These therapist statistics and demographics will shock you.
Based on research from Zippia, we've compiled the latest statistics about therapists, including:
How many therapists are there?
Average age of a therapist
Percentage of therapists that are male vs. female
Most common ethnicities for therapists
Average therapist salary
Much more
So, keep reading to find the latest therapist statistics and demographics.
Key Therapist Statistics To Know
In the United States, there are more than 198,811 therapists currently employed.
Most of all therapists are women (75.6%), while the minority (24.4%) are men.
On average, an employed therapist is 41 years old.
Most therapists are White, then Asian, then Hispanic, and lastly Black or African American.
New York, NY is the city where there is the most demand for therapists.
The highest average annual salary for therapists is $77,931 in San Francisco, CA.
Female therapists earn 96% of what men earned in 2021.
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:
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.
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
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.
Therapist Unemployment Statistics
Between 2008 and 2018, this is how the number of therapists changed.
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.