# Psychiatric Technicians

US SOC code 29-2053. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/29-2053

Also called: Psychiatric tech, Mental health technician, Psych tech, Behavioral health technician, Licensed psychiatric technician.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **156,960** US psychiatric technicians, with median pay of **$45,130** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2003, the May 2025 count is the highest. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://hogg.utexas.edu/history-hospital-reform) of **150,000** from 1955, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for psychiatric technicians: Epic Behavioral Health + bar-code medication administration, 2012 to 2022.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 22.3% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=29-2053&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **34%** 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. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Psychiatric Technicians employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1840
- Latest US employment: 156,960 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [4]
- Latest US median pay: $45,130 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [6]
- Outlook: +22.3% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [19]

### All 26 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1955 | 150,000 (estimate) | $1,920 (estimate) | Est., Hogg Foundation for Mental Health [1] |
| 1970 | 90,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Wikipedia / multiple primary sources [2] |
| 1995 | 72,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., BLS Monthly Labor Review 2015 [3] |
| 2003 | 56,000 | $25,780 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [4] |
| 2004 | 59,010 | $25,540 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [4] |
| 2005 | 62,040 | $26,770 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [4] |
| 2006 | 58,940 | $27,780 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [4] |
| 2007 | 60,690 | $29,670 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [4] |
| 2008 | 54,800 | $29,250 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [4] |
| 2009 | 70,730 | $28,140 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [4] |
| 2010 | 72,650 | $28,710 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [4] |
| 2011 | 69,840 | $28,470 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [4] |
| 2012 | 67,760 | $30,050 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [4] |
| 2013 | 66,760 | $29,880 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [4] |
| 2014 | 64,540 | $31,130 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [4] |
| 2015 | 58,450 | $31,140 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [4] |
| 2016 | 61,720 | $30,970 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [4] |
| 2017 | 66,930 | $31,670 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [4] |
| 2018 | 71,360 | $32,870 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [4] |
| 2019 | 78,470 | $33,780 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [4] |
| 2020 | 85,330 | $35,030 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [4] |
| 2021 | 93,410 | $36,570 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [4] |
| 2022 | 100,950 | $37,380 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [4] |
| 2023 | 115,940 | $39,700 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [4] |
| 2024 | 136,300 | $42,590 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [4] |
| 2025 | 156,960 | $45,130 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [4] |

## Sources (84)

### Employment series

1. [Hogg Foundation for Mental Health — "State Hospital Reform Movement of the 1950s"; Worcester State Hospital staffing ratios (1 attendant per 55 patients)](https://hogg.utexas.edu/history-hospital-reform), Hogg Foundation for Mental Health
2. [Deinstitutionalization in the United States — Wikipedia (inpatient census decline from 559,000 in 1955 through deinstitutionalization period)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deinstitutionalization_in_the_United_States), Wikipedia / multiple primary sources
3. [BLS Monthly Labor Review 2015 — "A look at violence in the workplace against psychiatric aides and psychiatric technicians" (employment context, pre-2000 workforce history)](https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2015/article/a-look-at-violence-in-the-workplace-against-psychiatric-aides-and-psychiatric-technicians.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
4. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [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

5. [Hogg Foundation for Mental Health — "State Hospital Reform Movement of the 1950s" (attendant wages $90/month for 72-hour weeks documented at Worcester State Hospital)](https://hogg.utexas.edu/history-hospital-reform), Hogg Foundation for Mental Health
6. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [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)

### Tool eras

7. [Penn Nursing NHHC — "History of Psychiatric Hospitals" (moral treatment era, attendant roles)](https://www.nursing.upenn.edu/nhhc/nurses-institutions-caring/history-of-psychiatric-hospitals/), University of Pennsylvania, Nursing History Center
8. [Library Company of Philadelphia / Hearing Voices — "The 19th Century Asylum" (restraint practices and moral treatment)](https://librarycompany.org/hearingvoices-online/section1.html), Library Company of Philadelphia
9. [PMC / NCBI — "Deinstitutionalization Through Optimism: The Community Mental Health Act of 1963" (chlorpromazine and the basis for deinstitutionalization)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10116376/), American Journal of Psychiatry Residents Journal / PMC
10. [Wikipedia — Deinstitutionalization in the United States (antipsychotic medication role)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deinstitutionalization_in_the_United_States), Wikipedia
11. [Crisis Prevention Institute — "Who We Are" (founded 1980, worldwide leader in de-escalation and crisis prevention training)](https://www.crisisprevention.com/about-us/), Crisis Prevention Institute
12. [Wikipedia — Community Mental Health Centers Act (1963, shift from custodial to clinical model)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_Mental_Health_Act), Wikipedia
13. [Netsmart myAvatar — behavioral health EHR history and product overview](https://www.ntst.com/offerings/myavatar), Netsmart Technologies
14. [PMC / NCBI — "Impact of Electronic Health Records on Information Practices in Mental Health Contexts" (EHR workflow effects in psychiatric settings)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9118021/), PMC / NCBI
15. [Epic Behavioral Health — inpatient psychiatric unit EHR module overview](https://www.epic.com/software/behavioral-health/), Epic Systems
16. [Healthcare IT News — "Epic links with behavioral health EHR" (Epic behavioral health module and Netsmart integration)](https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/epic-links-behavioral-health-ehr), Healthcare IT News
17. [Netsmart Bells Virtual Scribe — 60% documentation time reduction, 68% session-to-sign time reduction (2025)](https://www.ntst.com/carefabric/careguidance-solutions/ai-documentation-assistant), Netsmart Technologies
18. [Psychiatric Services — "REACH VET: EHR-based suicide risk prediction model, 61 variables, deployed across VA facilities"](https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/appi.ps.202100629), American Psychiatric Association Publishing

