How much do speech-language pathologists make?

Speech-language Pathologist salary 2026 · BLS occupation: Speech-Language Pathologists (SOC 29-1127) · Updated October 28, 2026

Answer

Speech-language pathologists in the US earned a median of $97,870 a year ($47.05 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned $77,730 to $114,570.

Median annual pay: $97,870; Mean $98,170
Median hourly pay: $47.05; Mean $47.20
Typical range (10th–90th): $62.9K–$134K; $62,900 to $134,160
US jobs: 183,390; +16.6% projected, 2025–35

BLS OEWS, May 2025, released April 30, 2026. Wages include tips, commissions and production bonuses but not overtime premiums, shift differentials, other bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers are not included. Methodology

How to become a speech-language pathologist: steps, years and cost · Best-paying state after cost of living: Colorado

Speech-language Pathologist pay range

Annual wages, May 2025

10th percentile$62,900
25th percentile$77,730
Median$97,870
75th percentile$114,570
90th percentile$134,160

Half of all speech-language pathologists earned more than $97,870 and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% made under $62,900; the top 10% made over $134,160. The middle 50%, from the 25th to the 75th percentile, ran from $77,730 to $114,570.

These percentiles describe everyone in the occupation at one time. They are not pay steps by years of experience: they mix new and senior workers, different states, employers and hours. Pay generally rises with experience, credentials and specialization, but BLS does not publish pay by experience.

Percentile	Annual	Hourly	Monthly
10th	$62,900	$30.24	$5,242
25th	$77,730	$37.37	$6,478
Median (50th)	$97,870	$47.05	$8,156
75th	$114,570	$55.08	$9,548
90th	$134,160	$64.50	$11,180
Mean (average)	$98,170	$47.20	$8,181

Speech-language Pathologist salary by state

Median annual pay; cost of living from BEA regional price parities 2024

Median annual pay for speech-language pathologists by state. Darker tiles pay more.

Highest-paying states

1. California $118,970
2. Colorado $110,750
3. District of Columbia $109,380
4. Washington $105,550
5. Nevada $104,510

Lowest-paying states

51. South Dakota $65,680
50. Louisiana $69,610
49. Alabama $73,660
48. North Dakota $75,240
47. Mississippi $78,130

Best after cost of living: Colorado. Its median of $110,750 is worth about $107,470 at national-average prices, more than in California once prices are counted.


