How Much Do Behavioral Health 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 behavioral health 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 behavioral health 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 behavioral health specialists are offering as compensation.
Keep reading to learn more about how much behavioral health specialists can expect to make in the United States.
At a Glance: Salary & Jobs for Behavioral Health Specialists
According to data from 2022, there were about 65,053 positions for behavioral health specialists in the United States. In terms of salary, the national median salary for behavioral health specialists was reported to be $90,126. Additionally, when examining job demand, employers across the country posted 71,346 job postings related to positions for behavioral health specialists.
How Much Money Do Behavioral Health Specialists Make?
Median salary is just one data point. To build a better understanding of how much money behavioral health 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 behavioral health specialists.
Annual Salary for Behavioral Health Specialists
According to the BLS, the lowest earners for behavioral health specialists and related professions earned about $42,765 per year in 2022. Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum, the highest earners made about $168,792 annually.
As mentioned previously, the median salary for behavioral health specialists in the United States in 2022 was $90,126.
Annual Salary Range For Behavioral Health Specialists In 2022
Hourly Salary for Behavioral Health Specialists
The BLS also breaks down compensation for behavioral health specialists by hourly salary, and the median average hourly pay for behavioral health specialists in 2022 was $43. Lowest hourly earners took home $21 while the highest reported hourly salaries for behavioral health specialists was $81.
Hourly Salary Range For Behavioral Health Specialists In 2022
Advertised Compensation for Behavioral Health Specialists
Data from the BLS is one way to dig into compensation for behavioral health 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 behavioral health 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 Behavioral Health Specialists
Advertised Annual Salary
During a review of 47,365 job postings related to behavioral health specialists, advertised salary was included in 19,566 of them, which was 41%. Based on those postings, the median advertised salary for behavioral health specialists was $104,320 per year.
Hourly Salary from Job Postings for Behavioral Health Specialists
Advertised Hourly Salary
A similar analysis of job postings provides insight into advertised hourly salary for behavioral health specialists. Based on 27% of postings with advertised compensation, the median hourly salary for open positions for behavioral health specialists in the United States is about $50.
Salary Trend for Behavioral Health Specialists
If you're thinking about pursuing a career in the field, you may want to understand how compensation has changed over time for behavioral health 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 behavioral health specialists dating back to September 2019, advertised salaries for behavioral health specialists have increased 17%.
Advertised Wage Trend For Behavioral Health Specialists
What's the Job Growth for Behavioral Health 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 behavioral health specialists over the next 10 years.
According to the data obtained through Lightcast,™ there were 65,122 jobs for behavioral health specialists in the United States in 2022. By 2032, it is expected that about 12,895 jobs will be added. That's a 19.8% increase over the next 10-year period.
Employment Projections For Behavioral Health Specialists
Additional Links
Ready to dig deeper into career information about behavioral health specialists? Visit our other pages focused on salary and education for behavioral health specialists.
What do behavioral health specialists do?
Behavioral Health Specialists: How do you become one?
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