BCBA & RBT Salary in Texas (2026)
From live job-posting data + Medicaid rate records. Updated July 2026.
This page is for ABA practice owners in Texas. It shows what the market pays right now, who is hiring, and why. Use it to set offers that keep your team.
Posting-Disclosed Pay
| Role | Median (annualized) | Range | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|
| BCBA | $88,000 | $78,842 – $99,250 | 55 Texas postings that disclose pay |
| RBT | $44,720 | $34,320 – $48,880 | 215 Texas postings that disclose pay |
Pay data comes from public LinkedIn postings that state a number. Hourly rates are annualized at 2,080 hours. Small samples are supplemented with national data.
Who Is Hiring in Texas
Most active employers (BCBA roles): Behavioral Innovations, Kyo, BrightPath Behavior, Spindletop Center, MeBe.
Busiest hiring cities: San Antonio, Katy, Houston, Plano, Humble.
Working as a Behavior Analyst in Texas
Texas requires a state license on top of your BCBA certification. Since 2017, the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) has issued the Licensed Behavior Analyst (LBA) credential under the Behavior Analyst Licensing Act. Enforcement began September 1, 2018 — practicing ABA or using the LBA title without this license became unlawful, with narrow exemptions for supervised trainees, other licensed professionals, and school employees.
Your BCBA or BCBA-D certification (TDLR also now accepts QABA’s Qualified Behavior Analyst credential) gets you in the door, but isn’t enough on its own — you need the separate TDLR license before you can practice or bill. BCaBA-level practitioners hold the parallel Licensed Assistant Behavior Analyst (LaBA) credential. The good news: no separate state exam. Licenses renew every two years, and Texas skips its own CE-hour requirement — just keep your national certification current and complete a one-hour Human Trafficking Prevention Training course each renewal cycle.
If you’re weighing a move to Texas, plan for this two-step process — national certification alone won’t let you start billing the day you arrive.
RBT vs. BT in Texas
If you’re job hunting as a technician, get certified before you apply. Texas Medicaid guidance is explicit: a Behavior Technician delivering billable ABA treatment must hold one of three recognized credentials — RBT, BCAT, or ABAT. An uncertified “behavior technician” can’t bill under Texas Medicaid at all. That makes RBT (or BCAT/ABAT) real leverage in a Medicaid-heavy job search, not just a resume line.
For owners, this shapes your staffing model directly. Every BT works under the direct supervision of an enrolled LBA and delivers services in the same location as the client — BT-delivered care under Texas Medicaid must happen in person, not by telehealth. Only the supervising LBA enrolls with Texas Medicaid, using an individual NPI; BTs and LaBAs are billed under the LBA with a modifier marking who delivered the service. That puts billing accuracy, and the liability that comes with it, squarely on the LBA — worth factoring into how you price a Medicaid-heavy practice.
Two more things worth knowing if you’re building a Texas practice. First, the state’s Loan Repayment Program for Mental Health Professionals, run through hhloans.com, does not include BCBAs or LBAs on its list of eligible professions, so that funding source is off the table. Second, Texas Medicaid didn’t cover ABA at all until February 1, 2022, when it became a benefit under the Texas Health Steps-Comprehensive Care Program for Medicaid recipients 20 and younger with an autism diagnosis — the whole Medicaid billing system for ABA here is still just a few years old, so expect some growing pains.
Common Questions
How much does a BCBA make in Texas?
Job postings in Texas that disclose pay show a median around $88,000 per year.
Is it hard to hire BCBAs in Texas?
A LinkedIn search for BCBA roles in Texas returns 1,000+ results from the past month (including related roles). The busiest hiring markets are San Antonio, Katy, Houston, Plano, Humble.
What drives BCBA pay in a state?
Three things: Medicaid and commercial reimbursement rates, how many certified analysts live in the state, and demand from autism prevalence and insurance mandates.
Compare neighboring states: Oklahoma · Louisiana · New Mexico · Arkansas