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Job outlook for behavioral health technicians in the United States
Behavioral health technician job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected behavioral health technician job growth rate is 9% from 2018-2028.
About 12,500 new jobs for behavioral health technicians are projected over the next decade.
Behavioral health technician salaries have increased 13% for behavioral health technicians in the last 5 years.
There are over 47,666 behavioral health technicians currently employed in the United States.
There are 99,503 active behavioral health technician job openings in the US.
The average behavioral health technician salary is $34,611.
Are behavioral health technician jobs in demand?
Behavioral health technician job and salary trends over time
Behavioral health technician jobs over time
Behavioral health technician job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 47,666 | 0.01% |
| 2020 | 44,237 | 0.01% |
| 2019 | 41,243 | 0.01% |
| 2018 | 38,028 | 0.01% |
| 2017 | 35,805 | 0.01% |
Average behavioral health technician salary over time
Behavioral health technician salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $34,611 | $16.64 | +3.7% |
| 2024 | $33,376 | $16.05 | +2.8% |
| 2023 | $32,477 | $15.61 | +3.8% |
| 2022 | $31,291 | $15.04 | +2.3% |
| 2021 | $30,599 | $14.71 | --0.5% |
Behavioral health technician jobs by state
Most common states for behavioral health technicians
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 2,176 | 32% |
| 2 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 216 | 31% |
| 3 | Vermont | 623,657 | 185 | 30% |
| 4 | Indiana | 6,666,818 | 1,920 | 29% |
| 5 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 1,504 | 27% |
| 6 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 823 | 26% |
| 7 | Alaska | 739,795 | 196 | 26% |
| 8 | Wisconsin | 5,795,483 | 1,386 | 24% |
| 9 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 322 | 24% |
| 10 | Missouri | 6,113,532 | 1,403 | 23% |
| 11 | Delaware | 961,939 | 218 | 23% |
| 12 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 202 | 23% |
| 13 | North Carolina | 10,273,419 | 2,233 | 22% |
| 14 | Arkansas | 3,004,279 | 663 | 22% |
| 15 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 276 | 21% |
| 16 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 218 | 21% |
| 17 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 160 | 21% |
| 18 | Ohio | 11,658,609 | 2,330 | 20% |
| 19 | Michigan | 9,962,311 | 1,946 | 20% |
| 20 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 1,226 | 20% |
Most common cities for behavioral health technicians
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jackson | 9 | 27% | $31,416 |
| 2 | Harvey | 5 | 20% | $34,807 |
| 3 | Roswell | 9 | 10% | $31,374 |
| 4 | Avondale | 5 | 6% | $34,467 |
| 5 | Little Rock | 9 | 5% | $34,822 |
| 6 | Sioux Falls | 8 | 5% | $29,757 |
| 7 | Grand Rapids | 6 | 3% | $31,377 |
| 8 | Milwaukee | 9 | 2% | $29,982 |
| 9 | Saint Louis | 5 | 2% | $27,062 |
| 10 | Saint Petersburg | 5 | 2% | $28,618 |
| 11 | Phoenix | 17 | 1% | $34,367 |
| 12 | Tucson | 7 | 1% | $33,857 |
| 13 | Denver | 6 | 1% | $36,050 |
| 14 | Albuquerque | 5 | 1% | $29,125 |
| 15 | Fort Worth | 5 | 1% | $27,934 |
| 16 | Dallas | 6 | 0% | $27,858 |
Behavioral Health Technician job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of behavioral health technician experts
University of Alabama in Huntsville
American Massage Therapy Association
FSMTB - Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards
The University of Texas
Antioch University
Agnes Scott College
Dr. Nathan Tenhundfeld Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Human FactorsUniversity of Alabama in Huntsville
Psychology Department
What skills stand out on Behavioral Health Technician resumes?
Dr. Nathan Tenhundfeld Ph.D.: Strong analytical skills are a must. This includes both logic and reasoning skills, but also data analysis skills. For many jobs, the ability to collect and scientifically evaluate data will be vital, if not an absolute necessity. Similarly, a strong understanding of experimental methods can put a candidate in a great position to be able to help a company evaluate existing programs and chart a path forward for new ones. Finally, I would say that a strong ability to write is critical. Those graduates who are able to effectively and persuasively communicate in writing are setting themselves up for success at any company and allowing the company to leverage them for increasingly important tasks.
