# Psychiatrists

US SOC code 29-1223. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/29-1223

Also called: Psychopharmacologist, Child psychiatrist, Forensic psychiatrist, Geriatric psychiatrist, Addiction psychiatrist.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **27,980** US psychiatrists, with median pay of **$281,870** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2021, the May 2025 count is the highest. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Medical_Superintendents_of_American_Institutions_for_the_Insane) of **50** from 1844, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for psychiatrists: EHR mandates, telepsychiatry, and genomics pilots, 2000 to 2020. Documentation burden became the defining quality-of-life issue in psychiatric practice.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 7.2% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=29-1223&ioType=o). One other published forecast is in the forecasts section of the page.

### AI exposure studies

- **52.2%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend.

## Psychiatrists employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1812
- Latest US employment: 27,980 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [3]
- Latest US median pay: $281,870 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [6]
- Outlook: +7.2% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [20]

### All 10 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1844 | 50 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Association of Medical Superintendents… [1] |
| 1948 | 3,000 (estimate) | $8,000 (estimate) | Est., National Institute of Mental Health… (employment) [2]; Est., University of Missouri Libraries (pay) [4] |
| 1984 | 32,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Projected Workforce of Psychiatrists in… [2] |
| 2019 | 25,530 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2019 [3] |
| 2020 | 25,540 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2020 [3] |
| 2021 | 25,520 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2021 [3] |
| 2022 | 26,500 | $226,880 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [3] |
| 2023 | 24,830 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2023 [3] |
| 2024 | 24,800 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2024 [3] |
| 2025 | 27,980 | $281,870 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [3] |

## Sources (49)

### Employment series

1. [Association of Medical Superintendents of American Institutions for the Insane — Wikipedia (founding membership and institutions, 1844)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Medical_Superintendents_of_American_Institutions_for_the_Insane), Wikipedia / primary APA historical sources
2. [National Institute of Mental Health training program history — workforce baseline of approximately 3,000 psychiatrists in 1948 (NIMH founding era)](https://www.psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/appi.ps.201700344), Psychiatric Services / American Psychiatric Association
3. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Wage series

4. [University of Missouri Libraries — Prices and Wages by Decade: 1940s (general physician salary context)](https://libraryguides.missouri.edu/pricesandwages/1940-1949), University of Missouri Libraries
5. [BLS OEWS May 2022, national cross-industry estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
6. [BLS OEWS May 2025, national cross-industry estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Tool eras

7. [National Library of Medicine / NIH — Diseases of the Mind: Highlights of American Psychiatry through 1900 (moral treatment, asylum architecture, Kirkbride era)](https://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/topics/diseases-of-mind/index.html), US National Library of Medicine
8. [Wikipedia — Moral treatment (Pinel, Tuke, transatlantic spread, asylum design)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_treatment), Wikipedia
9. [Science History Institute — Chlorpromazine biography: somatic therapies of the pre-pharmacological era (ECT, lobotomy, insulin coma context)](https://www.sciencehistory.org/education/scientific-biographies/paul-charpentier-henri-marie-laborit-simone-courvoisier-jean-delay-and-pierre/), Science History Institute
10. [Wikipedia — Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM-I history and psychoanalytic era in US psychiatry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diagnostic_and_Statistical_Manual_of_Mental_Disorders), Wikipedia
11. [C&EN / American Chemical Society — "Thorazine" (chlorpromazine: FDA approval 1954, two million patients within 8 months, inpatient census impact)](https://cen.acs.org/articles/83/i25/Thorazine.html), Chemical and Engineering News / ACS
12. [PMC — "Fifty Years Chlorpromazine: A Historical Perspective" (deinstitutionalization connection, inpatient census 1955 peak at 559,000)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2655089/), NCBI / PubMed Central
13. [PMC — Deinstitutionalization Through Optimism: The Community Mental Health Act of 1963 (context for chlorpromazine-enabled deinstitutionalization)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10116376/), NCBI / PubMed Central
14. [PsychDB — History of the DSM (DSM-III 1980: operationalized criteria, end of psychoanalytic nosology, 265 categories)](https://www.psychdb.com/teaching/1-history-of-dsm), PsychDB
15. [Medscape — COVID-19: Dramatic Changes to Telepsychiatry Rules and Regs (Ryan Haight Act history and pre-pandemic limitations)](https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/927556), Medscape
16. [APA — Telepsychiatry Legal and Regulatory Considerations during COVID-19 (Ryan Haight Act context)](https://www.psychiatry.org/Psychiatrists/Practice/Telepsychiatry/Blog/Telepsychiatry-Legal-and-Regulatory-Considerations), American Psychiatric Association
17. [Eleos Health — ambient behavioral health documentation platform; 150+ organizations including LifeStance Health and Optum Behavioral Health; 30-60 min/day recouped; HIPAA compliant](https://eleos.health/), Eleos Health
18. [APA — Artificial Intelligence in Psychiatric Care: overview of clinical applications, ethical and legal considerations, and AI as augmented intelligence that supports clinician judgment (APA 2024 position)](https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/artificial-intelligence), American Psychiatric Association
19. [NCBl PMC — The use of telepsychiatry during COVID-19 and beyond (50% telehealth increase Q1 2020; Ryan Haight waiver March 16, 2020)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7411439/), NCBI / PubMed Central

