Behavior technicians make $35,864 per year on average, or $17.24 per hour, in the United States. Behavior technicians on the lower end of that spectrum, the bottom 10% to be exact, make roughly $27,000 a year, while the top 10% makes $46,000.
Location impacts how much a behavior technician can expect to make. Behavior technicians make the most in Alaska, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and West Virginia.
The darker areas on the map show where behavior technicians earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
Rank | State | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Count |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Alaska | $69,399 | $33.36 | 119 |
2 | Hawaii | $48,918 | $23.52 | 91 |
3 | West Virginia | $40,161 | $19.31 | 146 |
4 | Massachusetts | $40,806 | $19.62 | 912 |
5 | Connecticut | $39,250 | $18.87 | 355 |
6 | New Jersey | $40,198 | $19.33 | 754 |
7 | Maine | $36,951 | $17.76 | 146 |
8 | Indiana | $36,203 | $17.41 | 643 |
9 | Arkansas | $35,132 | $16.89 | 306 |
10 | North Dakota | $38,453 | $18.49 | 70 |
11 | Illinois | $37,185 | $17.88 | 1,219 |
12 | Vermont | $38,141 | $18.34 | 67 |
13 | Rhode Island | $37,546 | $18.05 | 101 |
14 | Mississippi | $39,792 | $19.13 | 134 |
15 | Iowa | $36,092 | $17.35 | 329 |
16 | Florida | $35,548 | $17.09 | 1,628 |
17 | Montana | $35,966 | $17.29 | 106 |
18 | Alabama | $33,863 | $16.28 | 462 |
19 | Maryland | $38,281 | $18.40 | 508 |
20 | South Carolina | $35,398 | $17.02 | 364 |
21 | Georgia | $35,268 | $16.96 | 966 |
22 | California | $38,881 | $18.69 | 2,102 |
23 | New York | $37,513 | $18.04 | 1,021 |
24 | Virginia | $36,975 | $17.78 | 735 |
25 | North Carolina | $35,078 | $16.86 | 713 |
26 | Oregon | $37,759 | $18.15 | 205 |
27 | Michigan | $34,389 | $16.53 | 623 |
28 | New Hampshire | $35,839 | $17.23 | 112 |
29 | Wisconsin | $32,344 | $15.55 | 664 |
30 | Washington | $37,068 | $17.82 | 385 |
31 | Texas | $34,493 | $16.58 | 1,791 |
32 | Tennessee | $32,237 | $15.50 | 553 |
33 | Nebraska | $34,341 | $16.51 | 146 |
34 | District of Columbia | $37,967 | $18.25 | 74 |
35 | Delaware | $34,066 | $16.38 | 112 |
36 | Minnesota | $34,761 | $16.71 | 450 |
37 | Arizona | $30,428 | $14.63 | 720 |
38 | South Dakota | $30,170 | $14.50 | 106 |
39 | Colorado | $32,108 | $15.44 | 560 |
40 | Ohio | $31,894 | $15.33 | 675 |
41 | Pennsylvania | $29,745 | $14.30 | 1,158 |
42 | Kansas | $32,177 | $15.47 | 186 |
43 | New Mexico | $31,491 | $15.14 | 141 |
44 | Missouri | $29,597 | $14.23 | 540 |
45 | Louisiana | $29,165 | $14.02 | 284 |
46 | Wyoming | $30,374 | $14.60 | 39 |
47 | Oklahoma | $30,706 | $14.76 | 197 |
48 | Utah | $24,412 | $11.74 | 297 |
49 | Kentucky | $28,755 | $13.82 | 266 |
50 | Nevada | $27,305 | $13.13 | 136 |
51 | Idaho | $20,785 | $9.99 | 84 |
Rank | City | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Boston, MA | $40,736 | $19.58 |
2 | Elizabeth, NJ | $40,196 | $19.32 |
3 | Fairfield, CA | $39,563 | $19.02 |
4 | Fairfield, CT | $39,363 | $18.92 |
5 | Burbank, IL | $37,238 | $17.90 |
6 | Bloomington, IN | $36,110 | $17.36 |
7 | Atlanta, GA | $35,217 | $16.93 |
8 | Pasadena, TX | $34,949 | $16.80 |
9 | Minneapolis, MN | $34,741 | $16.70 |
10 | Brookfield, WI | $32,435 | $15.59 |
11 | Denver, CO | $32,130 | $15.45 |
12 | Fairfield, OH | $31,597 | $15.19 |
13 | Glendale, AZ | $30,360 | $14.60 |
Percentile | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate |
---|---|---|---|
90th Percentile | $46,000 | $3,833 | $22 |
75th Percentile | $40,000 | $3,333 | $19 |
Average | $35,864 | $2,989 | $17 |
25th Percentile | $31,000 | $2,583 | $15 |
10th Percentile | $27,000 | $2,250 | $13 |
Job Title | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
---|---|---|---|---|
Mental Health Nurse | $59,692 | $4,974 | $28.70 | 86,884 |
Therapist | $52,984 | $4,415 | $25.47 | 159,770 |
Clinical Therapist | $51,566 | $4,297 | $24.79 | 136,898 |
In Home Therapist | $47,492 | $3,958 | $22.83 | 113,993 |
Outpatient Physical Therapist | $49,674 | $4,139 | $23.88 | 119,973 |
ABA Therapist | $36,263 | $3,022 | $17.43 | 90,516 |
