Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, aged to 2026 using compounded market movement. State selections show BLS state-level figures where published. Actual pay varies with experience, industry, and organization size.
Base salary plus target annual bonus. Target bonus opportunity scales with role level, so a higher base carries a higher target percentage.
Base salary
$47,500
National baseline
Target bonus
$4,000
8.2% of base
Total target cash
$51,500
Base plus target bonus
Bonus percentiles:25th$2,50050th$4,00075th$6,500
Long-term incentive is not shown for this role. Equity awards are only disclosed publicly for the named executive officers of public companies, so no market figure exists for most jobs. See executive pay disclosures.
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About this role
Psychiatric Aide is a professional role within the function in the Healthcare Support job family.
Typical entry preparation: Some College Courses and 1 to 3 years of related work experience, per O*NET occupational data. Advancement typically requires additional years in role.
Listen and provide emotional support and encouragement to psychiatric patients.
Provide patients with cognitive, intellectual, or developmental disabilities with routine physical, emotional, psychological, or rehabilitation care under the direction of nursing or medical staff.
Complete physical checks and monitor patients to detect unusual or harmful behavior and report observations to professional staff.
Restrain or aid patients as necessary to prevent injury.
Work as part of a team that may include psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric nurses, or social workers.
Top skills:SpeakingSocial PerceptivenessService OrientationMonitoringActive ListeningCritical Thinking
Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (CC BY 4.0).
Psychiatric Aide pay by experience level
Entry level$33,000
Typical starting pay (about the 10th percentile)
Early career$39,000
A few years in (about the 25th percentile)
Experienced$46,500
Mid-career median pay
Senior$51,500
Seasoned professionals (about the 75th percentile)
Top earners$62,500
Highest earners (about the 90th percentile)
Experience tiers are derived from the BLS wage percentile distribution for this occupation, aged to 2026. Actual pay varies by employer, location, and specialization.
Job outlook
-0.4%
projected change in jobs, 2024–2034
5,300
projected openings per year
Declining
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program (2024–2034). Openings include growth and replacement needs.
Psychiatric Aide salary by industry
Hospitals
18,550 workers
$47,500
Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals
14,190 workers
$47,500
Hospitals, State Government Owned
9,600 workers
$50,000
Hospitals, Privately Owned
8,410 workers
$44,500
Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Schools and Hospitals and USPS
7,300 workers
$48,000
State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
6,260 workers
$45,500
Nursing and Residential Care Facilities
5,020 workers
$43,000
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
4,050 workers
$47,000
Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Facilities
3,780 workers
$43,500
Ambulatory Health Care Services
2,730 workers
$47,500
National sector-level figures, BLS OEWS May 2025, aged to 2026.
Pay trend
National median annual wage, 2020 to 2025: $31,570 to $44,910.
+42.3% over this period
Medians as published each May in the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics national estimates. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS.
Pay by experience level
How annual pay for this occupation spreads from newcomers to the highest paid, aged to 2026.
Entry10th percentile
$33,000
Early career25th percentile
$39,000
Median50th percentile
$46,500
Experienced75th percentile
$51,500
Top earners90th percentile
$62,500
Bands are the 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentile annual wages for this occupation nationally. Percentiles reflect the full mix of tenure, employer, and location, so they approximate but do not equal years of experience. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS national estimates.
Where this job pays most
Top-paying states for this occupation, average annual wage aged to 2026.
State averages for this occupation from the BLS OEWS state estimates. Cost of living differs by state; a higher wage does not always mean more buying power.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, O*NET occupational database.
Typical duties and FLSA status
Core duties
Listen and provide emotional support and encouragement to psychiatric patients.
Provide patients with cognitive, intellectual, or developmental disabilities with routine physical, emotional, psychological, or rehabilitation care under the direction of nursing or medical staff.
Complete physical checks and monitor patients to detect unusual or harmful behavior and report observations to professional staff.
Restrain or aid patients as necessary to prevent injury.
Work as part of a team that may include psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric nurses, or social workers.
FLSA classification (typical)
Typically Non-exempt · Service, trades, or production work
Occupations in this SOC group are typically classified as Non-exempt and eligible for overtime pay under FLSA rules. Actual classification depends on the specific job duties, salary basis, and any applicable state or local rules. The current federal salary threshold for exemption is $684 per week ($35,568 per year), per the 2020 Department of Labor rule; the 2024 rule that would have raised the threshold was struck down by federal court in November 2024.
Pay outlook
Five-year pay outlook for this title
2026$47,500
2027$49,000
2028$51,000
2029$52,500
2030$54,500
2031$56,500
Projection assumes market wages keep rising about 3.5% a year, consistent with recent wage growth measured by the BLS Employment Cost Index. It reflects market movement for the title, not individual raises or promotions, which vary.
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Sources and assumptions
Modeled market estimate, aged to 2026. Underlying source families are BLS OEWS May 2025 for BLS-mapped occupations and the 2018–19 collection for corporate titles. Annual aging is compounded at approximately 3–4%; geographic, industry and company-size repricing are modeled. See the role details and methodology for the applicable source and assumptions.
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The median market pay for a Psychiatric Aide in the United States is about $47,500 per year in 2026, based on WePayFairly's market model.
What is the salary range for a Psychiatric Aide?
Most Psychiatric Aide pay falls between about $39,000 (25th percentile) and $51,500 (75th percentile), with top earners above $62,500.
What does a Psychiatric Aide do?
Core responsibilities include: listen and provide emotional support and encouragement to psychiatric patients; and provide patients with cognitive, intellectual, or developmental disabilities with routine physical, emotional, psychological, or rehabilitation care under the direction of nursing or medical staff.
Is pay for Psychiatric Aide roles growing?
Yes. The national median wage for this occupation moved from $31,570 in 2020 to $44,910 in 2025, a change of +42.3% in nominal dollars.
How this role compares
Psychiatric Aide pays 5% below the average across 19 roles in the Healthcare Support job family (family average $50,000).
Need Psychiatric Aide pay benchmarked for your organization, or defensible compensation analysis for a dispute or valuation? Grahall builds it from primary sources, backed by an expert who testifies.
