North Carolina Medicaid ABA rates
North Carolina Medicaid pays $20.81 per 15 min ($83.24 an hour) for one-on-one ABA therapy by a technician delivered by a behavior technician, effective October 1, 2025, the 6th highest of 22 states with comparable rates. Below: 5 more ABA rates compared with every state we track, the wages of the staff who deliver them, and recent rate changes.
- One-on-one ABA therapy by a technician
- $20.81per 15 min · $83.24/hr
- Rank among states
- 6 of 22+24.0% vs median
- Behavior technician (RBT) median wage
- $20.60BLS May 2025
- North Carolina minimum wage
- $7.25
North Carolina ABA rates vs other states
Fee-for-service, like-for-like by provider level. Click a rate to open North Carolina's official fee schedule.
| Service | Provider level | Code | NC rate | Unit | Per hour | Rank | Median across states | Lowest | Highest | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| One-on-one ABA therapy by a technician | Behavior technician | 97153 | $20.81 | 15 min | $83.24 | 6 of 22 | $67.14/hr | $38.52 | $217.12 | 22 |
| ABA therapy with plan changes by an analyst | Behavior analyst | 97155 | $32.22 | 15 min | $128.88 | 5 of 21 | $100.40/hr | $27.00 | $379.36 | 21 |
| ABA assessment by a behavior analyst | Behavior analyst | 97151 | $30.56 | 15 min | $122.24 | 9 of 21 | $103.88/hr | $30.00 | $217.12 | 21 |
| ABA assessment support by a technician | Behavior technician | 97152 | $61.73 | 15 min | $246.92 | 1 of 17 | $76.68/hr | $40.00 | $246.92 | 17 |
| ABA parent and caregiver training | Behavior analyst | 97156 | $23.70 | 15 min | $94.80 | 9 of 20 | $90.20/hr | $21.00 | $157.60 | 20 |
| Group ABA therapy led by a technician | Behavior technician | 97154 | $11.37 | 15 min | $45.48 | 7 of 22 | $31.28/hr | $6.52 | $123.64 | 22 |
| Group ABA therapy led by an analyst | Behavior analyst | Not published | $35.84/hr | $11.24 | $112.52 | 18 | ||||
One-on-one ABA therapy by a technician: where North Carolina ranks
States whose published unit can't be converted are left out of the ranking.
| # | State | Rate | Unit | Per hour | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michigan | $54.28 | 15 min | $217.12 | 2026-07-01 |
| 2 | Georgia | $30.91 | 15 min | $123.64 | 2025-07-01 |
| 3 | Virginia | $23.48 | 15 min | $93.92 | 2021-12-01 |
| 4 | Maryland | $20.91 | 15 min | $83.64 | 2024-07-01 |
| 5 | Wisconsin | $20.84 | 15 min | $83.36 | 2023-02-01 |
| 6 | North Carolina | $20.81 | 15 min | $83.24 | 2025-10-01 |
| 7 | Minnesota | $20.17 | 15 min | $80.68 | 2024-01-01 |
| 8 | Nebraska | $18.70 | 15 min | $74.80 | 2026-07-01 |
| 9 | Arizona | $17.91 | 15 min | $71.64 | 2026-10-01 |
| 10 | Missouri | $17.73 | 15 min | $70.92 | 2022-07-01 |
| 11 | Colorado | $17.20 | 15 min | $68.80 | 2025-10-01 |
| 12 | Massachusetts | $16.37 | 15 min | $65.48 | 2024-10-01 |
| 13 | Indiana | $16.04 | 15 min | $64.16 | 2026-04-01 |
| 14 | New Jersey | $15.00 | 15 min | $60.00 | 2025-01-01 |
| 15 | South Carolina | $14.88 | 15 min | $59.52 | 2026-08-13 |
| 16 | Texas | $14.50 | 15 min | $58.00 | 2025-09-01 |
| 17 | Pennsylvania | $12.73 | 15 min | $50.92 | 2020-01-17 |
| 18 | Washington | $12.40 | 15 minute units | $49.60 | 2026-01-01 |
| 19 | Florida | $12.26 | 15 min | $49.04 | 2026-01-01 |
| 20 | Kentucky | $12.18 | 15 min | $48.72 | 2026-04-01 |
| 21 | Louisiana | $10.00 | 15 min | $40.00 | 2019-03-20 |
| 22 | New York | $9.63 | 15 min | $38.52 | 2026-10-01 |
What it costs to deliver in North Carolina
Median hourly wages from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey (May 2025).
| Role | NC median | US median | vs US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Behavior analyst (BCBA) * | $26.68 | $28.53 | -6.5% |
| Behavior technician (RBT) * | $20.60 | $22.08 | -6.7% |
* BLS publishes no occupation for this role; the closest published occupation is shown.
Recent North Carolina ABA rate changes
| Change | Status | Change | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|
| Researched Based Intensive Behavioral Health RBI-BHT*: 10/1/2025 rate reduction effective 2025-10-01 (posting 2025-10-01) | effective | -10.0% | 2025-10-01 |
| Researched Based Intensive Behavioral Health RBI-BHT*: 10/1/2025 reduction reversed (rates restored) effective 2025-10-01 (posting 2026-02-02) | reversed | +11.1% | 2025-10-01 |
| Researched Based Intensive Behavioral Health RBI-BHT*: new rates effective 2024-01-01 (posting 2024-01-17) | effective | +15.1% | 2024-01-01 |
The workspace adds every modifier, region and provider variant, full rate history, proposed changes, coverage and prior-authorization rules, managed-care plans and a unit-economics calculator. All of it is available through the API.
Rates are taken from North Carolina's official Medicaid publications, and each one links to its source. Confirm with the payer before billing. Managed-care plans may pay differently from fee-for-service.