Pay by state · 52 areas
Speech-Language Pathologist Salary by State (2026)
Speech-Language Pathologists earn the most in California at $118,970 a year and the least in South Dakota at $65,680 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $97,870. The table below covers all 50 states, DC and Puerto Rico, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $118,970California
- National median
- $97,870BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $65,680South Dakota
- Areas reporting
- 52of 54 OEWS areas
Top and bottom
Highest- and lowest-paying states for speech-language pathologists
Ranked on the state median among the 50 states and DC. After cost of living, Colorado comes out ahead instead. Territories are in the full table but not ranked here.
Highest median pay
- 1California$118,970
- 2Colorado$110,750
- 3District of Columbia$109,380
- 4Washington$105,550
- 5Nevada$104,510
Lowest median pay
- 1South Dakota$65,680
- 2Louisiana$69,610
- 3Alabama$73,660
- 4North Dakota$75,240
- 5Mississippi$78,130
All states
Speech-Language Pathologist salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of speech-language pathologists OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CACalifornia | $118,970 | $98,920 | $135,070 | 16,930 | $107,451 |
| 2 | COColorado | $110,750 | $94,590 | $136,890 | 4,420 | $107,470 |
| 3 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $109,380 | $96,180 | $130,620 | 390 | $99,526 |
| 4 | WAWashington | $105,550 | $96,100 | $124,010 | 3,570 | $98,633 |
| 5 | NVNevada | $104,510 | $83,200 | $119,630 | 1,270 | $104,532 |
| 6 | RIRhode Island | $104,000 | $92,260 | $111,610 | 720 | $101,682 |
| 7 | DEDelaware | $102,760 | $87,210 | $114,620 | 690 | $102,958 |
| 8 | AKAlaska | $102,670 | $84,310 | $108,700 | 340 | $100,304 |
| 9 | OROregon | $102,660 | $85,810 | $127,700 | 1,600 | $99,322 |
| 10 | NJNew Jersey | $101,560 | $82,680 | $128,910 | 6,840 | $93,341 |
| 11 | MAMassachusetts | $101,310 | $83,090 | $119,100 | 5,290 | $95,795 |
| 12 | NYNew York | $100,610 | $78,570 | $131,190 | 15,310 | $93,226 |
| 13 | CTConnecticut | $100,110 | $80,960 | $114,400 | 2,390 | $96,622 |
| 14 | FLFlorida | $99,990 | $83,120 | $105,460 | 10,080 | $96,689 |
| 15 | TXTexas | $99,910 | $79,230 | $118,490 | 19,120 | $102,940 |
| 16 | MDMaryland | $99,190 | $79,370 | $114,260 | 3,510 | $94,504 |
| 17 | NMNew Mexico | $98,690 | $78,940 | $123,920 | 1,250 | $107,025 |
| 18 | AZArizona | $97,800 | $81,020 | $114,400 | 3,390 | $97,142 |
| 19 | HIHawaii | $97,560 | $75,020 | $107,950 | 270 | $88,730 |
| 20 | GAGeorgia | $96,760 | $73,990 | $108,030 | 4,030 | $100,485 |
| 21 | VAVirginia | $96,250 | $77,830 | $116,790 | 4,460 | $95,199 |
| 22 | ILIllinois | $95,080 | $76,590 | $108,330 | 9,040 | $95,120 |
| 23 | OHOhio | $93,300 | $77,250 | $105,500 | 7,270 | $100,567 |
| 24 | PAPennsylvania | $92,960 | $72,440 | $107,990 | 6,570 | $95,273 |
| 25 | UTUtah | $91,560 | $66,490 | $106,850 | 1,460 | $92,612 |
| 26 | SCSouth Carolina | $90,530 | $68,750 | $106,920 | 2,190 | $96,566 |
| 27 | MNMinnesota | $89,380 | $78,310 | $100,650 | 3,890 | $90,630 |
| 28 | MOMissouri | $89,280 | $71,520 | $103,240 | 3,230 | $98,308 |
| 29 | MIMichigan | $89,120 | $76,070 | $101,410 | 4,730 | $92,624 |
| 30 | INIndiana | $87,360 | $75,380 | $106,080 | 3,310 | $93,604 |
| 31 | NCNorth Carolina | $86,460 | $71,160 | $103,020 | 5,600 | $91,661 |
| 32 | TNTennessee | $84,630 | $64,730 | $101,760 | 3,320 | $92,119 |
| 33 | OKOklahoma | $84,470 | $60,600 | $105,710 | 1,870 | $96,160 |
| 34 | IDIdaho | $84,380 | $76,310 | $99,360 | 1,210 | $88,362 |
| 35 | NENebraska | $84,350 | $74,540 | $99,360 | 1,310 | $93,615 |
| 36 | ARArkansas | $83,580 | $65,070 | $112,140 | 2,430 | $96,139 |
| 37 | KYKentucky | $83,550 | $70,250 | $104,120 | 2,610 | $92,670 |
| 38 | NHNew Hampshire | $83,040 | $75,190 | $100,820 | 720 | $79,720 |
| 39 | WIWisconsin | $83,000 | $72,370 | $99,530 | 2,940 | $88,209 |
| 40 | MEMaine | $82,660 | $73,930 | $99,060 | 640 | $85,173 |
| 41 | VTVermont | $82,090 | $78,270 | $98,760 | 430 | $83,801 |
| 42 | WYWyoming | $82,040 | $68,710 | $109,540 | 240 | $88,509 |
| 43 | IAIowa | $81,050 | $70,470 | $95,970 | 1,540 | $92,352 |
| 44 | WVWest Virginia | $80,970 | $67,640 | $108,290 | 880 | $90,472 |
| 45 | KSKansas | $80,120 | $65,010 | $99,650 | 1,690 | $88,955 |
| 46 | MTMontana | $78,740 | $65,010 | $93,490 | 490 | $83,195 |
| 47 | MSMississippi | $78,130 | $62,080 | $97,860 | 1,790 | $89,853 |
| 48 | NDNorth Dakota | $75,240 | $61,520 | $85,920 | 630 | $84,578 |
| 49 | ALAlabama | $73,660 | $63,760 | $88,990 | 2,060 | $82,929 |
| 50 | LALouisiana | $69,610 | $60,790 | $90,660 | 3,000 | $78,917 |
| 51 | SDSouth Dakota | $65,680 | $62,400 | $82,560 | 410 | $74,143 |
| 52 | PRPuerto Rico | $49,800 | $47,850 | $59,220 | 150 | N/A |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For speech-language pathologists, that changes the ranking: California leads on raw pay at $118,970, while Colorado leads once prices are taken into account at $107,470.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Speech-Language Pathologist pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays speech-language pathologists the most?
California reports the highest median wage for speech-language pathologists at $118,970 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Colorado ($110,750) and District of Columbia ($109,380).
Which state pays speech-language pathologists the least?
Among the 50 states and DC, South Dakota reports the lowest median for speech-language pathologists at $65,680 a year, $53,290 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Among the territories, Puerto Rico reports $49,800.
In which states do speech-language pathologists earn over $100,000?
13 of the 50 states and DC have a median of $100,000 or more (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The highest is California; the lowest of them is Connecticut at $100,110. The rest report less, down to $65,680 in South Dakota.
Is the highest-paying state the best for speech-language pathologists after cost of living?
Not on this data. California pays the most on paper ($118,970) but ranks 2nd of 51 once each median is divided by the state's BEA Regional Price Parity ($107,451). Colorado leads after that adjustment at $107,470, from a raw median of $110,750. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024; the adjustment is NueCareer's calculation.