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Behavior analyst salary
Average behavior analyst salary
$73,616
Understanding Behavior Analyst Salaries
As of October 2025, Behavior Analysts earn an average salary of $73,616 annually. This figure can differ based on various factors, including geographic location, years of experience, and the specific field of employment. For instance, Behavior Analysts working in higher-paying states like California and New York often see significantly higher salaries compared to their peers in other regions.
Factors Influencing Salaries
Experience plays a critical role in salary levels. Entry-level positions may start around $50,000, while experienced analysts can earn over $90,000 annually, especially in specialized roles or management positions. Additionally, industry choice matters; those employed in healthcare and education typically report higher salaries than those in non-profit organizations.
Opportunities for Growth
To maximize earning potential, analysts can pursue certifications or advanced degrees in psychology or behavior analysis, which can lead to higher-paying roles. Networking within professional organizations can also open doors to lucrative opportunities and provide insights into emerging trends in the field.
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Where can a Behavior Analyst earn more?
Behavior analyst salary estimates from across the web
Average behavior analyst salary by state
The highest-paying states for behavior analysts are Alaska, Connecticut, and California. The lowest average behavior analyst salary states are Montana, Maine, and Michigan.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for behavior analysts
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | $99,394 | $47.79 |
| 2 | Connecticut | $89,701 | $43.13 |
| 3 | Arizona | $83,358 | $40.08 |
| 4 | New York | $89,166 | $42.87 |
| 5 | Delaware | $84,171 | $40.47 |
| 6 | California | $89,178 | $42.87 |
| 7 | Nevada | $85,975 | $41.33 |
| 8 | Wisconsin | $79,843 | $38.39 |
| 9 | Kentucky | $85,563 | $41.14 |
| 10 | Mississippi | $87,906 | $42.26 |
| 11 | Indiana | $80,752 | $38.82 |
| 12 | Rhode Island | $83,597 | $40.19 |
| 13 | Alabama | $79,876 | $38.40 |
| 14 | District of Columbia | $83,754 | $40.27 |
| 15 | Arkansas | $77,688 | $37.35 |
| 16 | Massachusetts | $80,280 | $38.60 |
| 17 | Texas | $79,787 | $38.36 |
| 18 | West Virginia | $80,820 | $38.86 |
| 19 | Georgia | $78,443 | $37.71 |
| 20 | Washington | $84,832 | $40.78 |
| 21 | Maryland | $80,174 | $38.55 |
| 22 | Vermont | $81,617 | $39.24 |
| 23 | New Jersey | $81,883 | $39.37 |
| 24 | Pennsylvania | $78,525 | $37.75 |
| 25 | Virginia | $78,200 | $37.60 |
| 26 | Idaho | $78,258 | $37.62 |
| 27 | New Mexico | $80,705 | $38.80 |
| 28 | Illinois | $77,764 | $37.39 |
| 29 | Oklahoma | $79,292 | $38.12 |
| 30 | Tennessee | $74,267 | $35.71 |
| 31 | Hawaii | $74,136 | $35.64 |
| 32 | Kansas | $75,550 | $36.32 |
| 33 | North Dakota | $73,175 | $35.18 |
| 34 | Utah | $71,808 | $34.52 |
| 35 | Florida | $74,125 | $35.64 |
| 36 | New Hampshire | $77,228 | $37.13 |
| 37 | Colorado | $72,734 | $34.97 |
| 38 | Ohio | $71,629 | $34.44 |
| 39 | Oregon | $74,987 | $36.05 |
| 40 | Louisiana | $71,564 | $34.41 |
| 41 | Michigan | $66,730 | $32.08 |
| 42 | Wyoming | $71,922 | $34.58 |
| 43 | Missouri | $69,111 | $33.23 |
| 44 | Minnesota | $68,654 | $33.01 |
| 45 | South Carolina | $71,187 | $34.22 |
| 46 | South Dakota | $68,643 | $33.00 |
| 47 | Montana | $68,628 | $32.99 |
| 48 | North Carolina | $65,949 | $31.71 |
| 49 | Iowa | $64,219 | $30.87 |
| 50 | Maine | $67,697 | $32.55 |
| 51 | Nebraska | $63,248 | $30.41 |
Highest paying cities for behavior analysts
The highest-paying cities for behavior analysts are San Francisco, CA, New Haven, CT, and New York, NY.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $93,846 | $45.12 |
| 2 | New Haven, CT | $89,883 | $43.21 |
| 3 | New York, NY | $89,412 | $42.99 |
| 4 | Las Vegas, NV | $85,353 | $41.04 |
| 5 | Phoenix, AZ | $83,427 | $40.11 |
| 6 | Springfield, MA | $80,872 | $38.88 |
| 7 | San Antonio, TX | $80,352 | $38.63 |
| 8 | Baltimore, MD | $80,248 | $38.58 |
| 9 | Oklahoma City, OK | $79,408 | $38.18 |
| 10 | Philadelphia, PA | $78,890 | $37.93 |
| 11 | Virginia Beach, VA | $78,500 | $37.74 |
| 12 | Columbus, GA | $78,476 | $37.73 |
| 13 | Chicago, IL | $77,910 | $37.46 |
| 14 | Kansas City, KS | $75,610 | $36.35 |
| 15 | Tampa, FL | $75,132 | $36.12 |
| 16 | Knoxville, TN | $74,767 | $35.95 |
| 17 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $74,152 | $35.65 |
| 18 | Colorado Springs, CO | $72,868 | $35.03 |
| 19 | Ogden, UT | $71,731 | $34.49 |
| 20 | Saint Louis, MO | $69,555 | $33.44 |
Behavior Analysts are the most in-demand in these five cities:
Behavior analyst salary details
A behavior analyst's salary ranges from $51,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $105,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a behavior analyst's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $105,000 | $8,750 | $50 |
| 75th Percentile | $89,000 | $7,417 | $43 |
| Average | $73,616 | $6,135 | $35 |
| 25th Percentile | $60,000 | $5,000 | $29 |
| 10th Percentile | $51,000 | $4,250 | $25 |
Highest paying behavior analyst jobs
The highest paying types of behavior analysts are analyst, licensed social worker, and social worker.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Program Counselor | $43,820 | $3,652 | $21.07 | 133,491 |
| Family Counselor | $41,510 | $3,459 | $19.96 | 93,253 |
| Community Health Counselor | $43,304 | $3,609 | $20.82 | 131,804 |
| Social Worker | $50,102 | $4,175 | $24.09 | 77,340 |
| Licensed Social Worker | $57,005 | $4,750 | $27.41 | 66,130 |
| Case Worker | $41,459 | $3,455 | $19.93 | 107,329 |
Top companies hiring behavior analysts now:
Which companies pay behavior analysts the most?
