125/hr |
| 53 | Tucson, AZ | $259,200 | $125/hr |
| 54 | Birmingham, AL | $259,200 | $125/hr |
| 55 | Glendale, AZ | $259,200 | $125/hr |
| 56 | Spokane, WA | $259,200 | $125/hr |
| 57 | Pittsburgh, PA | $257,700 | $124/hr |
| 58 | Tallahassee, FL | $257,700 | $124/hr |
| 59 | Chicago, IL | $256,900 | $124/hr |
| 60 | Austin, TX | $256,900 | $124/hr |
| 61 | Frisco, TX | $256,900 | $124/hr |
| 62 | Milwaukee, WI | $256,300 | $123/hr |
| 63 | Albuquerque, NM | $256,300 | $123/hr |
| 64 | Chandler, AZ | $255,500 | $123/hr |
| 65 | San Antonio, TX | $254,800 | $123/hr |
| 66 | Grand Rapids, MI | $254,800 | $123/hr |
| 67 | Detroit, MI | $253,300 | $122/hr |
| 68 | Cincinnati, OH | $253,300 | $122/hr |
| 69 | Lexington, KY | $253,300 | $122/hr |
| 70 | Buffalo, NY | $253,300 | $122/hr |
| 71 | Greensboro, NC | $253,300 | $122/hr |
| 72 | Knoxville, TN | $253,300 | $122/hr |
| 73 | Atlanta, GA | $252,800 | $122/hr |
| 74 | Reno, NV | $252,800 | $122/hr |
| 75 | Charleston, SC | $252,800 | $122/hr |
| 76 | El Paso, TX | $251,900 | $121/hr |
| 77 | Cleveland, OH | $251,900 | $121/hr |
| 78 | Indianapolis, IN | $250,500 | $120/hr |
| 79 | Louisville, KY | $250,500 | $120/hr |
| 80 | Virginia Beach, VA | $250,000 | $120/hr |
| 81 | Chesapeake, VA | $250,000 | $120/hr |
| 82 | North Las Vegas, NV | $250,000 | $120/hr |
| 83 | Dallas, TX | $248,600 | $120/hr |
| 84 | Bakersfield, CA | $248,600 | $120/hr |
| 85 | Toledo, OH | $247,500 | $119/hr |
| 86 | Lubbock, TX | $247,500 | $119/hr |
| 87 | Norfolk, VA | $247,300 | $119/hr |
| 88 | Charlotte, NC | $245,900 | $118/hr |
| 89 | Wichita, KS | $244,600 | $118/hr |
| 90 | Fort Wayne, IN | $244,600 | $118/hr |
| 91 | Mobile, AL | $244,600 | $118/hr |
| 92 | Fort Worth, TX | $244,500 | $118/hr |
| 93 | Garland, TX | $244,500 | $118/hr |
| 94 | Arlington, TX | $243,100 | $117/hr |
| 95 | Columbus, OH | $239,000 | $115/hr |
| 96 | Kansas City, MO | $239,000 | $115/hr |
| 97 | Corpus Christi, TX | $239,000 | $115/hr |
| 98 | Omaha, NE | $236,300 | $114/hr |
| 99 | Oklahoma City, OK | $234,900 | $113/hr |
| 100 | Lincoln, NE | $234,900 | $113/hr |
Does location actually decide Psychiatrist pay?
Psychiatrist work is usually hybrid, so the metro you choose still largely determines what you earn. Pay ranges from $234,900 in Lincoln to $330,600 in San Francisco — a spread of 41%.
One practical constraint: this is a licensed occupation (State medical license required; board certification in psychiatry optional but common). Because licenses do not automatically transfer across state lines, the metros on this list are not equally reachable — some will require you to re-qualify before you can work at all.
Highest-paying is not the same as best-off
Gross pay and what you keep are different lists. In San Francisco, $330,600 against $3,000/month rent leaves roughly $294,600 a year after housing. In Lincoln, $234,900 against $950 leaves about $223,500. The top still wins after rent, but by $71,100 rather than the $95,700 the headline suggests.
Why these metros and not others
Pay follows employer concentration more than cost of living. Among the top of this list: San Francisco (Salesforce, Google); Honolulu (U.S. Pacific Fleet/Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Queen's Health Systems); Oakland (Kaiser Permanente (HQ), Port of Oakland). A Psychiatrist at a large employer in a metro where healthcare work clusters will typically out-earn the local median for the role — the ranking reflects where those employers sit.
Salaries are modelled from BLS national medians adjusted for local price level at a wage elasticity below 1 — pay rises with local costs but not proportionally. See our methodology.