Missouri registered 127 behavioral health providers in the latest CMS NPI registry weekly update, accounting for 1% of the national total. This steady, albeit smaller, influx of new providers suggests ongoing efforts to address behavioral health needs within the state, indicating consistent demand for services.
ABA Workforce Composition
Within the applied behavior analysis (ABA) sector, the state added 8 BCBA credentials and 18 RBT credentials. It is important to note that these figures are not mutually exclusive, as 1 individual holds both BCBA and RBT credentials, reflecting a common career progression from direct service to supervisory roles. The resulting ratio of approximately 2.25 RBTs per BCBA indicates a foundational but still developing supervisory capacity. For optimal ABA service delivery and RBT supervision, a higher BCBA-to-RBT ratio is often desired, suggesting a potential need for more BCBA-level professionals in Missouri.
Provider Demographics and Key Employers
Of the 100 individual providers, 90 are female (90%) and 10 are male (10%), aligning with the predominantly female demographic seen across the broader behavioral health field. Among organizations, KVC Behavioral Healthcare Missouri Inc. appeared 3 times, and Midwest Division - LSH, LLC appeared 2 times in the new registrations, highlighting their active expansion or establishment of new service locations in the state.
Overall, this data reflects a consistent, though not rapid, expansion of Missouri's behavioral health workforce, with a particular opportunity to strengthen the BCBA supervisory pipeline to support growing ABA services.
