Behavioral Health Specialist Salary
Updated April 6, 2023
Behavioral Health Specialist Salary Estimate
$44,808
$21.54 hourly
Entry level Salary
$29,000 yearlyHow much does a Behavioral Health Specialist make?
The average salary for a behavioral health specialist in the United States is $44,808. Behavioral health specialist salaries typically range between $29,000 and $66,000 a year. The average hourly rate for behavioral health specialists is $21.54 per hour.
Location, education, and experience impacts how much a behavioral health specialist can expect to make. Behavioral health specialists make the most in Alaska, New Jersey, California, Nevada, and Washington.
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The average salary for a behavioral health specialist is $44,808 in the US. -
The average behavioral health specialist salary ranges between $29,000 and $66,000 in the US. -
Hourly rates for behavioral health specialists in the US typically range between $13 and $31 an hour. -
The average behavioral health specialist salary is $70,214 in Alaska, $67,324 in New Jersey, and $62,706 in California. These are the three highest-paying states for behavioral health specialists in the US. -
Maxim Healthcare Group has the highest average salary for behavioral health specialists. -
Insurance is the highest-paying industry for behavioral health specialists in the US.
Highest Paying States For Behavioral Health Specialists
- State View
- County View
Average Salary:
Behavioral Health Specialist average salary by State
| Rank | State | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $62,706 | $30.15 | 6,562 |
| 2 | Nevada | $61,974 | $29.80 | 414 |
| 3 | North Dakota | $56,730 | $27.27 | 202 |
| 4 | Washington | $60,507 | $29.09 | 1,392 |
| 5 | Minnesota | $51,875 | $24.94 | 1,586 |
| 6 | New York | $58,637 | $28.19 | 2,448 |
| 7 | New Jersey | $67,324 | $32.37 | 1,161 |
| 8 | Vermont | $51,091 | $24.56 | 196 |
| 9 | New Hampshire | $58,063 | $27.91 | 312 |
| 10 | Idaho | $49,683 | $23.89 | 406 |
| 11 | Oregon | $59,324 | $28.52 | 698 |
| 12 | Alaska | $70,214 | $33.76 | |
| 13 | Connecticut | $55,553 | $26.71 | 630 |
| 14 | Hawaii | $57,670 | $27.73 | 220 |
| 15 | Maine | $48,059 | $23.11 | 353 |
| 16 | New Mexico | $53,620 | $25.78 | 345 |
| 17 | Michigan | $45,901 | $22.07 | 2,083 |
| 18 | Colorado | $50,872 | $24.46 | 1,167 |
| 19 | District of Columbia | $56,350 | $27.09 | 294 |
| 20 | Kentucky | $45,542 | $21.90 | 754 |
| 21 | Montana | $49,080 | $23.60 | 217 |
| 22 | Delaware | $53,342 | $25.65 | |
| 23 | Rhode Island | $47,789 | $22.98 | 235 |
| 24 | South Dakota | $45,908 | $22.07 | 210 |
| 25 | Maryland | $45,623 | $21.93 | 1,712 |
| 26 | Wyoming | $45,510 | $21.88 | 118 |
| 27 | North Carolina | $43,429 | $20.88 | 2,186 |
| 28 | Virginia | $48,929 | $23.52 | 1,741 |
