The median pay for Hearing Aid Specialists is $65,160 a year ($31.33/hr), according to BLS OEWS, May 2025. Employment is projected to grow 19.4% through 2035, with about 900 openings a year (BLS EP, 2025–2035). Typical entry-level education: High school diploma or equivalent.
- SOC 29-2092
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Hearing Aid Specialist in four numbers
- Median pay
- $65,160a year, or $31.33/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $38KTop 10% $94K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +19.4%Much faster than averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+19.4%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +19.4% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 90011,200 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 202511.2K
- Projected 203513.4K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 11.2K Projected 2035 13.4K - Typical education
- High schoolneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
- High school22.1%
- Certificate12%
- Associate's9.2%
- Bachelor's0.4%
- Post-bacc certificate11.9%
- Doctorate44%
Highest education held by hearing aid specialists Segment Value High school 22.1% Certificate 12% Associate's 9.2% Bachelor's 0.4% Post-bacc certificate 11.9% Doctorate 44%
Also advertised as: Audioprosthologist, Hearing Aid Consultant, Hearing Aid Specialist, Hearing Care Practitioner, Hearing Care Specialist, Hearing Instrument Dispenser.
Pay
How much do Hearing Aid Specialists make?
Every hearing aid specialist in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$65,160
Middle half earn $48,390 to $80,010
- 10th
- $38,400
- 25th
- $48,390
- 75th
- $80,010
- 90th
- $94,020
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $38,400 |
| 25th | $48,390 |
| Median | $65,160 |
| 75th | $80,010 |
| 90th | $94,020 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $65,160
- Median hourly wage
- $31.33/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $66,370
- People employed
- 11,270
Versus all US occupations
At $65,160, Hearing Aid Specialists earn 28% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $14,180 a year.
Versus healthcare practitioners and technical occupations
Inside the Healthcare Practitioners and Technical group, where the middle occupation pays $102,760, this is 37% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $94,020 or more while the bottom 10% earn $38,400, a gap of 2.4×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 40% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
New York posts the highest raw median ($82,990), but once local prices are taken into account Tennessee leads at $85,196 in national-average dollars.
Pay by state
Which states pay Hearing Aid Specialists the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1New York | $82,990 | $76,899 | 380 |
| 2Nevada | $81,800 | $81,817 | 60 |
| 3California | $80,060 | $72,309 | 990 |
| 4Tennessee | $78,270 | $85,196 | 190 |
| 5Colorado | $77,540 | $75,244 | 140 |
| 6Washington | $77,510 | $72,430 | 280 |
| 7Maryland | $77,460 | $73,800 | 50 |
| 8Arizona | $76,750 | $76,234 | 110 |
| 9Wisconsin | $76,750 | $81,567 | 170 |
| 10North Carolina | $75,810 | $80,370 | 240 |
Job outlook
Is Hearing Aid Specialist a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
Much faster than average. +19.4% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Hearing Aid Specialists | +19.4% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
Much faster than average
BLS projects employment of Hearing Aid Specialists to change 19.4% over 2025–2035, roughly 5.5× the 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 2,200 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 900 openings are projected each year, 8.0% of the 11,200 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become a Hearing Aid Specialist
- 1
Typical entry-level education
High school diploma or equivalent
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Some preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as hearing aid specialists.
- Doctoral Degree44%
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)22.1%
- Post-Secondary Certificate12%
- Post-Baccalaureate Certificate11.9%
- Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree9.2%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Doctoral Degree | 44% |
| High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) | 22.1% |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 12% |
| Post-Baccalaureate Certificate | 11.9% |
| Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree | 9.2% |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
The work
What does a Hearing Aid Specialist do?
Select and fit hearing aids for customers. Administer and interpret tests of hearing. Assess hearing instrument efficacy. Take ear impressions and prepare, design, and modify ear molds.
Day-to-day tasks
- Maintain or repair hearing aids or other communication devices.
- Train clients to use hearing aids or other augmentative communication devices.
- Counsel patients and families on communication strategies and the effects of hearing loss.
- Administer basic hearing tests including air conduction, bone conduction, or speech audiometry tests.
- Create or modify impressions for earmolds and hearing aid shells.
- Read current literature, talk with colleagues, and participate in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of developments in audiology.
