Salaries for Applied Behavior Analysts in Oregon

Oregon is the 34^th 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.

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.

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