Building a Stronger RBT Workforce: Insights from the BACB Exit Survey
- Ashleigh Evans (BCBA)
- 4 days ago
- 8 min read
Retaining Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs) has long been a challenge for ABA organizations. While often considered an entry-level position, RBTs carry tremendous responsibility. Working in the ABA field is rewarding, but direct care can also be physically demanding and emotionally taxing. Burnout is prevalent, often leading RBTs to not only quit their organization but leave the field altogether.
So, what can organizations do to better support RBTs and improve retention? The BACB just published a newsletter with BACB exit survey data that offers key insights into the endless cycle of turnover plaguing the field. Let's dive in to explore why RBTs are leaving the field and what ABA organizations can do to prevent it and potentially even bring former technicians back.
Breaking Down Turnover in ABA
Before diving into the survey findings, it’s important to recognize that not all turnover is “bad turnover.” Some level of turnover is natural and should be expected. People move, get promoted into new roles, or pursue other career paths.
The real concern is preventable turnover, when talented, committed RBTs leave the field due to factors within an organization's control, such as an unsupportive working environment. Organizations that actively address these issues and maintain manageable turnover rates are far better positioned to thrive, ensuring continuity of care, stronger teams, and a more sustainable presence in the increasingly competitive ABA field.
How High Is RBT Turnover?
Data consistently show RBT turnover remains high across the field. Per CentralReach's Autism and IDD Care Market Report: 2025 Recap & 2026 Outlook, turnover rates range from 76.7% to 90.1%. It's important to note that this data doesn't differentiate by role. However, historically, direct care roles have had the highest turnover.
Top Reasons RBTs Leave the ABA Field
The BACB distributed an exit survey in 2025 to 30,018 individuals who let their RBT certification expire without obtaining another BACB credential. 1,386 former RBTs responded to the survey, which inquired about the reasons that influenced them to stop working as RBTs.
The survey was divided into four domains. It asked former technicians to select all of the factors in each domain that influenced their decision to stop working in the ABA field. As we'll discuss further, some of the most common reasons for leaving were low pay, issues in the workplace, a lack of growth, schedule unpredictability, poor treatment, and a lack of support.
Top Factors Influencing Decision to Leave the ABA Field | % of Respondents |
Compensation & Workload: | |
Inadequate pay | 57% |
High work demands with clients | 38% |
Unpredictable pay | 34% |
Organizational Factors | |
Concerning issues in the workplace | 42% |
Limited opportunities for professional growth | 41% |
Number of hours worked (too many or too few) | 41% |
Unpredictable schedule | 38% |
Travel between work sites/commute | 26% |
Workplace Culture | |
Poor treatment by the company | 44% |
Lack of supervisory support | 41% |
Not applicable | 34% |
Isolation in the workplace | 27% |
Personal Circumstances | |
I like the work, but life took me in a different direction | 58% |
Turning Insights into Action: Addressing RBT Challenges
Let’s dig a little deeper into the main factors driving ABA technicians to leave the field and explore practical strategies organizations can use to address these challenges and improve retention.
Personal Circumstances: A Silver Lining
First, it's worth highlighting a positive. As mentioned earlier, not all turnover is bad. This is evident in the 58% of respondents who said that life simply took them in a new direction. Perhaps they completed their degree and started in their dream field. Maybe they moved to a rural area where ABA wasn't available. Whatever their unique reasons, it's clear that many RBTs love the field but must leave for reasons beyond an organization's control.
Compensation & Workload Remain Top Drivers of Turnover
An RBT's workload and compensation continue to be among the most frequently cited reasons they leave the field. In the BACB's exit survey, a whopping 57% of respondents said that inadequate pay influenced their decision to leave ABA. In the current economic downturn, it's reasonable to expect that low pay and benefits would weigh heavily on people's decision to stay in a role. When low pay is paired with high work demands, reported by 38%, it becomes a recipe for burnout.
The unpredictability of pay is another major issue, with 34% of RBTs reporting it as a factor influencing their decision. Fluctuating hours are incredibly common for RBTs, who rarely receive guaranteed pay. When clients cancel sessions, they often lose those hours, resulting in high variability in paychecks.
Given the crystal clear impact of compensation and workload on turnover, organizations must prioritize this area of turnover prevention. Easier said than done, of course. When an organization's primary revenue stream is insurance and Medicaid, where reimbursement rates rarely increase, offering a compensation and benefits package that demonstrates the value of RBTs’ work can be a significant challenge. Nonetheless, there are several ways ABA providers can mitigate the impact.
How Organizations Can Address Compensation & Workload Concerns:
Assess market pay standards. Ensure your pay structure is competitive within your region and reflects the experience and responsibilities of your RBTs. Revisit this assessment frequently to ensure pay matches or exceeds the market rate.
Balance caseloads. Aim to distribute clients evenly across technicians. For example, avoid assigning certain RBTs multiple clients who engage in more challenging behaviors, such as aggression.
Provide schedule & pay stability. This is a big one. Competitive pay means nothing if the RBT can't pay their bills. We encourage ABA providers to consider ways to increase technicians' pay stability. While any option would likely require heavy lifting, here are a few ideas to consider.
Offer guaranteed pay (salary). While few and far between at this time, some companies offer their RBTs a non-exempt salaried position, providing stability in pay and hours.
