How Much Do Behavioral Health Workers 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 workers 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 workers 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 workers are offering as compensation.
Keep reading to learn more about how much behavioral health workers can expect to make in the United States.
At a Glance: Salary & Jobs for Behavioral Health Workers
According to data from 2023, there were about 119,391 positions for behavioral health workers in the United States. In terms of salary, the national median salary for behavioral health workers was reported to be $55,952. Additionally, when examining job demand, employers across the country posted 109,377 job postings related to positions for behavioral health workers.
How Much Money Do Behavioral Health Workers Make?
Median salary is just one data point. To build a better understanding of how much money behavioral health workers 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 workers.
Annual Salary for Behavioral Health Workers
According to the BLS, the lowest earners for behavioral health workers and related professions earned about $37,149 per year in 2023. Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum, the highest earners made about $100,090 annually.
As mentioned previously, the median salary for behavioral health workers in the United States in 2023 was $55,952.
Annual Salary Range For Behavioral Health Workers In 2023
Hourly Salary for Behavioral Health Workers
The BLS also breaks down compensation for behavioral health workers by hourly salary, and the median average hourly pay for behavioral health workers in 2023 was $27. Lowest hourly earners took home $18 while the highest reported hourly salaries for behavioral health workers was $48.
Hourly Salary Range For Behavioral Health Workers In 2023
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Advertised Compensation for Behavioral Health Workers
Data from the BLS is one way to dig into compensation for behavioral health workers, 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 workers.
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 Workers
Advertised Annual Salary
During a review of 67,835 job postings related to behavioral health workers, advertised salary was included in 30,059 of them, which was 44%. Based on those postings, the median advertised salary for behavioral health workers was $64,384 per year.
Hourly Salary from Job Postings for Behavioral Health Workers
Advertised Hourly Salary
A similar analysis of job postings provides insight into advertised hourly salary for behavioral health workers. Based on 27% of postings with advertised compensation, the median hourly salary for open positions for behavioral health workers in the United States is about $31.
Salary Trend for Behavioral Health Workers
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 workers. 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 workers dating back to September 2020, advertised salaries for behavioral health workers have increased 29%.
Advertised Wage Trend For Behavioral Health Workers
What's the Job Growth for Behavioral Health Workers?
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 workers over the next 10 years.
According to the data obtained through Lightcast,™ there were 119,474 jobs for behavioral health workers in the United States in 2023. By 2033, it is expected that about 18,860 jobs will be added. That's a 15.8% increase over the next 10-year period.
Employment Projections For Behavioral Health Workers
Additional Links
Ready to dig deeper into career information about behavioral health workers? Visit our other pages focused on salary and education for behavioral health workers.
What do behavioral health workers do?
Behavioral Health Workers: How do you become one?
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