Federal Salary Average

• In 2010, the average salary paid to a psychologist employed by the federal government was $41.90 an hour, or $87,160 a year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. These figures include psychologists who specialized in forensics that year, but excludes all clinical, school and counseling psychologists as well as psychologists working in an industrial setting.
  
  

Statistics

• In 2010, 5,800 psychologists were employed by the federal government, including forensic psychologists. The federal government was, in fact, the employer with the highest concentration of working psychologists that year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and its employees earned slightly more than the national average salary of $41.59 an hour, or $86,510 a year.
  
  

Highs and Lows

• Real salaries for forensic psychologists both fell below and rose above the national average in 2010, depending on a variety of factors including experience and location. For example, psychologists in Arizona averaged $102,310 a year, says the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, while those in Nebraska averaged $57,480 a year. Psychologists, including those employed by the federal government, working in Jacksonville, Florida took home $127,580 a year on average while their counterparts in Albuquerque, New Mexico earned $68,940 a year.
  
  

Education and Certification

• Most psychologists must hold a doctorate degree to practice independently, says the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, but those hired by the federal government need only have a bachelor's degree with a minimum of 24 credit hours in psychology. The competition for federal jobs is high because of this, notes the bureau. Each state, including the District of Columbia, requires forensic psychologists to obtain a license to practice. Certification is also available through The American Board of Professional Psychology, but a psychologist must possess a doctorate to qualify.