Alabama	$73,660	49	$82,929	48	$35.41	2,060	0.97
Alaska	$102,670	8	$100,304	10	$49.36	340	1.05
Arizona	$97,800	18	$97,142	15	$47.02	3,390	1.05
Arkansas	$83,580	36	$96,139	20	$40.18	2,430	1.87
California	$118,970	1	$107,451	2	$57.20	16,930	0.93
Colorado	$110,750	2	$107,470	1	$53.25	4,420	1.54
Connecticut	$100,110	13	$96,622	17	$48.13	2,390	1.41
Delaware	$102,760	7	$102,958	5	$49.40	690	1.43
District of Columbia	$109,380	3	$99,526	11	$52.59	390	0.55
Florida	$99,990	14	$96,689	16	$48.07	10,080	1.02
Georgia	$96,760	20	$100,485	9	$46.52	4,030	0.82
Hawaii	$97,560	19	$88,730	40	$46.90	270	0.43
Idaho	$84,380	34	$88,362	42	$40.57	1,210	1.41
Illinois	$95,080	22	$95,120	24	$45.71	9,040	1.48
Indiana	$87,360	30	$93,604	27	$42.00	3,310	1.03
Iowa	$81,050	43	$92,352	33	$38.97	1,540	0.98
Kansas	$80,120	45	$88,955	39	$38.52	1,690	1.18
Kentucky	$83,550	37	$92,670	30	$40.17	2,610	1.31
Louisiana	$69,610	50	$78,917	50	$33.46	3,000	1.55
Maine	$82,660	40	$85,173	44	$39.74	640	1.01
Maryland	$99,190	16	$94,504	25	$47.69	3,510	1.27
Massachusetts	$101,310	11	$95,795	21	$48.71	5,290	1.46
Michigan	$89,120	29	$92,624	31	$42.84	4,730	1.07
Minnesota	$89,380	27	$90,630	36	$42.97	3,890	1.32
Mississippi	$78,130	47	$89,853	38	$37.56	1,790	1.54
Missouri	$89,280	28	$98,308	14	$42.92	3,230	1.10
Montana	$78,740	46	$83,195	47	$37.86	490	0.96
Nebraska	$84,350	35	$93,615	26	$40.55	1,310	1.28
Nevada	$104,510	5	$104,532	4	$50.25	1,270	0.82
New Hampshire	$83,040	38	$79,720	49	$39.92	720	1.05
New Jersey	$101,560	10	$93,341	28	$48.83	6,840	1.59
New Mexico	$98,690	17	$107,025	3	$47.45	1,250	1.44
New York	$100,610	12	$93,226	29	$48.37	15,310	1.58
North Carolina	$86,460	31	$91,661	35	$41.57	5,600	1.13
North Dakota	$75,240	48	$84,578	45	$36.17	630	1.46
Ohio	$93,300	23	$100,567	8	$44.86	7,270	1.31
Oklahoma	$84,470	33	$96,160	19	$40.61	1,870	1.10
Oregon	$102,660	9	$99,322	12	$49.35	1,600	0.81
Pennsylvania	$92,960	24	$95,273	22	$44.69	6,570	1.08
Rhode Island	$104,000	6	$101,682	7	$50.00	720	1.44
South Carolina	$90,530	26	$96,566	18	$43.52	2,190	0.95
South Dakota	$65,680	51	$74,143	51	$31.58	410	0.91
Tennessee	$84,630	32	$92,119	34	$40.69	3,320	1.01
Texas	$99,910	15	$102,940	6	$48.03	19,120	1.36
Utah	$91,560	25	$92,612	32	$44.02	1,460	0.84
Vermont	$82,090	41	$83,801	46	$39.47	430	1.41
Virginia	$96,250	21	$95,199	23	$46.27	4,460	1.08
Washington	$105,550	4	$98,633	13	$50.74	3,570	1.01
West Virginia	$80,970	44	$90,472	37	$38.93	880	1.26
Wisconsin	$83,000	39	$88,209	43	$39.90	2,940	1.00
Wyoming	$82,040	42	$88,509	41	$39.44	240	0.85

BLS OEWS, May 2025, state estimates. Adjusted pay = median ÷ (state price level ÷ 100), using BEA regional price parities for 2024; it ignores taxes. Figures for states with few workers in the occupation have larger survey errors and can change sharply from one year to the next. “—” means BLS did not publish the figure. State names link to each state’s highest-paying jobs.

Best-paying metro areas for speech-language pathologists

369 metro areas with published pay

Highest median pay
Metro area	Median	Adjusted	Jobs
El Centro, CA	$133,760	$140,543	70
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$132,720	$120,192	890
Boulder, CO	$131,620	$125,112	320
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$130,850	$113,179	1,760
Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA	$127,470	$118,264	160
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA	$126,850	$116,592	200
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA	$126,360	$118,459	1,030
Vallejo, CA	$124,440	$114,713	130
Napa, CA	$123,870	$110,054	50
Salinas, CA	$122,770	$112,590	200

Most jobs
Metro area	Jobs	Median	Adjusted
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	15,260	$107,860	$95,822
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	7,150	$98,490	$95,072
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	4,800	$99,540	$96,556
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	4,800	$109,740	$96,631
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX	3,780	$100,400	$101,796
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	3,720	$102,810	$94,961
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	3,330	$100,080	$97,588
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	3,140	$99,960	$91,804
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	2,930	$101,590	$88,993
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX	2,860	$106,290	$108,386

BLS OEWS, May 2025, metropolitan statistical areas; adjusted with BEA metro price parities (2024).

