Mississippi became the 40th state in the nation to enact insurance reform that guarantees coverage for the treatment and diagnosis of autism. House Bill 885 was signed into law in 2015 and recognizes applied behavior analysis as a treatment provided by Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA®s) to treat autism.
This reform means that today children from the ages of two to eight years old have automatic insurance coverage to address their autism, with additional covered treatment if it is determined to be necessary by a doctor.
All insurance plans in the state must provide this coverage including individual, group, non-profit, private, and HMOs. Mississippi’s State and School Employees Health Insurance Plan is also subject to this reform. As soon as this bill became law, the estimated 10,000 children in Mississippi with autism instantly became eligible for insurance reimbursement for care provided by BCBA®s.
According to a survey of BCBA® median salaries in the state’s eight largest cities, entry-level BCBA® salary increases by about a thousand dollars per year to amount to $56,656 after a decade of experience (December 2016).
- Vicksburg offers the highest median entry-level salary in the state, followed by Jackson
- Vicksburg also offers the highest salary in the state for those with a decade of experience, followed by Jackson
- Practitioners in Jackson see the largest increase between the entry level and 10-year experience mark
Salaries for Experienced Behavior Analyst in Mississippi’s Major Cities
Shown here are salary figures for BCBA®s with 10 years of experience in Mississippi’s 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).
Jackson – $57,429 – $77,000
- Company – $60,831
- Private practice – $60,186
- Government – $59,819
- School district – $57,157
- Non-profit – $56,691
Gulfport – $56,632 – $76,000
- Company – $60,344
- Private practice – $59,614
- Government – $59,265
- School district – $56,538
- Non-profit – $56,186
Southaven – $55,569 – $73,000
- Company – $58,556
- Private practice – $57,951
- Government – $57,346
- School district – $54,474
- Non-profit – $54,533
Hattiesburg – $55,901 – $76,000
- Company – $60,632
- Private practice – $59,786
- Government – $59,285
- Non-profit – $56,214
- School district – $56,185
Biloxi – $57,277 – $77,000
- Company – $61,408
- Private practice – $60,771
- Government – $60,494
- School district – $57,967
- Non-profit – $57,288
Vicksburg – $60,556 – $84,000
- Company – $62,558
- Private practice – $62,003
- Government – $61,792
- School district – $59,481
- Non-profit – $58,362
Meridian – $53,098 – $72,000
- Company – $56,826
- Private practice – $55,840
- Government – $55,465
- School district – $52,494
- Non-profit – $52,544
Tupelo – $56,783 – $78,000
- Company – $60,069
- Private practice – $59,171
- Government – $58,857
- School district – $56,079
- Non-profit – $55,670
Starting Salaries for Board Certified Behavior Analyst in Mississippi by City
Shown here are entry-level BCBA® salary figures for the largest cities in Mississippi 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).
Jackson – $48,425 – $65,000
- Company – $50,971
- Private practice – $50,477
- Government – $50,073
- School district – $47,803
- Non-profit – $47,482
Gulfport – $46,913 – $63,000
- Company – $49,370
- Private practice – $48,786
- Government – $48,441
- School district – $46,186
- Non-profit – $45,957
Southaven – $46,954 – $62,000
- Company – $49,734
- Private practice – $49,238
- Government – $48,649
- School district – $46,171
- Non-profit – $46,293
Hattiesburg – $45,751 – $62,000
- Company – $48,166
- Private practice – $47,507
- Government – $47,061
- School district – $44,559
- Non-profit – $44,637
Biloxi – $48,153 – $65,000
- Company – $50,507
- Private practice – $49,997
- Government – $49,705
- School district – $47,601
- Non-profit – $47,108
Vicksburg – $49,662 – $69,000
- Company – $51,657
- Private practice – $51,214
- Government – $50,972
- School district – $49,031
- Non-profit – $48,180
Meridian – $42,929 – $58,000
- Company – $46,556
- Private practice – $45,763
- Government – $45,394
- School district – $42,930
- Non-profit – $43,035
Tupelo – $47,862 – $66,000
- Company – $49,918
- Private practice – $49,187
- Government – $48,855
- School district – $46,508
- Non-profit – $46,246
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.
