BCBA & RBT Salary in North Dakota (2026)
From live job-posting data + Medicaid rate records. Updated July 2026.
This page is for ABA practice owners in North Dakota. 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 | $94,000 | $45,035 – $156,000 | national posting data (767 postings) |
| RBT | $42,986 | $20,800 – $69,680 | national posting data (1945 postings) |
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 North Dakota
Most active employers (BCBA roles): Sevita, West Fargo Public Schools, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Nexus Family Healing, Bismarck Public Schools.
Busiest hiring cities: Fargo, Bismarck, Dickinson, North Dakota, West Fargo.
Working as a Behavior Analyst in North Dakota
North Dakota has required a license to practice applied behavior analysis since January 1, 2020, under N.D.C.C. ch. 43-64, with the implementing rules taking effect a year later. Practicing without one is unlawful, not just discouraged. The state uses two tiers: Licensed Behavior Analyst (LBA) for BCBA-level clinicians and Licensed Assistant Behavior Analyst (LABA) for BCaBA-level staff. Both are overseen by the North Dakota State Board of Integrative Health Care, a small board that also licenses music therapists and acupuncturists.
For pay and mobility, this matters in a few concrete ways. If you hold a current BCBA certification, you’re eligible for LBA licensure, but you still have to pass ND’s own professional-responsibility exam once the board finishes developing it. Anyone already licensed through the old ND Board of Psychologist Examiners as of December 31, 2019 is grandfathered in without re-proving education or experience. Renewal is biennial, due by November 15 of odd-numbered years, and requires 32 hours of continuing education every two years, including 4 hours of ethics (the board’s own site also lists 3 hours of supervision training for anyone who supervises, though that specific line isn’t in the codified rule text). Initial licensure runs $500 plus a $50 application fee; renewal is $100.
One gap worth flagging for recruiting: North Dakota’s Federal Loan Repayment Program, which pays down debt for behavioral health providers in shortage areas, lists psychologists, LPCs, LCSWs, MFTs, and LACs as eligible disciplines — LBAs and BCBAs are not on that list, so don’t advertise loan repayment as a perk here.
RBT vs. BT in North Dakota
ND’s licensing rules exempt unlicensed “behavior technicians” who work under the extended authority of an LBA or LABA from needing a state license at all. They just can’t use “RBT” as a standalone abbreviation for their title — they go by “ABA technician,” “behavior technician,” or similar, even when they hold the registered behavior technician credential. That keeps the entry-level hiring pool wide for owners.
On the Medicaid billing side, the state doesn’t lock technician-level work to the RBT credential alone: BCAT, BCaBA, and several other licensed clinicians can also serve as “Skills Trainers.” Even so, the state’s own care-plan rules say the majority of authorized ABA hours should be delivered by an RBT specifically. In practice, that still gives the RBT credential real leverage for job seekers, and owners still end up building their staffing model around RBT hiring and retention. Public schools are also an explicitly eligible ND Medicaid provider type for ABA delivered through the IEP process, widening where technicians and LBAs alike can find billable work.
Common Questions
How much does a BCBA make in North Dakota?
Few North Dakota postings disclose pay. Nationally, postings that do show a median around $94,000 per year.
Is it hard to hire BCBAs in North Dakota?
A LinkedIn search for BCBA roles in North Dakota returns 377 results from the past month (including related roles). The busiest hiring markets are Fargo, Bismarck, Dickinson, North Dakota, West Fargo.
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: Minnesota · South Dakota · Montana