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.
Speech-Language Pathologist Salary by State (2026)
Speech-Language Pathologists earn the most in California at $118,970 a year and the least in Puerto Rico at $49,800 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $97,870. All 52 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $118,970
- National median
- $97,870
- Lowest median
- $49,800
- States reporting
- 52
California
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Puerto Rico
of 54 OEWS areas
Top 5 states for Speech-Language Pathologists
- 1. California$118,970 median · $107,451 adjusted · 16,930 employed
- 2. Colorado$110,750 median · $107,470 adjusted · 4,420 employed
- 3. District of Columbia$109,380 median · $99,526 adjusted · 390 employed
- 4. Washington$105,550 median · $98,633 adjusted · 3,570 employed
- 5. Nevada$104,510 median · $104,532 adjusted · 1,270 employed
Lowest-paying states for Speech-Language Pathologists
- 52. Puerto Rico$49,800 median · no price parity · 150 employed
- 51. South Dakota$65,680 median · $74,143 adjusted · 410 employed
- 50. Louisiana$69,610 median · $78,917 adjusted · 3,000 employed
- 49. Alabama$73,660 median · $82,929 adjusted · 2,060 employed
- 48. North Dakota$75,240 median · $84,578 adjusted · 630 employed
Speech-Language Pathologist salary in every state
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $118,970 | $98,920 | $135,070 | 16,930 | $107,451 |
| 2 | Colorado | $110,750 | $94,590 | $136,890 | 4,420 | $107,470 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $109,380 | $96,180 | $130,620 | 390 | $99,526 |
| 4 | Washington | $105,550 | $96,100 | $124,010 | 3,570 | $98,633 |
| 5 | Nevada | $104,510 | $83,200 | $119,630 | 1,270 | $104,532 |
| 6 | Rhode Island | $104,000 | $92,260 | $111,610 | 720 | $101,682 |
| 7 | Delaware | $102,760 | $87,210 | $114,620 | 690 | $102,958 |
| 8 | Alaska | $102,670 | $84,310 | $108,700 | 340 | $100,304 |
| 9 | Oregon | $102,660 | $85,810 | $127,700 | 1,600 | $99,322 |
| 10 | New Jersey | $101,560 | $82,680 | $128,910 | 6,840 | $93,341 |
| 11 | Massachusetts | $101,310 | $83,090 | $119,100 | 5,290 | $95,795 |
| 12 | New York | $100,610 | $78,570 | $131,190 | 15,310 | $93,226 |
| 13 | Connecticut | $100,110 | $80,960 | $114,400 | 2,390 | $96,622 |
| 14 | Florida | $99,990 | $83,120 | $105,460 | 10,080 | $96,689 |
| 15 | Texas | $99,910 | $79,230 | $118,490 | 19,120 | $102,940 |
| 16 | Maryland | $99,190 | $79,370 | $114,260 | 3,510 | $94,504 |
| 17 | New Mexico | $98,690 | $78,940 | $123,920 | 1,250 | $107,025 |
| 18 | Arizona | $97,800 | $81,020 | $114,400 | 3,390 | $97,142 |
| 19 | Hawaii | $97,560 | $75,020 | $107,950 | 270 | $88,730 |
| 20 | Georgia | $96,760 | $73,990 | $108,030 | 4,030 | $100,485 |
| 21 | Virginia | $96,250 | $77,830 | $116,790 | 4,460 | $95,199 |
| 22 | Illinois | $95,080 | $76,590 | $108,330 | 9,040 | $95,120 |
| 23 | Ohio | $93,300 | $77,250 | $105,500 | 7,270 | $100,567 |
| 24 | Pennsylvania | $92,960 | $72,440 | $107,990 | 6,570 | $95,273 |
| 25 | Utah | $91,560 | $66,490 | $106,850 | 1,460 | $92,612 |
| 26 | South Carolina | $90,530 | $68,750 | $106,920 | 2,190 | $96,566 |
| 27 | Minnesota | $89,380 | $78,310 | $100,650 | 3,890 | $90,630 |
| 28 | Missouri | $89,280 | $71,520 | $103,240 | 3,230 | $98,308 |
| 29 | Michigan | $89,120 | $76,070 | $101,410 | 4,730 | $92,624 |
| 30 | Indiana | $87,360 | $75,380 | $106,080 | 3,310 | $93,604 |
| 31 | North Carolina | $86,460 | $71,160 | $103,020 | 5,600 | $91,661 |
| 32 | Tennessee | $84,630 | $64,730 | $101,760 | 3,320 | $92,119 |
| 33 | Oklahoma | $84,470 | $60,600 | $105,710 | 1,870 | $96,160 |
| 34 | Idaho | $84,380 | $76,310 | $99,360 | 1,210 | $88,362 |
| 35 | Nebraska | $84,350 | $74,540 | $99,360 | 1,310 | $93,615 |
| 36 | Arkansas | $83,580 | $65,070 | $112,140 | 2,430 | $96,139 |
| 37 | Kentucky | $83,550 | $70,250 | $104,120 | 2,610 | $92,670 |
| 38 | New Hampshire | $83,040 | $75,190 | $100,820 | 720 | $79,720 |
| 39 | Wisconsin | $83,000 | $72,370 | $99,530 | 2,940 | $88,209 |
| 40 | Maine | $82,660 | $73,930 | $99,060 | 640 | $85,173 |
| 41 | Vermont | $82,090 | $78,270 | $98,760 | 430 | $83,801 |
| 42 | Wyoming | $82,040 | $68,710 | $109,540 | 240 | $88,509 |
| 43 | Iowa | $81,050 | $70,470 | $95,970 | 1,540 | $92,352 |
| 44 | West Virginia | $80,970 | $67,640 | $108,290 | 880 | $90,472 |
| 45 | Kansas | $80,120 | $65,010 | $99,650 | 1,690 | $88,955 |
| 46 | Montana | $78,740 | $65,010 | $93,490 | 490 | $83,195 |
| 47 | Mississippi | $78,130 | $62,080 | $97,860 | 1,790 | $89,853 |
| 48 | North Dakota | $75,240 | $61,520 | $85,920 | 630 | $84,578 |
| 49 | Alabama | $73,660 | $63,760 | $88,990 | 2,060 | $82,929 |
| 50 | Louisiana | $69,610 | $60,790 | $90,660 | 3,000 | $78,917 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $65,680 | $62,400 | $82,560 | 410 | $74,143 |
| 52 | Puerto Rico | $49,800 | $47,850 | $59,220 | 150 | N/A |
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.
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?
Puerto Rico reports the lowest median for Speech-Language Pathologists at $49,800 a year, $69,170 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Speech-Language Pathologists earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts Colorado first at $107,470 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $110,750. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
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