More than 58,000 clinical psychologists were employed in the United States as of May 2021 according to the latest occupational employment data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).  The four-state U.S. Southwest accounted for 4,540 clinical psychologist jobs, or about 7.8% of the national total, at that time.  BLS data revealed the region to be one of the worst nationally for clinical psychologist pay. Although New Mexico rated among the top ten in the nation for clinical psychologist annual mean wages, more than 90% of the region's clinical psychologists lived in a state that was 17% or more below the national average for that pay metric.  This included two states, Arizona and Oklahoma, that ranked among the ten worst nationally for clinical psychologist annual mean wage levels. Additional examination of May 2021 data from the BLS reveals the following state-level details about clinical psychologist pay in the U.S. Southwest:

Clinical Psychologist Pay in the U.S. Southwest

State	# Employed	Annual Mean Wages	Wage Rank*
AZ	720	$76,870	43rd
NM	310	$110,410	9th
OK	340	$66,350	50th
TX	3,170	$82,510	37th
U.S.	58,100	$99,640	-------

(*) annual mean wage ranking among the 50 states and the District of Columbia

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on June 4, 2022