Salary Report · 2026 Data
ABA Clinical Director Salary
Federal wage data has no line for this title, so the figures here come from the closest one: medical and health services managers in the industry ABA clinics belong to, with a $98,960 median in May 2025. Here's what that figure covers, what it leaves out, and what moves a director's pay.
- 10th percentile
- $63,610
- National median
- $98,960
- 90th percentile
- $161,580
National pay band
There is no federal pay figure for the job title "ABA clinical director." The closest honest stand-in is the BLS category for medical and health services managers (SOC 11-9111), counted only in the industry ABA clinics belong to, offices of other health practitioners. In May 2025 the median there was $98,960 a year, or $47.58 an hour, across 31,850 jobs.
Read it as a stand-in, not a survey of ABA directors. The category counts every manager in that industry, including practice managers who are not BCBAs, while most ABA clinical directors are BCBAs. The same category's national median is $123,860, but hospital executives pull that figure up, so the industry median is the closer match for a clinic-based role.
Key Takeaways
- 01The closest BLS figure for an ABA clinical director is a $98,960 median (May 2025) for medical and health services managers in offices of other health practitioners, the industry ABA clinics belong to.
- 02It's a stand-in, not a survey of the title. The category includes practice managers who are not BCBAs, and most ABA clinical directors are BCBAs.
- 03The spread is wide. The bottom tenth of that group earned under $63,610 and the top tenth over $161,580, because the title covers everything from a single-site lead to a regional executive.
- 04The same category's national median is $123,860, pulled up by hospital executives, which is why the industry figure is the better match for clinic-based ABA work.
- 05A director earns more than a staff BCBA, but BCBA pay comes from survey data rather than BLS, so compare the two as a direction, not an exact raise. See BCBA salary.
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What ABA Clinical Directors Earn: The Closest BLS Figure
BLS publishes pay for medical and health services managers (SOC 11-9111) by industry. In offices of other health practitioners (NAICS 621300), which includes ABA clinics, the May 2025 figures were a $98,960 annual median, $63,610 at the 10th percentile and $161,580 at the 90th, across 31,850 jobs. The hourly median was $47.58.
Two cautions. The category is broader than ABA: it counts the manager of any practice in that industry, BCBA or not. And BLS doesn't publish this industry cut by state, so there is no reliable state-by-state figure for ABA directors specifically.
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How to push your ABA Clinical Director salary up.
Director pay moves with the size of the job: how many sites, clinicians and dollars you answer for. These are the levers that change that.
- 01 Widen your scope. A regional or multi-site role carries more staff and more revenue than a single site, and director pay follows the scope of the job.
- 02 Compare employers on the whole package. National chains, regional providers, nonprofits and health systems structure director pay differently, so weigh base pay, bonus and the utilization targets attached to them, not just the title.
- 03 Add business skills. Directors answer for payroll, billing and payer compliance, so operations experience or an MBA is often what separates director candidates.
- 04 Consider a BCBA-D. The doctoral designation can open leadership and training roles at larger organizations.
Common questions
ABA Clinical Director salary, asked and answered
01How much does an ABA Clinical Director make?+
02Is ABA Clinical Director a six-figure job?+
03Why use the BLS figure for health services managers?+
04Does an ABA Clinical Director earn more than a BCBA?+
05How can an ABA Clinical Director increase their salary?+
References