National Behavioral Health Workforce Report for February 2026 (Feb 9–15) | 4,942 Provider Records

A striking surge in new enrollments marks this week's update to the CMS National Provider Identifier (NPI) registry, with all 4,942 records processed carrying a 2026 enrollment date. This singular focus on recent additions highlights an exceptionally active period of workforce expansion, signaling robust growth within the behavioral health sector.

California Leads Geographic Expansion

Geographic analysis reveals a significant concentration of new behavioral health providers in a few key states. California led the nation with 1,196 new providers, accounting for 24% of all enrollments this week. Texas followed with 328 providers (7%), and Florida was close behind with 318 providers (6%). Michigan and Maryland also showed substantial growth, with 251 and 223 new providers respectively, each representing 5% of the total. Florida's consistent high ranking in provider registrations is largely attributable to its extensive Medicaid ABA reimbursement program, which, coupled with high autism diagnosis rates and a dense population of school-aged children, fuels strong demand for behavioral services.

RBTs Drive Workforce Growth

The data on professional credentials underscores the critical role of paraprofessionals in meeting the escalating demand for behavioral health services. Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs) constituted the largest group, with 2,582 listings as a primary taxonomy, representing 52% of all new individual enrollments. Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs), who supervise RBTs and design treatment plans, accounted for 183 primary listings (4%). This disparity reflects the tiered service delivery model common in ABA therapy. Notably, 7 providers were listed with both BCBA and RBT designations, a common career progression pattern where individuals retain their RBT certification after achieving master's-level board certification. The workforce continues to be predominantly female, with 3,053 new female providers accounting for 70% of individual enrollments, consistent with broader trends in caregiving and education-adjacent professions. An additional 596 individuals identified as nonbinary, making up 14% of individual enrollments, while 694 male providers represented 16%.

Recent Enrollments Signal Rapid Expansion

The fact that all 4,942 records processed this week are new enrollments from 2026 points to an accelerated pace of workforce entry and market expansion. This rapid growth aligns with the sharp increase in demand for ABA therapy since around 2019, driven by expanded Medicaid mandates, insurance parity laws, and rising autism diagnosis rates. Beyond core ABA roles, the data also highlights the increasing integration of adjacent specialties. Mental Health Counselors represented the second-largest primary taxonomy with 573 listings, followed by Clinical Social Workers with 356 listings. Overall, 242 providers listed a second taxonomy, and 102 listed a third, indicating a trend toward multidisciplinary care and practitioners bridging specialties to offer comprehensive behavioral health services.

Organizational Activity Reflects Diverse Growth

Several organizations appeared multiple times in this week's data, signaling active expansion and large-scale credentialing efforts across diverse institutional settings. PSYCHIATRY OF TEXAS PLLC and PSYCHPLUS MEDICAL ASSOCIATES PLLC each had 3 listings, indicating growth within larger mental health groups. SAN DIEGO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT also appeared 3 times, reflecting institutional expansion in school-based services. Other notable organizations with multiple new enrollments included EL CONCILIO CALIFORNIA, PALOMAR UCSD HEALTH AUTHORITY, JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY, RHA HEALTH SERVICES NC LLC, PROGRESS UP ABA LLC, FLAGLER COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD, and ROCKY MOUNTAIN PLANNED PARENTHOOD, INC., each with 2 listings. While these do not represent the large private-equity-backed ABA chains, their repeated appearance underscores significant institutional and multi-entity activity in the broader behavioral health market.

This week's NPI data paints a clear picture of a behavioral health industry experiencing dynamic growth. The overwhelming number of new enrollments in 2026, particularly among RBTs, demonstrates a concerted effort to expand the workforce and meet the surging demand for services. This growth is concentrated in high-demand states and is characterized by a diverse range of individual practitioners and organizational entities, all contributing to the evolving landscape of behavioral healthcare.

Weekly Workforce Infographic

This update is based on the CMS NPPES weekly release for February 2026 (Feb 9–15), published on the CMS NPI Files page by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Taxonomy counts can overlap because one provider may list multiple specialties in the CMS NPI registry, so category totals and shares are not mutually exclusive.