Behavior analyst salaries at Empower U and UofL Hospital are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average behavior analyst salary at companies like Maxim Healthcare Group and St. Mary's Health Care System are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Empower U | $92,219 | $44.34 |
| 2 | UofL Hospital | $89,065 | $42.82 |
| 3 | Maxim Healthcare Group | $88,450 | $42.52 |
| 4 | St. Mary's Health Care System | $86,511 | $41.59 |
| 5 | Halifax Health | $84,977 | $40.85 |
| 6 | Careerstaff Unlimited - A Genesis Healthcare Company | $84,754 | $40.75 |
| 7 | Epic Health Services | $84,546 | $40.65 |
| 8 | Woods Services | $83,768 | $40.27 |
| 9 | Edward Jones | $83,559 | $40.17 |
| 10 | Unm Medical Group, Inc. | $83,093 | $39.95 |
| 11 | Constellation Health Services | $82,266 | $39.55 |
| 12 | Health Connect America | $81,306 | $39.09 |
| 13 | Chime | $81,060 | $38.97 |
| 14 | Horace Mann | $79,582 | $38.26 |
| 15 | Soliant | $79,278 | $38.11 |
| 16 | National Mentor Holdings Inc. | $78,616 | $37.80 |
| 17 | THERAPY SOLUTIONS | $78,309 | $37.65 |
| 18 | Humanim | $78,201 | $37.60 |
| 19 | West Virginia University | $77,857 | $37.43 |
| 20 | Mercy Children's Hospital | $77,469 | $37.24 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Behavior Analyst salary by industry
The average behavior analyst salary varies across industries:
- The average behavior analyst salary in the government industry is $75,181, the highest of any industry.
- The average behavior analyst salary in the finance industry is $73,873.
- Behavior analysts in the education industry earn an average salary of $66,678, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for behavior analysts
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Government | $75,181 | $36.14 |
| 2 | Professional | $73,873 | $35.52 |
| 3 | Health Care | $72,859 | $35.03 |
| 4 | Education | $66,678 | $32.06 |
High paying behavior analyst jobs
Behavior analyst salary trends
The average behavior analyst salary has risen by $11,018 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average behavior analyst earned $62,598 annually, but today, they earn $73,616 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for behavior analysts over the last decade.
Compare behavior analyst salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average behavior analyst salary over time
Compare behavior analyst salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Behavior analyst salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $73,600 | $35.39 | +3.0% |
| 2024 | $71,400 | $34.32 | +2.4% |
| 2023 | $69,700 | $33.50 | +2.4% |
| 2022 | $68,000 | $32.68 | +1.9% |
| 2021 | $66,700 | $32.05 | +2.7% |
Recently added behavior analyst salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State of Illinois | Behavior Analyst Associate | Centralia, IL | 06/30/2025 | $61,776 |
| Lighthouse Autism Center | Behavior Analyst (Bcba) | Salem, OR | 06/30/2025 | $110,000 |
| Behavioral Health Link | Board-Certified Behavior Analyst | Corpus Christi, TX | 06/30/2025 | $80,000 |
| ABA Pathways Inc. | Board Certified Behavior Analyst (Bcba) | Ann Arbor, MI | 06/30/2025 | $70,000 |
| Centria | Center-Based Board Certified Behavior Analyst (Bcba) | Albuquerque, NM | 06/29/2025 | $85,000 |
| Centria | Board Certified Behavior Analyst (Bcba, Supervising Clinician) | Lawrence, IN | 06/29/2025 | $75,000 |
| Res-Care, Inc. | Board Certified Behavior Analyst/Bcba | Jacksonville, FL | 06/29/2025 | $135,655 |
| Circles of Care | Bcba (Board Certified Behavior Analyst): | Baltimore, MD | 06/29/2025 | $85,000 |
| Circles of Care | Bcba (Board Certified Behavior Analyst) : | Midvale, UT | 06/29/2025 | $80,000 |
| Brightstone | Board Certified Behavior Analyst (Bcba) | McDonough, GA | 06/29/2025 | $90,000 |
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