| 29 | Illinois | $49,551 | $23.82 | 1,817 |
| 30 | Wisconsin | $43,489 | $20.91 | 1,170 |
| 31 | Texas | $44,181 | $21.24 | 3,850 |
| 32 | Iowa | $40,587 | $19.51 | 848 |
| 33 | Oklahoma | $40,261 | $19.36 | 730 |
| 34 | Utah | $44,118 | $21.21 | 569 |
| 35 | Pennsylvania | $41,615 | $20.01 | 2,324 |
| 36 | Missouri | $41,706 | $20.05 | 1,271 |
| 37 | Louisiana | $40,144 | $19.30 | 733 |
| 38 | Ohio | $39,443 | $18.96 | 2,389 |
| 39 | Kansas | $41,079 | $19.75 | 557 |
| 40 | Arizona | $37,339 | $17.95 | 1,518 |
| 41 | Nebraska | $38,020 | $18.28 | 483 |
| 42 | Indiana | $41,441 | $19.92 | |
| 43 | Massachusetts | $40,973 | $19.70 | |
| 44 | Mississippi | $35,810 | $17.22 | 400 |
| 45 | Alabama | $37,562 | $18.06 | |
| 46 | Tennessee | $36,075 | $17.34 | 738 |
| 47 | West Virginia | $36,032 | $17.32 | 188 |
| 48 | Florida | $36,901 | $17.74 | 2,533 |
| 49 | South Carolina | $36,117 | $17.36 | 638 |
| 50 | Georgia | $34,078 | $16.38 | 1,486 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $29,099 | $13.99 |
Highest Paying Cities For Behavioral Health Specialists
| Rank | City | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anchorage, AK | $70,013 | $33.66 | 5 |
| 2 | Santa Rosa, CA | $66,488 | $31.97 | 3 |
| 3 | Seattle, WA | $61,339 | $29.49 | 7 |
| 4 | Portland, OR | $59,479 | $28.60 | 6 |
| 5 | New York, NY | $58,846 | $28.29 | 21 |
| 6 | Concord, NH | $57,544 | $27.67 | 1 |
| 7 | Minneapolis, MN | $51,857 | $24.93 | |
| 8 | Grand Junction, CO | $51,585 | $24.80 | |
| 9 | Hoffman Estates, IL | $49,738 | $23.91 | |
| 10 | East Providence, RI | $47,720 | $22.94 | 7 |
| 11 | Baltimore, MD | $45,917 | $22.08 | 5 |
| 12 | Austin, TX | $44,388 | $21.34 | 6 |
| 13 | Ogden, UT | $44,186 | $21.24 | 1 |
| 14 | Madison, WI | $43,416 | $20.87 | 3 |
| 15 | Allentown, PA | $42,055 | $20.22 | 6 |
Behavioral Health Specialist Salary by Years of Experience
Behavioral Health Specialists Salary Details
What is a Behavioral Health Specialist's Salary?
| Percentile | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $66,000 | $5,500 | $32 |
| 75th Percentile | $55,000 | $4,583 | $26 |
| Average | $44,808 | $3,734 | $22 |
| 25th Percentile | $36,000 | $3,000 | $17 |
| 10th Percentile | $29,000 | $2,417 | $14 |
Highest Paying Types of Behavioral Health Specialists
| Job Title | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Licensed Social Worker | $57,005 | $4,750 | $27.41 | 66,130 |
| Community Health Counselor | $43,304 | $3,609 | $20.82 | 131,804 |
| Mental Health Worker | $41,081 | $3,423 | $19.75 | 144,879 |
| Mental Health Counselor | $49,471 | $4,123 | $23.78 | 110,752 |
| Mental Health Professional | $49,119 | $4,093 | $23.61 | 109,499 |
| Mental Health Therapist | $50,259 | $4,188 | $24.16 | 114,386 |
Here are the five companies hiring the most now:
Which Companies Pay Behavioral Health Specialists The Most?
