Salary Outlook with Ph.D. in Applied Behavior Analysis
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is a method of psychotherapy that stresses the improvement of certain behaviors, including social skills, communication, reading, academics and learning skills, such as hygiene, fine motor dexterity, domestic capabilities, job competence, and punctuality.
ABA is often used as a method of intervention for people who have autism. ABA can help the autistic person enhance their social interactions, learn new skills, and act in a more positive way. ABA also can help to transfer skills and behaviors from one situation to another. ABA is often most successful when it is applied to a patient for more than 20 hours per week before the child is 4. (Psychologytoday.com)
With a Ph.D. in Applied Behavior Analysis, you will have the skills to work with people who have autism and related conditions so that they can improve the quality of their lives.
Earning this degree will take a minimum of four years, so learning what the salary potential may be at the end of the program is a good step. Learn more about the potential salary with this degree below.
Salary Outlook
First, let us examine the salary potential for psychologists generally. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports the median annual salary for all psychologists is $92,740. The lowest-paid psychologists earn a 10% that’s $52,430 or lower. The highest-paid earn a salary in the top 10% that starts at $151,880. If you have a PhD in ABA, you may earn towards the higher end of the salary scale.
The BLS also reports its category of all other psychologists, including those specializing in applied behavior analysis, earn a median salary of $117,750 per year.
A full salary breakdown of the all other psychologists category, which includes ABA specialists, is as follows:
- Bottom 25% salary – $76,550 and below
- Average salary – $110,300
- Median salary – $117,750
- Top 25% salary – $138,280 and up
- Top 10% salary – $157,420 and up
Salary Growth in Ph.D. in Applied Behavior Analysis Job
The following sectors are relevant to ABA specialist psychologists, listed here with their average annual salaries for the all other psychologist category:
- Educational support services – $123,260
- Health care and social assistance – $101,990
- Elementary and secondary schools – $84,690
- Educational services – $81,850
- Colleges, universities, and professional schools – $75,320
Ph.D. Job Outlook
The Bureau of Labor Statistics states job demand for all psychologists will rise by a healthy 7% between 2023 and 2033, which is higher than average.
The Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) wrote a comprehensive report on employment demand for behavior analysts that found the demand for behavior analysts with master’s and PhD degrees is rising. Annual demand for Board Certified Behavior Analysts rose 800% from 2010 to 2017. Increases were seen in almost all states.
The increase in demand is similar to the increase in the total number of people that have the certification. Annual demand for professionals holding BCaBA certification also rose in the same period time, with the biggest increases in the last four years.
Also, the report found demand is highest in California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Washington, and Illinois.
The BLS reports the following state data for all other psychologist projected job growth between 2022 and 2032, the category which includes ABA psychologists:
| Alaska | 25% |
| Utah | 22.2% |
| Nevada | 19.2% |
| Texas | 15.9% |
| Wisconsin | 15.9% |
| Tennessee | 15.8% |
| Florida | 15.7% |
| Connecticut | 14.8% |
| Washington | 14.2% |
| New York | 13.7% |
| North Carolina | 13.5% |
| New Jersey | 12.1% |
| New Mexico | 12.1% |
| Arizona | 11.9% |
| Colorado | 11.8% |
| Iowa | 11.1% |
| Virginia | 10.8% |
| Vermont | 10.7% |
| Louisiana | 10.1% |
| Arkansas | 9.7% |
| Idaho | 9.5% |
| Massachusetts | 9.1% |
| South Carolina | 9.1% |
| Rhode Island | 8.8% |
| Oregon | 8.6% |
| Maryland | 8.5% |
| Georgia | 8.2% |
| Missouri | 7.4% |
| California | 7.3% |
| Mississippi | 6.7% |
| New Hampshire | 6.7% |
| Wyoming | 6.3% |
| Ohio | 5.6% |
| Pennsylvania | 5.5% |
| Oklahoma | 5.1% |
| Indiana | 4.8% |
| Alabama | 4.6% |
| District of Columbia | 4.4% |
| Minnesota | 4.4% |
| Kentucky | 4% |
| Michigan | 3.8% |
| Maine | 3.4% |
| Kansas | 2.7% |
| West Virginia | 2.4% |
| Illinois | 0% |
| Montana | 0% |
| Nebraska | 0% |
| North Dakota | 0% |
| South Dakota | 0% |
May 2023 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics salary for Psychologists and Psychologists, all other. National labor market information and state labor market information also sourced from the U.S. Department of Labor. Information based on national data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed February 2025.
Career Opportunities
With a Ph.D. in Applied Behavior Analysis, you can choose from many exciting job titles:
- Counselor: Counseling is the most common career choice for people with this Ph.D. The career is seeing strong growth in the past four years. Burning Glass Technologies states that one out of five counselor job listings want behavior analyst graduates.
- Special Education Teacher or Director: Professionals with an ABA degree are very helpful in special education settings. Experience with autism is higher desired in special education environments. You may work in public schools, private schools or residential facilities.
- Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA): With a Ph.D. you can obtain your BCBA certification to be a private practitioner or behavior analytic services.
- Social worker: Clinical behavior analysts work in concert with clinical social workers to offer excellent service to clients. With a strong psychological and behavioral science skillset, CBAs can provide clinical social workers with strong behavioral management services, interventions and management based on empirical evidence.
Featured Online Ph.D. in Applied Behavior Analysis Program
The Chicago School of Professional Psychology offers an online Ph.D. in Applied Behavior Analysis that offers students an excellent base of knowledge in the experimental analysis of behavior, applied behavior analysis, and radical behaviorism.
You will be equipped with the ABA skills to encourage socially significant behavioral changes via an evidence-based program development. If you complete the MS in ABA requirements during this five year online Ph.D., you can pursue certification as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst.
Students in this online Ph.D. program will experience a transformational educational experience with the flexibility of a Ph.D. program that does not interfere with your personal and professional commitments.
Visit The Chicago School of Professional Psychology
By developing your expert knowledge in behavior analysis theory, research and practice, you will emerge from the Ph.D. program to work as a skilled and competent behavior analyst in academia, education, service delivery, business, nonprofit organizations, and government.
Sample classes for this Ph.D. program are:
- Critical Analysis of Research in Verbal Behavior
- Supervision and Consulting in ABA
- Experimental Analysis of Behavior
If you complete all program requirements of the Ph.D. Applied Behavior Analysis program, you can apply for the award of the Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis, which allows you to be eligible to become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, which is awarded by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board.
Conclusion
The demand is rising for professionals with extensive training in Applied Behavior Analysis, particularly as autism and related disorders are more often diagnosed. With a Ph.D. in this growing field, you have many lucrative employment options where you can make a difference in the lives of others.