- Perform basic screening procedures, such as pure tone screening, otoacoustic screening, immittance screening, and screening of ear canal status using otoscope.
- Select and administer tests to evaluate hearing or related disabilities.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Working conditions and hours
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayIndoors, in a climate-controlled space, every day.
Outdoors in all weather
NeverEvery dayAlmost never works outdoors.
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeSeated for more than half the working day.
Standing
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantConstant contact with other people.
Face-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayDealing with the public
Not importantExtremely importantDealing with customers or the public is very important.
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayConflict situations
NeverEvery dayCost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lotA lot of freedom to make decisions without checking first.
Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Active Listening3.9
- Speaking3.4
- Reading Comprehension3.3
- Writing3.1
- Critical Thinking3.1
- Active Learning3.1
- Monitoring3.1
- Learning Strategies3.0
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Active Listening | 3.9 |
| Speaking | 3.4 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.3 |
| Writing | 3.1 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.1 |
| Active Learning | 3.1 |
| Monitoring | 3.1 |
| Learning Strategies | 3.0 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Service Orientation3.6
- Instructing3.5
- Social Perceptiveness3.3
- Persuasion3.1
- Complex Problem Solving3.1
- Judgment and Decision Making3.1
- Coordination3.0
- Time Management3.0
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Service Orientation | 3.6 |
| Instructing | 3.5 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.3 |
| Persuasion | 3.1 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.1 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.1 |
| Coordination | 3.0 |
| Time Management | 3.0 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Medical software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits a Hearing Aid Specialist?
O*NET Occupational Interests (RIASEC), scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Hearing Aid Specialist |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 4 |
| Investigative | 4 |
| Artistic | 2 |
| Social | 5 |
| Enterprising | 2 |
| Conventional | 4 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around teaching, helping and working directly with other people, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
- Social4.5
- Conventional4.4
- Investigative4.4
- Realistic3.9
- Artistic1.7
- Enterprising1.7
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Hearing Aid Specialist
O*NET related occupations
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Healthcare Support
- Healthcare Support
- Healthcare Support
More healthcare practitioners and technical careers
Median annual pay, with hearing aid specialists highlighted
- Anesthesiologist$391,490
- Physician Assistant$135,880
- Nurse Practitioner$132,300
- Physical Therapist$102,760
- Dental Hygienist$98,100
- Diagnostic Medical Sonographer$96,590
- Radiologic Technologist and Technician$80,110
- Hearing Aid Specialist$65,160
- Surgical Technologist$64,650
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Anesthesiologist | $391,490 |
| Physician Assistant | $135,880 |
| Nurse Practitioner | $132,300 |
| Physical Therapist | $102,760 |
| Dental Hygienist | $98,100 |
| Diagnostic Medical Sonographer | $96,590 |
| Radiologic Technologist and Technician | $80,110 |
| Hearing Aid Specialist | $65,160 |
| Surgical Technologist | $64,650 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Hearing Aid Specialist appears on
Questions
Hearing Aid Specialist: frequently asked questions
How much do Hearing Aid Specialists make?
Hearing Aid Specialists earn a median of $65,160 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 28% above the $50,980 US median across all occupations. That works out at $31.33/hr. The middle half earn between $48,390 and $80,010. The top 10% earn $94,020 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Hearing Aid Specialist?
No. A bachelor's degree is not the norm: BLS reports a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education for Hearing Aid Specialists. BLS also lists moderate-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 44.0% hold doctoral degree.
Is Hearing Aid Specialist a growing career?
Yes, strongly. Employment is projected to grow 19.4% over 2025–2035, more than double the 3.5% projected for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 900 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Hearing Aid Specialist do?
Select and fit hearing aids for customers. A core O*NET task: maintain or repair hearing aids or other communication devices. Employers most often ask for Electronic mail software, Office suite software, Presentation software.
Which states pay Hearing Aid Specialists the most?
The highest state medians for Hearing Aid Specialists are New York ($82,990), Nevada ($81,800), California ($80,060) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, Tennessee moves to the top at $85,196.
What personality type suits a Hearing Aid Specialist?
O*NET scores Hearing Aid Specialists highest on the Social, Conventional and Investigative interest areas, so the work mixes teaching, helping and working directly with other people with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping that lines up most closely with ISFJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.