How Much Do Behavior Specialists Make?
Having a clear understanding of earnings potential is important, especially if you are researching career paths or considering changing jobs. If you're one of those people, and you're curious what kind of salary behavior specialists make, you've come to the right place.
Using data from Lightcast,™ the Best Adult Colleges and Careers Guide has compiled rich information about salary for behavior specialists and related jobs, including details about average compensation, salary trends and job growth. We've also gathered advertised salaries from actual job postings to provide insight into what employers of behavior specialists are offering as compensation.
Keep reading to learn more about how much behavior specialists can expect to make in the United States.
At a Glance: Salary & Jobs for Behavior Specialists
According to data from 2023, there were about 74,995 positions for behavior specialists in the United States. In terms of salary, the national median salary for behavior specialists was reported to be $96,096. Additionally, when examining job demand, employers across the country posted 87,005 job postings related to positions for behavior specialists.
How Much Money Do Behavior Specialists Make?
Median salary is just one data point. To build a better understanding of how much money behavior specialists and related positions can expect to make in the United States, it can be helpful to look at the full range of compensation for those jobs.
Let's look more deeply at data that was reported to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for detail into the lowest and highest salary earnings for behavior specialists.
Annual Salary for Behavior Specialists
According to the BLS, the lowest earners for behavior specialists and related professions earned about $48,818 per year in 2023. Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum, the highest earners made about $168,875 annually.
As mentioned previously, the median salary for behavior specialists in the United States in 2023 was $96,096.
Annual Salary Range For Behavior Specialists In 2023
Hourly Salary for Behavior Specialists
The BLS also breaks down compensation for behavior specialists by hourly salary, and the median average hourly pay for behavior specialists in 2023 was $46. Lowest hourly earners took home $23 while the highest reported hourly salaries for behavior specialists was $81.
Hourly Salary Range For Behavior Specialists In 2023
Advertised Compensation for Behavior Specialists
Data from the BLS is one way to dig into compensation for behavior specialists, but another way to build a more real-time understanding of salary is to look at actual job postings and see what compensation organizations are currently providing to fill open positions for behavior specialists.
Keep in mind that salary data is not included in every job posting, so the information compiled here is reflective of the data available through Lightcast.™
Annual Salary from Job Postings for Behavior Specialists
Advertised Annual Salary
During a review of 29,656 job postings related to behavior specialists, advertised salary was included in 16,715 of them, which was 56%. Based on those postings, the median advertised salary for behavior specialists was $120,704 per year.
Hourly Salary from Job Postings for Behavior Specialists
Advertised Hourly Salary
A similar analysis of job postings provides insight into advertised hourly salary for behavior specialists. Based on 19% of postings with advertised compensation, the median hourly salary for open positions for behavior specialists in the United States is about $58.
Salary Trend for Behavior Specialists
If you're thinking about pursuing a career in the field, you may want to understand how compensation has changed over time for behavior specialists. The chart below provides a snapshot of advertised salaries over the past three years.
Based on compensation data that was included in job postings for behavior specialists dating back to September 2020, advertised salaries for behavior specialists have increased 15%.
Advertised Wage Trend For Behavior Specialists
What's the Job Growth for Behavior Specialists?
Another data point that someone thinking about a career path should consider is whether or not jobs are expected to see growth in the future. The chart below looks at projected employment for behavior specialists over the next 10 years.
According to the data obtained through Lightcast,™ there were 74,927 jobs for behavior specialists in the United States in 2023. By 2033, it is expected that about 13,344 jobs will be added. That's a 17.8% increase over the next 10-year period.
Employment Projections For Behavior Specialists
Additional Links
Ready to dig deeper into career information about behavior specialists? Visit our other pages focused on salary and education for behavior specialists.
What do behavior specialists do?
Behavior Specialists: How do you become one?
All Occupations
The Best Adult Colleges and Careers Guide has compiled data for dozens of in-demand jobs. Explore our full catalog of occupation data by visiting the link below.