Oregon is the 34th state in the nation to pass insurance reform legislation that makes applied behavior analysis (ABA) treatments for autism mandatory in insurance policies. The reform was signed into law on August 14, 2013 however it did not come into full effect until the beginning of 2016. It recognizes Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA®s) as being professionals who are qualified to administer ABA treatments.
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Details of the new legislation include the following:
- It applies to all state-regulated health insurance plans
- Kids who begin autism treatment before they reach nine years of age can receive insurance reimbursement for up to 25 hours of ABA treatment per week
- ABA treatment can be provided as long as medically necessary regardless of age
The ripples of this law are already spreading out to the wider economy. During 2016, the first year when the new law was in full swing, the average annual salary for an Oregon BCBA® with 10 years of experience was $63,371. That level represents an average salary increase of $1,338 per year from the entry level.
As the supply of BCBA®s is squeezed by the new demand this insurance coverage creates, the salaries for these professionals is also expected to rise. Just a month after the law was passed the first announcement was made by an Oregon school about expanding ABA classes to meet the anticipated spike in demand.
- Beaverton has the highest median salary for entry-level BCBA®s, followed by Hillsboro and Portland
- Outside the Portland metro area Corvallis has the highest entry-level median salary, followed by Eugene
- Hillsboro has the highest median salary for BCBA®s with 10 years of experience, followed by Portland and Beaverton
- Outside the Portland metro area Corvallis has the highest median salary for BCBA®s with 10 years of experience, followed by Salem
- Practitioners in Salem were found to have the largest salary increase over a BCBA®’s first 10 years of employment
Salaries for Experienced Behavior Analyst in Oregon’s Major Cities
Shown here are salary figures for BCBA®s with 10-years of experience in Oregon’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).
Portland – $65,922 – $87,000
- Company – $67,627
- Private practice – $67,519
- Government – $67,471
- School district – $65,848
- Non-profit – $63,890
Salem – $64,239 – $84,000
- Company – $65,824
- Private practice – $65,348
- Government – $65,165
- School district – $62,938
- Non-profit – $61,778
Eugene – $60,471 – $81,000
- Company – $63,093
- Private practice – $62,497
- Government – $62,198
- School district – $59,656
- Non-profit – $58,967
Gresham – $62,150 – $86,000
- Company – $64,467
- Private practice – $63,697
- Government – $63,498
- School district – $61,024
- Non-profit – $59,977
Hillsboro – $69,058 – $89,000
- Government – $70,039
- Private practice – $70,000
- Company – $69,603
- School district – $69,151
- Non-profit – $66,281
Beaverton – $65,169 – $86,000
- Company – $66,600
- Private practice – $66,380
- Government – $66,252
- School district – $64,388
- Non-profit – $62,727
Bend – $61,338 – $81,000
- Company – $63,200
- Private practice – $62,870
- Government – $62,637
- School district – $60,531
- Non-profit – $59,443
Medford – $60,431 – $81,000
- Company – $63,797
- Private practice – $63,313
- Government – $62,975
- School district – $60,489
- Non-profit – $59,752
Springfield – $59,999 – $79,000
- Company – $61,979
- Private practice – $61,339
- Government – $61,019
- School district – $58,442
- Non-profit – $57,909
Corvallis – $64,929 – $89,000
- Company – $66,646
- Private practice – $66,290
- Government – $66,188
- School district – $64,207
- Non-profit – $62,512
Starting Salaries for Board Certified Behavior Analyst in Oregon by City
Shown here are entry-level BCBA® salary figures for the largest cities in Oregon 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).
Portland – $51,502 – $68,000
- Company – $52,493
- Private practice – $52,421
- Government – $52,348
- School district – $51,053
- Non-profit – $49,582
Salem – $47,935 – $63,000
- Company – $50,067
- Private practice – $49,715
- Government – $49,549
- School district – $47,824
- Non-profit – $46,979
Eugene – $48,047 – $65,000
- Company – $49,672
- Private practice – $49,216
- Government – $48,934
- School district – $46,895
- Non-profit – $46,408
Gresham – $48,082 – $67,000
- Company – $50,249
- Private practice – $49,662
- Government – $49,462
- School district – $47,493
- Non-profit – $46,728
Hillsboro – $54,271 – $71,000
- Private practice – $55,348
- Government – $55,333
- Company – $55,020
- School district – $54,592
- Non-profit – $52,382
Beaverton – $59,656 – $67,000
- Company – $51,903
- Private practice – $51,744
- Government – $51,603
- School district – $50,112
- Non-profit – $48,870
Bend – $46,961 – $62,000
- Company – $48,982
- Private practice – $48,736
- Government – $48,527
- School district – $46,861
- Non-profit – $46,059
Medford – $46,446 – $63,000
- Company – $48,516
- Private practice – $48,159
- Government – $47,877
- School district – $45,941
- Non-profit – $45,423
Springfield – $47,043 – $62,000
- Company – $48,673
- Private practice – $48,183
- Government – $47,890
- School district – $45,831
- Non-profit – $45,463
Corvallis – $49,977 – $69,000
- Company – $52,872
- Private practice – $52,604
- Government – $52,472
- School district – $50,862
- Non-profit – $49,577
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.
