Behavioral therapists employed in the United States generally earn salaries in the range from $25,162 to $46,590 a year including bonuses based on the salary information reported by Payscale.
Behavioral therapists’ annual salary can vary considerably from industry to industry. For example, therapists working in behavior intervention services typically report earning a yearly income in the range from $29,697 to $42,000 while professionals who work in autism therapy generally earn an annual pay in the range from $35,375 to $50,076 based on Payscale’s salary data.
The most popular skills among behavior therapists, as reported by Payscale, include counseling, data analysis, clinical supervision, and clinical psychology.
The most popular certifications among these professionals include Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Crisis Prevention Intervention (CPI) Certification, Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW), Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC), Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst (BCABA), and Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC).
Salary range
Based on the salary data provided by Salary Expert and Simply Hired, behavioral therapists typically earn salaries in the range from $38,000 to $72,000 a year. Behavioral therapists’ annual salary depends on a wide range of factors, including work experience. For example, therapists with 1 to 4 years of experience typically earn salaries in the range from $27,990 to $45,725 a year and professionals with 5 to 9 years of work experience under their belt are generally paid between $23,583 and $49,682 annually according to the salary data provided by Payscale.
Therapists working for companies or organizations that employ between 1 and 9 people generally earn between $31,000 and $35,159 a year. Therapists with a bachelor’s degree generally report earning an income in the range from $28,883 to $39,500 a year.
Salaries can also vary depending on the type of employer. Behavior therapists employed by companies generally earn between $24,511 and $61,659 a year and those working for private practices and firms usually make between $29,890 and $40,000 annually based on the salary statistics reported by Payscale.
Average salary
The average salary for behavior therapists working in the United States is $33,428 a year based on Payscale’s salary data and $47,000 a year according to the salary figures reported by Indeed.
Starting salary
Behavioral therapists with less than a year of experience on the job generally make between $11.53 and $16.53 per hour.
Hourly rate
Behavioral therapists typically earn between $12.03 and $20.76 per hour, with overtime rates in the range from $0 to $35.23 per hour according to Payscale’s salary data.
The hourly rate for behavioral therapists working in the U.S. can vary depending on a number of factors, including work experience. For example, therapists with 1 to 4 years of professional experience typically earn an hourly pay in the range from $11.33 to $20.68 and those with 5 to 9 years of experience generally make between $13.40 and $22.36 per hour based on Payscale’s salary data.
The hourly salary can also vary from state to state. For instance, behavioral therapists employed in California generally earn between $12.33 and $20.30 per hour, those based in Florida are usually paid between $11.19 and $18.38 per hour, and therapists working in Minnesota typically report earning an hourly wage in the range from $11.88 to $16.50 based on Payscale’s salary figures.
Behavioral therapists with the qualification on Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) generally earn an hourly salary in the range from $16 to $20.95. Therapists with a bachelor’s degree generally make between $11.84 and $19.87 per hour, those with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Psychology are typically paid between $11.84 and $20.88 per hour, and professionals with a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Psychology usually earn an hourly wage in the range from $11.50 to $16.54 according to Payscale.
Women generally make between $13.02 and $21.66 per hour and men are typically paid between $11.07 and $21.85 per hour.
The hourly rate for these professionals also varies from industry to industry. Behavioral therapists employed in behavior intervention services usually earn an hourly wage in the range from $12.72 to $21.14, those working in autism therapy are generally paid between $11.53 and $19.40 per hour, and professionals employed at community mental health centers earn an hourly pay in the range from $13.95 to $15.53 based on Payscale’s data.
Behavioral therapists’ hourly salary can also vary depending on the size of the organization that employs them. Therapists working for organizations with 1 to 9 employees generally make between $16.25 and $20.35 per hour and those working for organizations that employ between 10 and 49 people are usually paid between $12.21 and $17.14 per hour. Behavior therapists working for organizations with 50 to 199 employees generally earn an hourly salary in the range from $16 to $20 and those working for organizations with 200 to 599 employees typically earn between $14.50 and $19.35 per hour according to Payscale’s salary statistics.
In terms of employer type, behavioral therapists employed by companies generally make between $12.69 and $20.48 per hour and those employed by non-profit organizations are usually paid an hourly wage in the range from $12.08 to $20.43. Therapists working for private practices and firms make between $11.74 and $23.15 per hour and those working for other organizations usually earn an hourly pay in the range from $11 to $15.48 based on Payscale’s salary figures.
Salary by state
Behavioral therapists’ yearly income can vary from state to state. For instance, therapists employed in California generally report earning an annual pay in the range from $30,000 to $47,841, which is slightly above the overall average for the U.S.
Based on the salary information provided by Indeed, behavior therapists based in California earn $51,000 a year on average, those employed in New York are paid around $57,000 a year, and professionals working in Texas earn an average annual salary of $46,000.
Therapists employed in Illinois earn $52,000 a year on average, those based in Pennsylvania and Florida are paid $44,000 a year on average, and professionals working in Arizona earn a median annual pay of $40,000.
Behavior therapists working in Montana make around $45,000 annually, those based in Michigan are paid $47,000 annually on average, and professionals employed in Massachusetts earn an average yearly salary of $56,000 according to Indeed’s data.
Salary by city
Behavior therapists’ salaries also vary from city to city. Therapists based in New York earn around $61,000 a year, those employed in Los Angeles are paid $48,000 a year on average, and professionals working in Houston earn an average annual salary of $50,000.
Therapists employed in Dallas make $46,000 a year on average, those based in Miami and Denver are paid $43,000 a year on average, and professionals working in Chicago earn a median annual pay of $53,000. Behavior therapists in Atlanta and Boston make around $56,000 a year, those based in San Diego are paid around $46,000 annually and professionals working in Austin earn an average salary of $42,000 a year according to the salary data provided by Indeed.
Behavior therapists employed in Detroit and Baltimore earn $47,000 a year on average, those working in Phoenix are paid around $38,000 a year and professionals working in San Francisco earn an average annual pay of $61,000. Therapists in New Orleans and Memphis make $41,000 a year on average, those working in Seattle are paid $48,000 a year on average, and professionals employed in Indianapolis earn an average yearly income of $39,000 based on Indeed’s salary data.
Benefits
Behavior therapists typically get a wide range of perks and benefits along with their annual salary and bonuses. These professionals’ benefits packages can sometimes reflect their yearly income.
Behavioral therapists who have 401(k) plans as part of their benefits package generally earn salaries in the range from $29,536 to $48,000 a year and those who are allowed to dress casually at work are usually paid between $30,491 and $48,000 a year. Therapists who have paid vacations and holidays report earning an annual income in the range from $29,479 to $44,219 and those who have paid sick leave are generally paid between $29,953 and $45,000 annually based on Payscale’s salary data.
The most popular perks and benefits among behavior therapists are 401(k) plans, paid vacation, paid sick leave, casual dress and atmosphere at work, reimbursement for education, training, tuition, and certification, life and disabillity insurance, and flexible work schedule.