---
title: "Speech-Language Pathologist"
description: "Assess and treat persons with speech, language, voice, and fluency disorders. May select alternative communication systems and teach their use. May…"
canonical: "https://nuecareer.com/careers/speech-language-pathologist"
last-updated: "2026-08-23T15:56:39.581Z"
---

# Speech-Language Pathologist

**Category:** Healthcare Practitioners and Technical · **SOC code:** 29-1127 · **O\*NET-SOC code:** 29-1127.00

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.

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; Speech Clinician; Speech Pathologist.

## At a glance

- **Median annual wage:** $97,870 (BLS OEWS, May 2025)
- **Median hourly wage:** $47.05/hr
- **Wage range (10th–90th percentile):** $62,900 to $134,160, with the middle half between $77,730 and $114,570
- **Total US employment:** 183,390
- **Typical entry education:** Master's
- **Preparation required:** Considerable preparation — O\*NET rates this "Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed"
- **Projected growth:** +15.0% over 2024–2034 (BLS EP, 2024–2034)
- **Annual job openings:** 13,300 openings a year
- **AI-resilience score:** 33/100 — a NueCareer heuristic over O\*NET work activities and context, not a BLS or O\*NET figure

## Pay

National wage distribution, BLS OEWS, May 2025, across 183,390 US jobs.

| Percentile | Annual wage |
| --- | --- |
| 10th | $62,900 |
| 25th | $77,730 |
| 50th (median) | $97,870 |
| 75th | $114,570 |
| 90th | $134,160 |
| Mean (average) | $98,170 |

### Pay by state

The 15 highest-paying states, by median annual wage. The cost-of-living-adjusted column divides the state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, so the columns answer different questions: the first is what the job pays there, the second is what that pay buys there.

| State | Median annual wage | Cost-of-living adjusted | Employment |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| CA | $118,970 | $107,451 | 16,930 |
| CO | $110,750 | $107,470 | 4,420 |
| DC | $109,380 | $99,526 | 390 |
| WA | $105,550 | $98,633 | 3,570 |
| NV | $104,510 | $104,532 | 1,270 |
| RI | $104,000 | $101,682 | 720 |
| DE | $102,760 | $102,958 | 690 |
| AK | $102,670 | $100,304 | 340 |
| OR | $102,660 | $99,322 | 1,600 |
| NJ | $101,560 | $93,341 | 6,840 |
| MA | $101,310 | $95,795 | 5,290 |
| NY | $100,610 | $93,226 | 15,310 |
| CT | $100,110 | $96,622 | 2,390 |
| FL | $99,990 | $96,689 | 10,080 |
| TX | $99,910 | $102,940 | 19,120 |

37 more states with published wage data are omitted here. The full table for all 52 states is at https://nuecareer.com/careers/speech-language-pathologist/salary-by-state, or as JSON at https://nuecareer.com/api/v1/careers/speech-language-pathologist.

## Outlook

BLS projects employment to move from 187,400 in the 2024–2034 base year to 215,500 by the end of the cycle — a gain of 28,200 jobs, or +15.0%. Much faster than average: 15.0% against 3.1% projected for all occupations over the same cycle. About 13,300 openings a year are expected on average, counting openings from growth as well as from workers leaving the occupation permanently. Source: BLS EP, 2024–2034.

## How to get in

- **Typical entry education:** Master's degree (BLS Employment Projections).
- **Preparation level:** Considerable preparation — O\*NET's preparation band for this occupation is "Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed".
- **Related work experience typically required:** None.
- **Typical on-the-job training:** Internship/residency.

### Education people in this job actually hold

O\*NET surveys incumbents, so this distribution describes who is in the job today and can differ from the BLS entry requirement above.

| Education level | Share of workers |
| --- | --- |
| Master's Degree | 88.5% |
| Post-Master's Certificate | 11.5% |

## What the work involves

- 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.

