Massachusetts is unique in the nation, being one of only a handful of states that does not cap reimbursement for autism services based on age, cost or the number of treatment hours. That means Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA®s) have more opportunities here than in most other places.
An amendment to the state’s insurance reimbursement law went into effect on January 1, 2011, requiring many types of health insurance plans – individual, group, state employee, and HMOs – to cover the treatment and diagnosis of autism-spectrum disorders. BCBA®s are recognized by this law as being a legitimate provider of these services to address autism-spectrum disorders.
A survey of the 10 largest cities in Massachusetts shows BCBA®s with a decade of experience earn a median salary of $63,921 (December of 2016). That represents an annual increase of $1,231 every year from the median entry-level salary.
- Cambridge offers the highest median entry-level salary in the state, followed by Newton
- For those with a decade of experience, Cambridge offers the highest median salary in the state, followed by Boston
- Practitioners in Boston enjoy the largest median salary increase over the first decade of employment
Salaries for Experienced Behavior Analyst in Massachusetts’ Major Cities
Shown here are salary figures for BCBA®s with 10-years of experience in Massachusetts’ largest cities. Each list provides an overall salary range (from median to 90th-percentile) for behavior analysts with 10-years of experience, followed by the average in each employment sector (December 2016).
Boston – $67,187 – $89,000
- Government – $70,208
- Private practice – $69,882
- School district – $69,639
- Company – $69,590
- Non-profit – $66,269
Worcester – $62,811 – $83,000
- Government – $65,796
- Company – $65,631
- Private practice – $65,508
- School district – $64,726
- Non-profit – $62,192
Springfield – $62,429 – $83,000
- Company – $65,615
- Government – $65,590
- Private practice – $65,484
- School district – $64,199
- Non-profit – $62,067
Lowell – $61,581 – $80,000
- Private practice – $64,925
- Government – $64,912
- Company – $64,720
- School district – $63,803
- Non-profit – $61,550
Cambridge – $68,690 – $89,000
- Government – $71,745
- School district – $71,650
- Private practice – $71,334
- Company – $70,752
- Non-profit – $67,783
Brockton – $64,129 – $85,000
- Company – $67,282
- Government – $67,281
- Private practice – $67,169
- School district – $65,915
- Non-profit – $63,615
Quincy – $64,251 – $84,000
- Government – $67,516
- Private practice – $67,395
- Company – $67,381
- School district – $66,308
- Non-profit – $63,942
Lynn – $63,865 – $83,000
- Government – $67,038
- Private practice – $66,957
- Company – $66,824
- School district – $65,916
- Non-profit – $63,424
Fall River – $61,200 – $82,000
- Company – $63,308
- Government – $63,308
- Private practice – $63,152
- School district – $62,024
- Non-profit – $59,790
Newton – $63,070 – $82,000
- Government – $66,267
- Private practice – $66,052
- Company – $65,846
- School district – $65,468
- Non-profit – $62,775
Starting Salaries for Board Certified Behavior Analyst in Massachusetts by City
Shown here are entry-level BCBA® salary figures for the largest cities in Massachusetts by sector. Each list provides an overall salary range (from median to 90th-percentile) for each city, followed by the average in each employment sector (December 2016).
Boston – $50,960 – $68,000
- Government – $51,658
- Private practice – $51,419
- School district – $51,214
- Company – $51,000
- Non-profit – $48,749
Worcester – $49,808 – $67,000
- Government – $50,743
- Company – $50,623
- Private practice – $50,537
- School district – $49,900
- Non-profit – $47,970
Springfield – $49,243 – $66,000
- Company – $51,233
- Government – $51,196
- Private practice – $51,142
- School district – $50,083
- Non-profit – $48,458
Lowell – $53,187 – $70,000
- Private practice – $54,224
- Government – $54,156
- Company – $54,035
- School district – $53,198
- Non-profit – $51,382
Cambridge – $57,403 – $75,000
- Government – $58,440
- School district – $58,344
- Private practice – $58,153
- Company – $57,665
- Non-profit – $55,248
Brockton – $50,233 – $67,000
- Company – $50,665
- Government – $50,658
- Private practice – $50,588
- School district – $49,601
- Non-profit – $47,896
Quincy – $50,649 – $66,000
- Government – $50,822
- Company – $50,762
- Private practice – $50,744
- School district – $49,885
- Non-profit – $48,133
Lynn – $51,739 – $68,000
- Government – $52,138
- Private practice – $52,107
- Company – $51,992
- School district – $51,230
- Non-profit – $49,337
Fall River – $48,398 – $65,000
- Company – $49,507
- Government – $49,489
- Private practice – $49,393
- School district – $48,464
- Non-profit – $46.750
Newton – $54,510 – $71,000
- Government – $55,418
- Private practice – $55,286
- Company – $55,098
- School district – $54,733
- Non-profit – $52,535
Salary data for entry-level and experienced applied behavior analysts was sourced from PayScale.com in December 2016. Using its daily-updated database of over 54 million salary profiles, PayScale’s proprietary algorithms provide access to real-time salary information.