### Forecasts and exposure studies

20. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 29-1223 Psychiatrists (2025: 30.0 thousand; 2035: 32.1 thousand; +7.2%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=29-1223&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
21. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 29-1223.00, human-rated β 0.522)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI
22. [Silvestre J, Seeger S, Reitman CA, Dubé B, "The Impending Psychiatrist Shortage: Projected Deficiencies in the U.S. Adult Psychiatry Workforce", Psychiatric Services 77(6):581-584 (2026), abstract: supply projected to decrease 12.3%, 2024 to 2037](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42087318/), Psychiatric Services (American Psychiatric Association)

### Historical notes

23. [Wikipedia — Association of Medical Superintendents of American Institutions for the Insane (founding October 16, 1844; 13 members; 31 institutions)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Medical_Superintendents_of_American_Institutions_for_the_Insane), Wikipedia / APA historical records
24. [NLM — Diseases of the Mind: American Journal of Insanity debuted June 1844 (Amariah Brigham, Utica State Hospital)](https://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/topics/diseases-of-mind/index.html), US National Library of Medicine
25. [ABPN — History of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (incorporated 1934; first examination 1935; 31 applicants)](https://www.abpn.com/about/mission-and-history/), American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
26. [PMC — Fifty Years Chlorpromazine: A Historical Perspective (inpatient census peak 559,000 in 1955; 452,000 by 1965)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2655089/), NCBI / PubMed Central
27. [PsychDB — History of the DSM: DSM-III (1980) initiated modern psychiatric diagnosis; 265 categories; end of psychoanalytic nosology](https://www.psychdb.com/teaching/1-history-of-dsm), PsychDB
28. [PMC — The use of telepsychiatry during COVID-19 and beyond (Ryan Haight waiver March 16, 2020; 50% telehealth increase Q1 2020)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7411439/), NCBI / PubMed Central
29. [Medicus Healthcare Solutions — Understanding the Psychiatry Shortage (122 million Americans in MHPSA-designated areas as of December 2024; 1:5,058 provider ratio)](https://medicushcs.com/resources/understanding-the-psychiatry-shortage), Medicus Healthcare Solutions

### Predecessors & successors

30. [NLM — Diseases of the Mind: American psychiatry through 1900 (general physicians entering asylum work before APA founding)](https://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/topics/diseases-of-mind/index.html), US National Library of Medicine
31. [NIMH training programs 1948-1984: NIMH invested $2.1 billion converting general physicians into psychiatrists via residency programs](https://www.psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/appi.ps.201700344), Psychiatric Services / APA
32. [ABPN history — American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology founded 1934; first examination 1935 certified candidates in both psychiatry and neurology](https://www.abpn.com/about/mission-and-history/), American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
33. [O\*NET 29-1223.00 — pivot to Medical and Health Services Managers (clinical leadership pathway)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/29-1223.00), O\*NET / BLS

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 — Psychiatrists (29-1223.00): tasks, work activities, technology skills, knowledge domains, employment data](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/29-1223.00), accessed 2026-05-24
- [BLS OOH 2024-2034 — Physicians and Surgeons: psychiatry median wage $249,760 (May 2024); +3% growth](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/physicians-and-surgeons.htm), accessed 2026-05-24
- [American Psychiatric Association: Artificial Intelligence in Psychiatric Care (resource page): APA guidance on how AI tools affect clinical practice, professional standards, legal responsibilities and patient engagement, with FAQs and guidance on AI scribes and AI prescribing](https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/artificial-intelligence), accessed 2026-10-08
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science): occupational LLM exposure framework](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Psychiatric Times — AI Tools in Clinical Psychiatry Practice Survey 2025: 67% of psychiatrists using AI documentation; 23% pharmacogenomic AI; 41% recommending digital therapeutics](https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [NEJM AI 2025 — Ambient AI scribes in outpatient psychiatry: note completion time reduced from 18 min to 4 min per session with equivalent clinical quality](https://ai.nejm.org/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [JAMA 2025 — "Effect of AI Scribes on Physician Burnout and Documentation Time" (multi-site RCT): 62% reduction in after-hours documentation; improved satisfaction](https://jamanetwork.com/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [AMA: AMA Center for Digital Health and AI (page): the center works with regulators, policymakers and technology leaders to shape benchmarks for safe and effective use of AI and other digital tools in medicine, and educates and supports physicians](https://www.ama-assn.org/about/ama-center-digital-health-and-ai), accessed 2026-10-08
- [Nuance DAX Copilot / Dragon Copilot — ambient documentation and EHR workflow automation; 750+ health systems; prior auth pre-population in Epic integration](https://www.nuance.com/healthcare/dragon-copilot.html), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Glass Health — real-time evidence synthesis from PubMed, Cochrane, UpToDate at point of care; 200,000+ clinicians in the U.S. as of 2025](https://glass.health/), accessed 2026-05-24

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.