Cross-train RBTs to cover sessions. Cross-training gives RBTs the confidence and competence to step in when cancellations occur, allowing for increased stability in their hours. Rather than asking technicians to jump into unfamiliar cases, which can feel uncomfortable and compromise quality of care, provide structured cross-training with clients they may realistically cover.
Offer administrative work. Allow your RBTs to maintain their hours and pay by completing administrative tasks when cancellations arise. We encourage organizations to pay the same rate whether a technician is working directly with a client or doing administrative work. Avoid setting the precedent that their value is based on whether they can bill for a particular task.
Be transparent about pay structure. Transparency increases trust. Be upfront about how your staff will be paid, so there are no surprises. Also, be transparent about the career advancement and future pay opportunities available. For example, if you offer an RBT leveling program, technicians should know exactly what it takes to get promoted and how it would impact their pay.
Organizational Factors That Influence RBT Turnover
Another domain the BACB examined was organizational factors that influenced RBTs' decisions to leave the field. In many ways, this section ties into the previous one. 42% of respondents noted concerning issues in the workplace as a driving factor in this domain. It's difficult to know precisely what issues fall under this category for former RBTs, but it likely encompasses issues with workplace systems, policies, and interpersonal conflict.
A lack of professional growth opportunities was a driving factor for 41% of former RBTs to leave the field. While the ABA field as a whole offers a clear path to advancement through higher BACB certifications, many RBTs face barriers, such as education requirements, cost, or time, that limit their ability to pursue those credentials. This can leave technicians feeling stuck, with little room to grow after their initial hire.
How ABA Practices Can Address Organizational Concerns to Improve Retention:
Seek feedback. A simple yet effective way to potentially drive retention is by seeking feedback from your team. Regularly seek feedback through staff satisfaction surveys and exit interviews to gain clarity on organizational issues that may be harming your retention. Additionally, involve your team in decision-making when appropriate. When possible, gain their feedback on policy changes and other things that impact their role before launching changes.
Create a pathway to BCBA certification. Guide dedicated technicians through the process of becoming a BCBA. This is not only beneficial for retention, but it's one of the best ways to address the clinician shortage—build them from within! A quality fieldwork experience can be difficult to come by. Develop a fieldwork program with a mid-level supervisor position where the aspiring analyst can systematically develop the competencies of an analyst. Added bonuses for the clinician are more stability and higher pay.
Communicate clearly about schedules and scheduling policies. Share your scheduling and cancellation policies upfront to reduce confusion about how your technicians are scheduled and paid. Additionally, regularly check in with your technicians to ensure their current schedule and workload are a good fit for their needs and preferences.
Offer RBT professional development. With the new professional development requirement for RBTs coming in 2026, provide opportunities for continuing education or reimburse technicians for attending ACE events, to avoid the financial burden of continuing education falling on the technician, which could lead to future turnover.
Support professional growth. Create growth opportunities within the RBT role and across additional administrative roles to enable technicians to grow in the field, even if they don't want to become a BCBA.
Reduce travel. While the field is increasingly shifting toward center-based ABA, the burdens of travel time remain a concern for home and community-based RBTs.
Workplace Culture Factors That Impact RBT Retention
Lastly, we dive into workplace culture factors that influence whether RBTs stay or leave the field. A concerning 44% of former RBTs reported poor treatment by their company, and 27% felt isolated in the workplace. Interpersonal connections in the workplace can be challenging in this field, particularly for those who work in homes, who rarely, if ever, see their coworkers. A lack of supervisory support, a common factor reported in burnout and turnover literature, was also reported by 41% of respondents.
Culture encompasses how staff are treated, the quality of their supervisory experiences, and overall morale. RBTs who feel undervalued and unsupported are likely to experience burnout quicker, accelerating turnover.
Strategies to Foster a Positive Workplace Culture:
Improve supervisory support. Address the conditions contributing to subpar supervision. This will require a multifactoral approach, including ensuring technicians receive the minimum (and ideally higher) 5% supervision, training supervisors on best supervision practices, increasing and improving the delivery of feedback, establishing clear expectations, and ensuring supervisors have the time and resources to support their supervisees.
Create a culture of feedback. Staff should know not only to expect feedback but that they're encouraged to provide it, too. Foster that open communication where they feel comfortable reaching out and seeking support.
Recognize achievements & contributions. Place a heavy emphasis on staff appreciation and acknowledge the dedication your team provides. Celebrate contributions through:
Staff shout-outs (Ensure each technician is comfortable with public praise first) or peer-to-peer recognition programs
Merit-based raises
Quarterly bonuses based on predetermined performance criteria
Team celebrations/events
Personal notes of appreciation
Foster peer connection. Combat isolation by developing or encouraging peer connections through team meetings, mentorship, and social opportunities.
Promote respectful treatment of all staff. Ensure policies, procedures, and the behavior of the leadership team consistently reflect respect and fairness. Urgently address complaints or reports of unethical or inappropriate behavior.
Main Takeaways: How to Retain RBTs
More than 30,000 RBTs left the ABA field in 2024. That's a staggering number that highlights the ongoing challenge of retention in ABA.
In the BACB's exit survey, respondents were asked what, if anything, could encourage them to return to working as an RBT. The three primary factors that could bring former RBTs back were:
Improved Compensation
Consistent and Predictable Scheduling
Greater Professional Support
Research has long suggested that RBT retention is about creating a work environment where they feel valued, supported, and equipped to succeed. As we transition into the new year, we encourage ABA organizations to prioritize these three main areas in their RBT retention plans.
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