What was counted
The BACB’s US Employment Demand for Behavior Analysts: 2010–2025, updated January 2026, uses Lightcast online job-posting data. The report says duplicate postings are excluded. Its BCBA/BCBA-D series counts postings that required or preferred those certifications.
The summary reports a 28% increase from 2024 to 2025. California, New Jersey, Texas, Massachusetts, and North Carolina had the highest 2025 demand, in that order. These are historical posting figures, not a list of jobs available today. Source checked October 3, 2026.
Keep the measurement attached to the claim
Our interpretation: use the report as a signal of advertised hiring activity. Do not relabel a posting count as a count of people hired, unfilled positions, or guaranteed offers. Deduplicating advertisements does not by itself answer those different questions.
A state total also cannot settle whether a particular role fits your circumstances. The practical decision still involves location, duties, working conditions, and your own requirements. A national increase does not tell you which employer will provide the support you want.
Build a small local comparison
Here is an editorial exercise you can use alongside the report. Choose a realistic commuting area or a clearly defined remote-work requirement. Save a dated set of relevant current advertisements and compare the same fields for each:
- Work: client population, setting, travel, schedule, and responsibilities.
- Support: onboarding, consultation, coverage during leave, and opportunities to ask for help.
- Workload: expected caseload, billable targets, documentation time, and how cancellations affect the day.
- Terms: employment status, stated pay basis, benefits, and any conditions you need clarified.
Keep “not stated” as its own entry. A missing detail in an advertisement is a question for the employer, not evidence that the benefit or support is absent.
Download a job-comparison worksheet
Download the blank job-comparison worksheet (CSV). Open it in your spreadsheet app. It has columns for your requirements, two roles, and the evidence or follow-up needed. The file contains no employer data and does not send your entries to ABA Signal.
Start with your requirements before filling in the offers. A schedule you cannot work is not a small disadvantage to average away with unrelated benefits. Decide which conditions are essential and which are preferences; the worksheet deliberately has no overall score.
For each answer, note whether it came from an advertisement, an interview, or a written offer, and record the date. Keep the pay basis exactly as stated rather than treating hourly, annual, and per-service amounts as interchangeable. Ask about the underlying hours and conditions before comparing them.
A fictional example
Imagine that Role A advertises a four-day schedule but does not specify travel. Role B lists five days at one location. Your essential requirement is a predictable finish time. Neither advertisement answers that requirement: four days does not establish when each day ends, and one location does not establish a fixed schedule.
Enter the advertised details as facts, leave finish time as “not stated,” and ask both employers the same question: “What time do people in this role typically finish, and what circumstances change that?” Then record the answer and its source. This example illustrates the method; it is not a comparison of real employers.
Use the gaps to plan the next conversation
Review unanswered questions before an interview. Afterward, update the worksheet without erasing the distinction between a verbal description and a written commitment. If two statements conflict, preserve both until the employer clarifies them. The useful output is a short list of decisions and follow-ups, not a manufactured winner.
Turn vague promises into interview questions
For example, replace “Is the caseload manageable?” with “How is a new hire’s caseload built during the first three months, and who reviews it?” Replace “Do you offer support?” with “Who can I consult when a case exceeds my experience, and when is that time scheduled?” These are suggested prompts, not validated measures of employer quality.
If you are choosing a degree, keep two decisions separate: whether a program suits your education needs, and whether the work you want is available where you plan to live. Our online BCBA program guide can help with the first. A current local search and specific employer conversations help make the second more concrete.
Sources and review
Primary sources checked October 3, 2026 through automated source-and-render review. Automated review checked the report summary and measurement description. This is an editorial reading guide, not a salary survey, forecast, or assessment of individual employers. No employer interviews or hands-on job-market testing were performed.