What soft skills should all Behavioral Health Technicians possess?
Dr. Nathan Tenhundfeld Ph.D.: Students need to be able to read individual and group dynamics in order to act appropriately in any given situation. This includes not only the interactions with one's bosses but also peers and subordinates. Similarly, being comfortable with networking can help any company, but networking skills shine through in interviews.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Behavioral Health Technicians?
Dr. Nathan Tenhundfeld Ph.D.: Technical skills like the ability to perform statistical analyses are critically important for most Psychology-related jobs. This allows a candidate to collect and analyze data but also to interpret and understand other existing data. A strong statistical background can also help set a candidate apart from their peers in the application process. This includes understanding when and how to use various parametric and nonparametric statistics to be able to answer questions regardless of the data one is working with.
What general advice would you give to a Behavioral Health Technician?
Ron Precht: Generally, metropolitan areas have had more openings for massage therapists. This is a report from the end of 2019 that has the most recent data we have available. Report
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Behavioral Health Technicians in the next 3-5 years?
Debra Persinger Ph.D.: -Simplified technology for the not-so-tech-savvy employees will be necessary to accommodate the span of generational employee demographics engaging in remote work.
-Employees will need to be adaptable - to learn and accommodate the rapid introduction of new and better technological efficiency tools.
-Controls will increase. Much like parental controls to monitor online activity, company restrictions will be implemented to prevent inappropriate online behaviors, accidental sharing, and training on basic etiquette and interpersonal communications.
-Technology that supports work and life activities - order groceries online, stress reduction apps - will demand.
-Time away from the screen will be necessary. Seems counterintuitive for a technology question. For example, I'm predicting that paper books will make a comeback - nobody wants to look at another screen for pleasure reading after working online all day.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Behavioral Health Technicians to find work opportunities?
Dr. Eva Moya Ph.D.: Absolutely. Social Workers are well-positioned to work in multiple sectors at the local, state, national, and international levels. From health care, gerontology, safety net, mental health and substance abuse, child and family, education, immigration, and criminal justice sectors.
Employment is usually based on the market, economics, needs, and value of social work. The place does matter.
Social workers are in schools, courts, hospitals, community-based organizations, federally qualified health centers, mental health clinics, shelters, transitional living facilities, detention facilities, academic settings, prisons, industry, political arena, palliative care, hospice, research, international organizations, immigrant and migrant centers, elderly care facilities, protective services, the child welfare system, counseling centers, health and human service organizations, environmental and public health venues.
Dr. Erica Holmes
Associate Program ChairAntioch University
Psychological Trauma Studies Specialization
How do you envision technology impacting Behavioral Health Technicians in the next 5 years?
Dr. Erica Holmes: The COVID19 crisis thrust many therapists into the world of telehealth. Many of whom, never imagined working with mental health clients over video-conferencing, and a large number were vehemently opposed to the idea. However, as the old saying goes, "Necessity is the mother of invention." With no other option, mental health practitioners and their governing licensing boards have been forced to move from the standard face-to-face delivery model to technology-based platforms, to continue providing much-needed services to their clients.
This has necessitated the development of HIPPA compliant software, adoption of new ethics and legal codes to protect client welfare, and a myriad of new protocols. I doubt that our field will ever completely return to operating the way we were trained, prior to the pandemic. I believe that our field will continue to have increased integration of technology in our standard operations to a much greater degree than any of us could have imagined at the beginning of this year. I foresee the use of teletherapy; electronic session note keeping, automated scheduling, using text messaging to communicate with clients, etc. will become standard practice over the next five years.
Jennifer Hughes Ph.D.
Professor and Chair of Psychology Associate Editor, Psi Chi Journal of Psychological ResearchAgnes Scott College
Department of Psychology
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Behavioral Health Technicians to find work opportunities?
Jennifer Hughes Ph.D.: Many of our psychology graduates go to graduate school, but those that do not, work for mental health facilities, not-for-profits, education, business consulting, etc. The pandemic is producing a mental health crisis in the United States, and those with psychology backgrounds will be needed more than ever.