## Skills and knowledge

### Essential skills

- Reading Comprehension — importance 4.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Active Listening — importance 4.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Critical Thinking — importance 4.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Writing — importance 4.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Speaking — importance 4.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Learning Strategies — importance 4.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Active Learning — importance 3.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Monitoring — importance 3.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

### Transferable skills

These are the skills that carry into other occupations, and they drive the related-occupation and career-change rankings on this site.

- Social Perceptiveness — importance 4.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Instructing — importance 3.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Complex Problem Solving — importance 3.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Service Orientation — importance 3.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Judgment and Decision Making — importance 3.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Coordination — importance 3.3 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Time Management — importance 3.3 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Systems Analysis — importance 3.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

### Knowledge areas

- English Language — importance 4.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Education and Training — importance 4.2 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Customer and Personal Service — importance 4.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Psychology — importance 4.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Therapy and Counseling — importance 4.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Administrative — importance 3.6 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

### Abilities

- Oral Comprehension — importance 4.5 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Oral Expression — importance 4.3 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Written Expression — importance 4.3 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Speech Recognition — importance 4.3 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Written Comprehension — importance 4.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Speech Clarity — importance 4.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

## Who it suits

O\*NET rates every occupation on the six Holland (RIASEC) interest areas, on a 1–7 scale. This occupation's strongest areas are Social (S), Investigative (I), Conventional (C).

| Interest area | Score (1–7) |
| --- | --- |
| S — Social | 6.09 |
| I — Investigative | 5.57 |
| C — Conventional | 4.03 |
| A — Artistic | 3.00 |
| R — Realistic | 2.62 |
| E — Enterprising | 1.44 |

### Personality fit

These scores are **derived by NueCareer**, not published by any government agency: they are cosine similarities between a personality type's trait profile and this occupation's O\*NET interest and work-style ratings, expressed 0–100. Treat them as a starting point for exploration, not as evidence that a type belongs in a job.

| Type | Fit score (0–100) |
| --- | --- |
| INFJ | 68.7 |
| ISFJ | 62.7 |
| ISFP | 60.9 |
| INFP | 58.9 |
| ENFJ | 55.8 |

Best-fitting types: INFJ.

## Related occupations

O\*NET's primary related occupations, in its own ranked order.

- [Speech-Language Pathology Assistant](https://nuecareer.com/careers/speech-language-pathology-assistant) — median $48,430
- [Occupational Therapist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/occupational-therapist) — median $100,330
- [Occupational Therapy Assistant](https://nuecareer.com/careers/occupational-therapy-assistant) — median $72,300
- [Audiologist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/audiologist) — median $95,780
- [Occupational Therapy Aide](https://nuecareer.com/careers/occupational-therapy-aide) — median $39,160
- [Recreational Therapist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/recreational-therapist) — median $61,960
- [Clinical Psychologist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/clinical-psychologist) — median $100,580
- [Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurse](https://nuecareer.com/careers/advanced-practice-psychiatric-nurse) — median $97,550
- [Low Vision Therapist, Orientation and Mobility Specialist, and Vision Rehabilitation Therapist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/low-vision-therapist-orientation-and-mobility-specialist-and-vision-rehabilitation-therapist) — median $100,330
- [Physical Therapist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/physical-therapist) — median $102,760

## Sources

- **O\*NET** — O\*NET 30.3 Database, May 2026. https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html
- **BLS OEWS** — BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. https://www.bls.gov/oes/
- **BLS EP** — BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2, 2024–2034. https://www.bls.gov/emp/
- **BLS OOH** — BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024–2034 edition. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/
- **BEA RPP** — BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024. https://www.bea.gov/data/prices-inflation/regional-price-parities-state-and-metro-area

---

This bank includes information from the O\*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). O\*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. NueCareer has transformed the data by joining it to BLS wage and projection data and deriving facet, personality-fit and AI-resilience scores. BLS and BEA data are public domain (17 U.S.C. §105).

O\*NET content is used under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). How these figures are sourced and derived: https://nuecareer.com/careers/methodology

JSON representation of this page: https://nuecareer.com/api/v1/careers/speech-language-pathologist