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maxim Healthcare Group | $75,572 | $36.33 | 242 |
| 2 | GPAC | $65,048 | $31.27 | 2 |
| 3 | New York University | $64,273 | $30.90 | 4 |
| 4 | Catholic Health East | $62,881 | $30.23 | 20 |
| 5 | Chesapeake Regional Healthcare | $61,202 | $29.42 | |
| 6 | UC Merced | $59,170 | $28.45 | |
| 7 | VIVA USA | $58,829 | $28.28 | |
| 8 | Prime Healthcare | $57,563 | $27.67 | 59 |
| 9 | Deschutes County | $57,533 | $27.66 | 12 |
| 10 | Centene | $57,251 | $27.52 | 53 |
| 11 | LifePoint Health | $56,743 | $27.28 | 86 |
| 12 | HealthTrust | $56,697 | $27.26 | 128 |
| 13 | Hca Hospital Services Of San Diego | $56,175 | $27.01 | 1 |
| 14 | Lake County | $55,687 | $26.77 | 25 |
| 15 | Washington State University | $55,202 | $26.54 | |
| 16 | Baylor Scott & White Health | $54,985 | $26.44 | 8 |
| 17 | AdventHealth | $53,978 | $25.95 | 55 |
| 18 | Evolent Health | $53,971 | $25.95 | 4 |
| 19 | CareOregon | $53,938 | $25.93 | 5 |
| 20 | The Road Home | $53,658 | $25.80 | 9 |
How Much Do Behavioral Health Specialists Make In Different Industries?
Behavioral health specialist salaries can vary depending on the industry. In fact, our data shows that the insurance, government, and professional industries tend to offer much higher salaries for behavioral health specialists. For example, behavioral health specialists make a whopping average salary of $53,632 while working in the insurance industry. Meanwhile, other people in this field are making $51,375 in the government industry and $45,068 in the professional industry.
Behavioral health specialists may want to avoid working in the health care industry as it offers the lowest average salary of $42,202.
Highest Paying Industries For Behavioral Health Specialists
| Rank | Industry | Average Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Insurance | $53,632 | $25.78 |
| 2 | Government | $51,375 | $24.70 |
| 3 | Professional | $45,068 | $21.67 |
| 4 | Non Profits | $43,324 | $20.83 |
| 5 | Health Care | $42,202 | $20.29 |
High Paying Behavioral Health Specialist Jobs
Behavioral Health Specialist Pay Trends
Average Behavioral Health Specialist Salary Over Time
Compare salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Behavioral Health Specialist Salary By Year
| Year | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | $44,800 | $21.54 | +4.2% |
| 2022 | $42,900 | $20.63 | +3.9% |
| 2021 | $41,200 | $19.83 | +3.5% |
| 2020 | $39,800 | $19.12 | +1.3% |
| 2019 | $39,300 | $18.88 | +1.2% |
Recently Added Behavioral Health Specialist Salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date Added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State of Mississippi | Behavioral Health Specialist I | Jackson, MS | 05/01/2023 | $36,624 |
| Ak Child & Family | Community Programs Behavioral Health Specialist | Anchorage, AK | 05/01/2023 | $35,479 |
| Catholic Community Services of | FBH Behavioral Health Specialist | Portland, OR | 04/30/2023 | $46,081 |
| Catholic Community Services of | Behavioral Health Specialist (Internal Title: FBH Clinical Care Coordinator) | University Place, WA | 04/30/2023 | $60,502 |
| State of Oregon | Behavioral Health Specialist 2, Qualified Mental Health Professional | Salem, OR | 04/29/2023 | $64,776 |
| Coda | Behavioral Health Specialist | Hillsboro, OR | 04/29/2023 | $46,405 |
| Fairfax County Sheriff's Office | ACT Behavioral Health Specialist II | Fairfax, VA | 04/29/2023 | $65,748 |
| County of Fairfax | ACT Behavioral Health Specialist II | Fairfax, VA | 04/29/2023 | $65,748 |
| MHM Services, Inc. | Behavioral Health Specialist | Pendleton, IN | 04/28/2023 | $41,740 |
| Keystone Human Services | Autism-Behavioral Health Specialist-Home and Community | Lancaster, PA | 04/27/2023 | $57,000 |
Behavioral Health Specialist Salaries FAQs
What State Pays Behavioral Health Specialists The Most?
Alaska pays Behavioral Health Specialists the most in the United States, with an average salary of $70,214 per year, or $33.76 per hour.
How Do I Know If I'm Being Paid Fairly As A Behavioral Health Specialist?
You know if you are being paid fairly as a Behavioral Health Specialist if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in New Jersey you should be paid close to $67,324 per year.
Have more questions? See all answers to common community and social services questions.
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