How Much Do Behavioral Health Therapists 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 therapists 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 therapists 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 therapists are offering as compensation.
Keep reading to learn more about how much behavioral health therapists can expect to make in the United States.
At a Glance: Salary & Jobs for Behavioral Health Therapists
According to data from 2023, there were about 415,317 positions for behavioral health therapists in the United States. In terms of salary, the national median salary for behavioral health therapists was reported to be $53,706. Additionally, when examining job demand, employers across the country posted 371,698 job postings related to positions for behavioral health therapists.
How Much Money Do Behavioral Health Therapists Make?
Median salary is just one data point. To build a better understanding of how much money behavioral health therapists 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 therapists.
Annual Salary for Behavioral Health Therapists
According to the BLS, the lowest earners for behavioral health therapists and related professions earned about $36,712 per year in 2023. Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum, the highest earners made about $89,918 annually.
As mentioned previously, the median salary for behavioral health therapists in the United States in 2023 was $53,706.
Annual Salary Range For Behavioral Health Therapists In 2023
Hourly Salary for Behavioral Health Therapists
The BLS also breaks down compensation for behavioral health therapists by hourly salary, and the median average hourly pay for behavioral health therapists in 2023 was $26. Lowest hourly earners took home $18 while the highest reported hourly salaries for behavioral health therapists was $43.
Hourly Salary Range For Behavioral Health Therapists In 2023
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Advertised Compensation for Behavioral Health Therapists
Data from the BLS is one way to dig into compensation for behavioral health therapists, 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 therapists.
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 Therapists
Advertised Annual Salary
During a review of 125,831 job postings related to behavioral health therapists, advertised salary was included in 71,789 of them, which was 57%. Based on those postings, the median advertised salary for behavioral health therapists was $64,384 per year.
Hourly Salary from Job Postings for Behavioral Health Therapists
Advertised Hourly Salary
A similar analysis of job postings provides insight into advertised hourly salary for behavioral health therapists. Based on 19% of postings with advertised compensation, the median hourly salary for open positions for behavioral health therapists in the United States is about $31.
Salary Trend for Behavioral Health Therapists
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 therapists. 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 therapists dating back to September 2020, advertised salaries for behavioral health therapists have increased 22%.
Advertised Wage Trend For Behavioral Health Therapists
What's the Job Growth for Behavioral Health Therapists?
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 therapists over the next 10 years.
According to the data obtained through Lightcast,™ there were 414,774 jobs for behavioral health therapists in the United States in 2023. By 2033, it is expected that about 92,584 jobs will be added. That's a 22.3% increase over the next 10-year period.
Employment Projections For Behavioral Health Therapists
Additional Links
Ready to dig deeper into career information about behavioral health therapists? Visit our other pages focused on salary and education for behavioral health therapists.
What do behavioral health therapists do?
Behavioral Health Therapists: How do you become one?
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