How much do behavioral health technicians make in 2026?
Behavioral health technicians are counted in the BLS psychiatric technician series: OEWS May 2025 puts the SOC 29-2053 national median at $45,130 a year ($21.70 an hour), with the bottom 10% near $35,090 and the top 10% at $60,750. The series covers psychiatric technicians broadly, so it pools the state psychiatric hospital technician, the inpatient behavioural health unit technician and the residential or substance-use programme worker, and the differences between them are large. Public psychiatric hospitals and correctional mental health posts pay at the upper end, because they are unionised or on state pay schedules, carry higher acuity and require night coverage; private residential and outpatient programmes cluster near the bottom. The role is certification-based rather than licensed, so shift pattern, employer type and de-escalation or substance-use credentials matter more than tenure. Employment is projected to grow 20% through 2034 with roughly 15,900 openings a year. → Full behavioral health technician career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $45,130 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Behavioral Health Technicians earn a national median $45,130/yr ($21.70/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 29-2053); the P10 to P90 range is $35,090 to $60,750.
- BLS reports this role inside the psychiatric technician series, so the $35,090 to $60,750 range pools state hospital, inpatient unit and residential programme jobs.
- Employer type is the biggest pay variable: state psychiatric hospitals and correctional mental health posts sit near the top of the band, private residential programmes near the bottom.
- Growth is projected at 20% through 2034 with roughly 15,900 openings a year, reflecting expansion of crisis and substance-use services rather than higher pay rates.
US Behavioral Health Technician Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do behavioral health technicians earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 29-2053; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 29-2053, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does a behavioral health technician earn at each career stage?
Technician pay follows employer type, acuity and specialist credentials rather than a licence ladder. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS psychiatric technician distribution (SOC 29-2053).
By State
Which states pay behavioral health technicians the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates — the BLS national psychiatric technician median scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index — not BLS state observations. State policy drives this occupation directly: the size of the state psychiatric hospital system, public-sector pay schedules and collective agreements, and state certification rules for behavioural health technicians all shape local pay, and a state with a large public system will pay noticeably better than one that has devolved care to private residential providers.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($51,900), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay behavioral health technicians the most?
Modeled metro estimates: the national psychiatric technician median scaled by the state wage index and then by that state's published metro index. They estimate local wage levels and are not BLS metropolitan-area observations.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a behavioral health technician’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does behavioral health technician pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Behavioral Health Technicians sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify behavioral health technician wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a behavioral health technician actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Behavioral Health Technician Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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