Here are the five companies hiring the most now:
Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | University of Washington | $52,290 | $25.14 | 8 |
2 | AdventHealth | $49,915 | $24.00 | 112 |
3 | BAYADA Home Health Care | $48,820 | $23.47 | 91 |
4 | Easterseals | $46,136 | $22.18 | 132 |
5 | Washington State University | $46,114 | $22.17 | |
6 | Center for Autism and Related Disorders | $40,811 | $19.62 | 30 |
7 | Denver Public Schools | $40,271 | $19.36 | 5 |
8 | Seattle Children's Healthcare System | $40,127 | $19.29 | 3 |
9 | University of North Texas | $39,396 | $18.94 | |
10 | Parkview Health | $39,111 | $18.80 | 32 |
11 | Union County Public Schools | $39,027 | $18.76 | 4 |
12 | Oregon Health & Science University | $38,682 | $18.60 | 3 |
13 | Apollo International | $38,326 | $18.43 | |
14 | Blue Bird | $37,932 | $18.24 | 4 |
15 | Broward Children’s Center | $37,669 | $18.11 | 2 |
16 | Torrance Unified School District | $37,539 | $18.05 | 1 |
17 | WellSpan Health | $37,491 | $18.02 | 12 |
18 | Maxim Healthcare Group | $37,483 | $18.02 | 240 |
19 | Vanderbilt University Medical Center | $37,274 | $17.92 | 6 |
20 | HCR ManorCare | $36,963 | $17.77 | 77 |
Compare salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Year | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | % Change |
---|---|---|---|
2022 | $35,900 | $17.24 | +3.6% |
2021 | $34,600 | $16.63 | +2.7% |
2020 | $33,700 | $16.18 | +3.7% |
2019 | $32,400 | $15.59 | +2.2% |
2018 | $31,700 | $15.24 | -0.5% |
Company | Job | Location | Date Added | Salary |
---|---|---|---|---|
Total Spectrum Care | Behavior Technician-ABA Therapy | Crystal Lake, IL | 06/02/2022 | $37,566 |
United Therapy Center | Behavior Technician Needed, Part Time | Perris, CA | 06/01/2022 | $37,566 |
Elemy | Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) | Jacksonville, FL | 06/01/2022 | $35,479 |
Waterfall Community Health Center (WCHC) | Registered Behavior Technician | North Bend, OR | 06/01/2022 | $45,914 |
Discover Hope Behavioral Solutions, Inc. | Behavior Technician-Rewarding Work With Kids (ABA) | San Jose, CA | 06/01/2022 | $41,740 |
Elemy | Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) | Los Angeles, CA | 06/01/2022 | $35,479 |
Behavioral Health Works | Behavior Technician | San Diego, CA | 06/01/2022 | $43,827 |
Ultimate Sustainability | Behavior Technician | Plymouth, MN | 06/01/2022 | $35,479 |
Centria Healthcare LLC | Behavior Technician (BT) | Vancouver, WA | 06/01/2022 | $33,392 |
Centria Healthcare LLC | Behavior Technician | Grand Rapids, MI | 06/01/2022 | $29,218 |
Alaska pays Behavior Technicians the most in the United States, with an average salary of $69,399 per year, or $33.36 per hour.
You know if you are being paid fairly as a Behavior Technician if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in Hawaii you should be paid close to $48,918 per year.
Behavior Analyst gets paid the most. Behavior Analyst made a median salary of $64,464. The best-paid 10 percent make $80,000, while the lowest-paid 10 percent make $51,000.
Behavior technicians make around $43,000 a year in California. This is about $8,000 more a year than the average $35,000 a year across the United States. However, salary largely depends on where a person works and their experience level.
Behavior technicians make between $15 to $17 per hour. This is about $35,000 a year on average. Depending on where a person starts working, their salary range may vary, typically salaries range between $20,000-$45,000 per year.
Yes, being a behavior technician is hard but rewarding work. The work is rewarding, but it can also be challenging as you address problem behaviors and skill deficits with clients.
Behavior technicians work directly with clients under a supervisor or a board-certified behavior analyst (BCBA). The Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) created this position to make ABA therapy more accessible to people with autism and other developmental disorders, making this position extremely important.
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