49 Therapist Statistics & Demographics: How Many Are There?

July 17, 2024

There are more than 198,811 therapists and more than 81,000 psychologists in the US.

These therapist statistics and demographics will shock you.

Based on research from Zippia, we've compiled the latest statistics about therapists, including:

  1. How many therapists are there?
  2. Average age of a therapist
  3. Percentage of therapists that are male vs. female
  4. Most common ethnicities for therapists
  5. Average therapist salary
  6. Much more

So, keep reading to find the latest therapist statistics and demographics.

Key Therapist Statistics To Know

  1. In the United States, there are more than 198,811 therapists currently employed.
  2. Most of all therapists are women (75.6%), while the minority (24.4%) are men.
  3. On average, an employed therapist is 41 years old.
  4. Most therapists are White, then Asian, then Hispanic, and lastly Black or African American.
  5. New York, NY is the city where there is the most demand for therapists.
  6. The highest average annual salary for therapists is $77,931 in San Francisco, CA.
  7. Female therapists earn 96% of what men earned in 2021.
  8. North Dakota is the best state for therapists to live.

How Many Therapists Are There In The U.S?

In the United States, there are more than 198,811 therapists currently employed.

Therapist Statistics By Gender

75.6% of therapists are women and 24.4% of therapists are men.

Below is a chart that shows therapists' gender by year:

Year Male Female
2010 26.35% 73.65%
2011 23.06% 76.94%
2012 26.03% 73.97%
2013 23.52% 76.48%
2014 24.37% 75.63%
2015 24.16% 75.84%
2016 24.96% 75.04%
2017 27.73% 72.27%
2018 24.99% 75.01%
2019 25.99% 74.01%
Gender Percentages
Female 75.6%
Male 24.4%

Therapist Statistics By Race

76.4% of therapists are White, 10.6% of therapists are Asian, 6.3% are Hispanic.

Therapist Race
Percentages
White 76.4%
Asian 10.6%
Hispanic or Latino 6.3%
Black or African American 4.1%
Unknown 2.2%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.4%

Over time, the prevalence of therapists in each race has changed:

therapist race over time

And every year that goes by, the percentage of therapists in each race changes:

Year White Black or African American Asian Hispanic or Latino
2010 79.03% 3.85% 9.41% 5.94%
2011 79.54% 4.62% 8.45% 6.01%
2012 76.82% 5.04% 10.02% 6.37%
2013 77.37% 4.08% 9.90% 6.48%
2014 77.54% 4.60% 9.45% 6.33%
2015 77.32% 4.42% 9.30% 6.38%
2016 77.19% 4.65% 9.96% 6.57%
2017 78.10% 3.80% 9.40% 6.98%
2018 77.18% 3.71% 10.43% 6.75%
2019 76.35% 4.13% 10.62% 6.35%

Average Age Of A Therapist

The average age of a therapist in the U.S. is 41 years old.

Below is a chart that shows the average age of a therapist by race:

Race Male Age Female Age
Unknown 33 33
White 40 40
Black or African American 40.5 40.5
Asian 42 42
Hispanic or Latino 38.5 39

Therapist Education Levels

The most common degree a therapist has is a bachelor's degree.

47% of therapists earn that degree. In second place is master's degree with 42% of therapists earning it, and third place is associate degree with 6% of therapists earning that degree.

Therapist Education Levels

The chart below will help illustrate how educated therapists are:

Therapist Degree Percentages
Bachelors 47%
Masters 42%
Associate 6%
Doctorate 2%
Other Degrees 3%

Therapist Employment Statistics

Research shows that most therapists work for a private company, and the industry that employs the most therapists is the health care industry.

Size Of Companies That Hire Therapists

the size of companies where therapists work

Therapist Jobs By Employer Size

Company Size Percentages
50 employees 7%
50 - 100 employees 6%
100 - 500 employees 25%
500 - 1,000 employees 28%
1,000 - 10,000 employees 28%
10,000 employees 7%

Top Industries Hiring Therapists

The most common industries that employ therapists include health care, non profits and professional according to Zippia, they were able to determine this by looking at the number of employees within each industry.

Top Industries Hiring Therapists

Therapist Unemployment Statistics

Between 2008 and 2018, this is how the number of therapists changed.

therapist unemployment rate

Below is a chart that shows unemployment rate in the therapy industry over time:

Year Therapist Unemployment Rate
2010 0.98%
2011 0.87%
2012 1.18%
2013 0.95%
2014 0.81%
2015 0.54%
2016 0.64%
2017 0.42%
2018 0.50%
2019 0.84%

So, How Many Therapists Are There?

There are more than 198,811 therapists and more than 81,000 psychologists in the US.

Therapists can help people going through many types of challenges in life, including different types of addiction, alcohol abuse, mental health, motivation, and more. Imagine a world without therapists...it would be much harder without them. We put together this roundup of therapist statistics to show you how many there are, how much they earn, their demographics, and much more.

Sources

  1. https://www.zippia.com/therapist-jobs/demographics/
  2. https://www.talkspace.com/blog/mental-health-statistics/
  3. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/life-physical-and-social-science/psychologists.htm

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