### Forecasts and exposure studies

19. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 29-2053 Psychiatric technicians (2025: 161.5 thousand; 2035: 197.5 thousand; +22.3%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=29-2053&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
20. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 29-2053.00, human-rated β 0.34)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

21. [Origins OSU — "America's Long-Suffering Mental Health System" (Worcester State Hospital 1833 founding)](https://origins.osu.edu/article/americas-long-suffering-mental-health-system), Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective (OSU)
22. [NPS — "Disability History and the WWII Home Front: Conscientious Objectors and Mental Health Reform" (3,000 COs in 62 state hospitals, Byberry documentation)](https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/disability-history-and-the-wwii-home-front-cos-and-mental-health.htm), National Park Service
23. [Mennonite Healthcare Fellowship — "Conscientious Objectors and the Transformation of Mental Healthcare" (National Mental Health Foundation 1946, The Attendant periodical)](https://mennohealth.org/2013/04/conscientious-objectors-transformation-mental-healthcare/), Mennonite Healthcare Fellowship
24. [PMC / American Journal of Psychiatry Residents Journal — "Deinstitutionalization Through Optimism: The Community Mental Health Act of 1963" (chlorpromazine introduction 1954)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10116376/), PMC
25. [Psychiatric News — "The Rise and Demise of America's Psychiatric Hospitals" (1955 peak: 559,000 patients, 352 institutions)](https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.pn.2019.3b29), American Psychiatric Association Publishing
26. [CAPT (California Association of Psychiatric Technicians) — History of California PT regulation (1959 certification, 1970 full licensure)](https://www.psychtechs.net/capt-facts.php?page=captfacts&lang=eng&id=4658), California Association of Psychiatric Technicians
27. [AMA Journal of Ethics — "Deinstitutionalization of People with Mental Illness: Causes and Consequences" (MHPAEA and behavioral health coverage expansion)](https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/deinstitutionalization-people-mental-illness-causes-and-consequences/2013-10), American Medical Association

### Predecessors & successors

28. [Penn Nursing NHHC — "History of Psychiatric Hospitals" (attendant role origins in 19th-century asylum system)](https://www.nursing.upenn.edu/nhhc/nurses-institutions-caring/history-of-psychiatric-hospitals/), University of Pennsylvania, Nursing History Center
29. [NPS — "Disability History and the WWII Home Front: Conscientious Objectors and Mental Health Reform" (3,000 COs in 62 state hospitals, 1942-1946)](https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/disability-history-and-the-wwii-home-front-cos-and-mental-health.htm), National Park Service

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 29-2053.00 — Psychiatric Technicians: tasks, knowledge, skills, employment data](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/29-2053.00), accessed 2026-06-05
- [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Psychiatric Technicians and Aides, 2024-34 projections](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/psychiatric-technicians-and-aides.htm), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science): occupational LLM exposure framework](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-06-05
- [MedCertify — Job Outlook and Salary Expectations for Mental Health Technicians in 2024 and Beyond](https://medcertify.com/job-outlook-and-salary-expectations-for-mental-health-technicians-in-2024-and-beyond/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Netsmart Bells Virtual Scribe — 60% reduction in documentation time, 68% reduction in session-to-sign time (2025)](https://www.ntst.com/carefabric/careguidance-solutions/ai-documentation-assistant), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Commure — Best AI Scribes for Psychiatry in 2026: Netsmart Bells, JotPsych, Freed, Nuance DAX](https://www.commure.com/blog-scribe/best-ai-scribe-for-psychiatry), accessed 2026-06-05
- [JMIR Formative Research — AI-Powered Documentation for Mental Health Providers 2026](https://formative.jmir.org/2026/1/e84628), accessed 2026-06-05
- [VA REACH VET — EHR-based suicide risk prediction model, 61 variables, deployed across VA facilities](https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/appi.ps.202100629), accessed 2026-06-05
- [PMC — Innovation in Suicidology: AI-Based Risk Assessment 2025](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12438440/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Healthcare IT News — Mental health AI breaking through to core operations in 2026](https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/mental-health-ai-breaking-through-core-operations-2026), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Indeed / himalayas.app — psychiatric technician job descriptions 2025-2026: EHR charting, 15-minute checks](https://himalayas.app/job-descriptions/psychiatric-technician), accessed 2026-06-05

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