Life, Physical, and Social Science · Holland code ISC

Neuropsychologists

Apply theories and principles of neuropsychology to evaluate and diagnose disorders of higher cerebral functioning, often in research and medical settings. Study the human brain and the effect of physiological states on human cognition and behavior. May formulate and administer programs of treatment.

Also called: Board Certified Neuropsychologist, Neuropsychologist, Pediatric Neuropsychologist, Staff Psychologist, Aviation Neuropsychologist, Child and Adolescent Neuropsychologist, Forensic Neuropsychologist, Neuropsychology Medical Consultant.

O*NET 19-3039.02

At a glance

US median annual pay: $110,840; Middle half earn $68,850 to $147,240. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Post-Doctoral Training; 84% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 5 of 5; Extensive preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Conduct neuropsychological evaluations such as assessments of intelligence, academic ability, attention, concentration, sensorimotor function, language, learning, and memory.
Write or prepare detailed clinical neuropsychological reports, using data from psychological or neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct observations, or interviews.
Interview patients to obtain comprehensive medical histories.
Diagnose and treat conditions involving injury to the central nervous system, such as cerebrovascular accidents, neoplasms, infectious or inflammatory diseases, degenerative diseases, head traumas, demyelinating diseases, and various forms of dementing illnesses.
Establish neurobehavioral baseline measures for monitoring progressive cerebral disease or recovery.
Provide education or counseling to individuals and families.
Diagnose and treat pediatric populations for conditions such as learning disabilities with developmental or organic bases.
Read current literature, talk with colleagues, and participate in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of developments in neuropsychology.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Reading Comprehension4.5 / 5
Active Listening4.5 / 5
Writing4.4 / 5
Speaking4.3 / 5
Critical Thinking4.3 / 5
Active Learning3.9 / 5

Knowledge areas

Psychology5.0 / 5
Therapy and Counseling4.6 / 5
English Language4.4 / 5
Education and Training4.1 / 5
Customer and Personal Service3.9 / 5
Medicine and Dentistry3.9 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic27
Investigative100
Artistic38
Social72
Enterprising12
Conventional39

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

physiologist · DE Physiologe/Physiologin · FR physiologiste
speech and language therapist · DE Sprachtherapeut/Sprachtherapeutin · FR orthophoniste
behavioural scientist · DE Verhaltensforscher/Verhaltensforscherin · FR spécialiste en sciences du comportement
thanatology researcher · DE Thanatologe/Thanatologin · FR chercheur en thanatologie/chercheuse en thanatologie
psychologist · DE Psychologe/Psychologin · FR psychologue
clinical psychologist · DE Klinischer Psychologe/Klinische Psychologin · FR psychologue clinicien/psychologue clinicienne

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Clinical psychologists (2225)23,900 employed
Other psychologists (2226)39,000 employed
Speech and language therapists (2223)19,100 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Professionals, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€61,714
Germany	€59,529
Ireland	€56,877
Austria	€55,374
Netherlands	€53,595
Sweden	€43,567
France	€41,515
Spain	€35,735
Italy	€33,649
Portugal	€26,072
Poland	€14,380

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the higher third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of +1.39. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (19-3039).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test