Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between behavioral analysts and program counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a behavioral analyst, becoming a program counselor takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a behavioral analyst has an average salary of $69,468, which is higher than the $43,820 average annual salary of a program counselor.
The top three skills for a behavioral analyst include autism, BCBA and applied behavior analysis. The most important skills for a program counselor are developmental disabilities, patients, and community integration.
| Behavioral Analyst | Program Counselor | |
| Yearly salary | $69,468 | $43,820 |
| Hourly rate | $33.40 | $21.07 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 66,538 | 133,491 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 39 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
Behavioral Analyst supports and implements a plan to help patients overcome social and mental disabilities. They are involved in assessing patients' behavior in school, homes, or communities, implementing behavioral plans, updating therapy notes to track progress, and communicating with staff, families, and teachers in relaying the client's needs. A behavioral analyst must have good knowledge in applied behavior analysis, proficient report writing, and have comprehension in creating individualized education programs to help improve client behavior.
A Program Counselor is an essential part of a school's faculty. It's the counselor's responsibility to ensure that students are benefiting from the school's educational curriculum. This person is also tasked to help students resolve issues and problems that may hinder any educational progress. They are also part of the disciplinary team intended to instill good morals, ethics, and decency in students. The Program Counselor is one of the teacher or professor who has expertise or has a high educational degree in a particular subject or field.
Behavioral analysts and program counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Behavioral Analyst | Program Counselor | |
| Average salary | $69,468 | $43,820 |
| Salary range | Between $42,000 And $112,000 | Between $33,000 And $58,000 |
| Highest paying City | Portland, OR | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | New York |
| Best paying company | Therapy Source | Russell Sage College |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a behavioral analyst and a program counselor in terms of educational background:
| Behavioral Analyst | Program Counselor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between behavioral analysts' and program counselors' demographics:
| Behavioral Analyst | Program Counselor | |
| Average age | 39 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 38.4% Female, 61.6% | Male, 35.9% Female, 64.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 4.6% White, 63.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 3.2% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 15% |