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.
Speech-Language Pathologist Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
Speech-Language Pathologists earn a median of $97,870 per year ($47.05/hr) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to grow 15.0% through 2034, with about 13,300 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: Master's degree.
SOC 29-1127Healthcare Practitioners and TechnicalLast updated August 15, 2026
- Median pay
- $97,870
- Projected growth
- +15.0%
- Openings a year
- 13,300
- Typical education
- Master's
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: Bilingual Speech-Language Pathologist (Bilingual SLP), Pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist (Pediatric SLP), Speech and Language Clinician, Speech and Language Specialist, Speech and Language Teacher, Speech and Language Therapist.
How much do Speech-Language Pathologists make?
10th percentile$62,900
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$77,730
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$97,870
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$114,570
Upper quartile
90th percentile$134,160
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $97,870 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | $47.05/hr |
| Mean annual wage | $98,170 |
| People employed | 183,390 |
Versus all US occupations
At $97,870, Speech-Language Pathologists earn 92% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $46,890 a year.
Versus healthcare practitioners and technical occupations
The median is typical for the Healthcare Practitioners and Technical group, where the middle occupation pays $97,870.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $134,160 or more while the bottom 10% earn $62,900, a gap of 2.1×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 77% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
California posts the highest raw median ($118,970), but once local prices are taken into account Colorado leads at $107,470 in national-average dollars.
Which states pay Speech-Language Pathologists the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $118,970 | $107,451 | 16,930 |
| Colorado | $110,750 | $107,470 | 4,420 |
| District of Columbia | $109,380 | $99,526 | 390 |
| Washington | $105,550 | $98,633 | 3,570 |
| Nevada | $104,510 | $104,532 | 1,270 |
| Rhode Island | $104,000 | $101,682 | 720 |
| Delaware | $102,760 | $102,958 | 690 |
| Alaska | $102,670 | $100,304 | 340 |
| Oregon | $102,660 | $99,322 | 1,600 |
| New Jersey | $101,560 | $93,341 | 6,840 |
Is Speech-Language Pathologist a growing career?
Speech-Language Pathologists15.0%
All US occupations3.1%
+15.0% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
Much faster than average
BLS projects employment of Speech-Language Pathologists to change 15.0% over 2024–2034, roughly 4.8× the 3.1% projected for all occupations. That is 28,200 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 13,300 openings are projected each year, 7.1% of the 187,400 jobs that existed in 2024. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
As the population ages, there will be more instances of health conditions such as strokes or dementia, which can cause speech or language impairments. Speech-language pathologists will be needed to treat the increased number of speech and language disorders in the older population.
Increased awareness of speech and language disorders, such as stuttering, in younger children should lead to a need for more speech-language pathologists who specialize in treating that age group. Also, an increasing number of speech-language pathologists will be needed to work with children with autism spectrum disorder to improve their ability to communicate and socialize effectively.
How to become a Speech-Language Pathologist
Speech-language pathologists typically need at least a master’s degree in speech-language pathology. All states require that speech-language pathologists be licensed. Requirements for licensure vary by state.
| Typical entry-level education | Master's degree |
|---|---|
| Preparation needed (O*NET job zone) | Considerable preparation |
| Work experience in a related occupation | None |
| Typical on-the-job training | Internship/residency |
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as speech-language pathologists.
- Master's Degree88.5%
- Post-Master's Certificate11.5%
What does a Speech-Language Pathologist do?
Assess and treat persons with speech, language, voice, and fluency disorders. May select alternative communication systems and teach their use. May perform research related to speech and language problems.
Speech-language pathologists (sometimes called speech therapists) assess and treat people who have speech, language, voice, and fluency disorders. They also treat clients who have problems swallowing.
Day-to-day tasks
- Evaluate hearing or speech and language test results, barium swallow results, or medical or background information to diagnose and plan treatment for speech, language, fluency, voice, or swallowing disorders.
- Write reports and maintain proper documentation of information, such as client Medicaid or billing records or caseload activities, including the initial evaluation, treatment, progress, and discharge of clients.
- Develop or implement treatment plans for problems such as stuttering, delayed language, swallowing disorders, or inappropriate pitch or harsh voice problems, based on own assessments and recommendations of physicians, psychologists, or social workers.
- Administer hearing or speech and language evaluations, tests, or examinations to patients to collect information on type and degree of impairments, using written or oral tests or special instruments.
- Complete administrative responsibilities, such as coordinating paperwork, scheduling case management activities, or writing lesson plans.
- Consult with and refer clients to additional medical or educational services.
- Participate in conferences, training, continuing education courses, or publish research results to share knowledge of new hearing or speech disorder treatment methods or technologies.
- Monitor patients' progress and adjust treatments accordingly.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Where speech-language pathologists work
| Educational services; state, local, and private | 40% |
|---|---|
| Offices of physical, occupational and speech therapists, and audiologists | 26% |
| Hospitals; state, local, and private | 14% |
| Nursing and residential care facilities | 4% |
| Self-employed workers | 3% |
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024–2034 edition.
Core skills
- Reading Comprehension4.1/5
- Active Listening4.1/5
- Critical Thinking4.1/5
- Writing4.0/5
- Speaking4.0/5
- Learning Strategies4.0/5
- Active Learning3.9/5
- Monitoring3.9/5
Transferable skills
- Social Perceptiveness4.1/5
- Instructing3.9/5
- Complex Problem Solving3.9/5
- Service Orientation3.8/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.8/5
- Coordination3.3/5
- Time Management3.3/5
- Systems Analysis3.1/5
Tools and software
- Medical software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Analytical or scientific software
- Cloud-based data access and sharing software
- Computer based training software
- Desktop communications software
- Electronic mail software
- Internet browser software
- Music or sound editing software
- Video creation and editing software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
What personality type suits a Speech-Language Pathologist?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realistic2.6
Investigativeprimary5.6
Artistic3.0
Socialprimary6.1
Enterprising1.4
Conventionalprimary4.0
Day to day this is work built around teaching, helping and working directly with other people, combined with investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data.
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.
Speech-Language Pathologist: frequently asked questions
How much do Speech-Language Pathologists make?
Speech-Language Pathologists earn a median of $97,870 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). That is 92% above the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $47.05/hr. The middle half earn between $77,730 and $114,570. The top 10% earn $134,160 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Speech-Language Pathologist?
Yes. BLS reports a master's degree as the typical entry-level education for Speech-Language Pathologists, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as considerable preparation. BLS also lists internship/residency as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 88.5% hold master's degree.
Is Speech-Language Pathologist a growing career?
Yes, strongly. Employment is projected to grow 15.0% over 2024–2034, more than double the 3.1% projected for all occupations (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 13,300 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Speech-Language Pathologist do?
Speech-language pathologists (sometimes called speech therapists) assess and treat people who have speech, language, voice, and fluency disorders. A core O*NET task: evaluate hearing or speech and language test results, barium swallow results, or medical or background information to diagnose and plan treatment for speech, language, fluency, voice, or swallowing disorders. Employers most often ask for Medical software, Office suite software, Spreadsheet software.
Which states pay Speech-Language Pathologists the most?
The highest state medians for Speech-Language Pathologists are California ($118,970), Colorado ($110,750), District of Columbia ($109,380) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, Colorado moves to the top at $107,470.
What personality type suits a Speech-Language Pathologist?
O*NET scores Speech-Language Pathologists highest on the Social, Investigative and Conventional interest areas, so the work mixes teaching, helping and working directly with other people with investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping that lines up most closely with INFJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 923 occupations in the bank.