What moves speech-language pathologist pay: employers and settings

Work setting is the biggest driver of SLP pay. Schools employ the most SLPs, at a median of $83,080; local government, which includes public school districts, pays a median of $83,690. Medical settings pay more: general hospitals pay $103,160; specialty hospitals pay $106,900; nursing facilities pay $111,680 and home health $117,370. Private practices and other therapy offices sit between them at $99,080. Overall, private employers pay a median of $101,250; federal jobs pay $115,210.

School jobs often trade lower pay for a school-year calendar, summers off and a pension. Medical and home health jobs pay more but can involve weekends, productivity targets or travel between patients' homes.

Location matters too. California leads with a median of $118,970, followed by Colorado at $110,750, the District of Columbia at $109,380, Washington at $105,550, and Nevada at $104,510. Alabama at $73,660, Louisiana at $69,610, and South Dakota at $65,680 are at the low end. After adjusting for living costs, Colorado comes out best at $107,470.

Pay runs from $62,900, the 10th percentile, to $134,160, the 90th. Setting, state and caseload explain much of that spread.

Where speech-language pathologists work
Industry	Share of jobs	Median pay
Elementary and Secondary Schools	39.3%	$83,080
Offices of Other Health Practitioners	26.9%	$99,080
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	10.8%	$103,160
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities)	4.1%	$111,680
Home Health Care Services	3.5%	$117,370
Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals	2.6%	$106,900

Private employers and government
Employer type	Jobs	Median pay
Private employers	105,270	$101,250
Federal government (incl. Postal Service)	2,360	$115,210
State government (incl. schools and hospitals)	2,280	$97,490
Local government (incl. schools and hospitals)	73,490	$83,690

BLS OEWS, May 2025, national industry-specific and ownership estimates (4-digit NAICS).

Speech-language Pathologist pay over time

Median annual pay, 2015–2025

$97.9K $73.4K

2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025

Nominal median (dollars of each year)In May 2025 dollars (adjusted with CPI-U)

The median rose from $73,410 in 2015 to $97,870 in 2025, up 33% in nominal dollars. After inflation, the 2015 median is worth $99,236 in May 2025 dollars, so real pay fell 1% over the period.

BLS OEWS, May 2025 and earlier May releases; inflation from the CPI-U, US city average, May of each year.

What speech-language pathologists do

A speech-language pathologist, often called a speech therapist or SLP, evaluates and treats problems with talking, understanding language, voice, stuttering and swallowing. The caseload depends heavily on the setting. In a school, an SLP might see a kindergartner who cannot make the "r" sound, a second grader with a language delay and a teenager with autism who is learning to hold a conversation. In a hospital or nursing home, the patients are more often adults recovering from a stroke or brain injury, people with dementia, or patients who cannot swallow safely after surgery.

Schools are the largest employer, with nearly four in ten jobs in our data. Private therapy practices, hospitals, skilled nursing facilities and home health agencies employ most of the rest, and some SLPs treat clients by video. The work mixes one-on-one and small-group sessions with testing, written plans, progress notes and meetings with teachers, parents, doctors and other therapists. Paperwork is a real part of the job: school SLPs write and attend IEP meetings, and medical SLPs document every visit for insurance and Medicare.

A typical day

Give standardized tests and listen to a client's speech to pin down what is wrong
Write goals and a treatment plan, including IEP goals for students
Run therapy sessions using games, drills, pictures and conversation practice
Check how safely a patient swallows and recommend food textures or exercises
Set up communication devices or picture boards for people who cannot speak
Coach parents, teachers and caregivers on how to practice between sessions
Document each session and track progress for the school, insurer or Medicare

Also called: speech pathologist, speech language pathologist, speech therapist, bilingual speech-language pathologist (bilingual slp), pediatric speech-language pathologist (pediatric slp), speech and language clinician, speech and language specialist, speech and language teacher.

How to become a speech-language pathologist

Full guide

To become a speech-language pathologist you need a master's degree from a CAA-accredited program, usually two years after a bachelor's, then a passing score on the Praxis exam and a 36-week supervised clinical fellowship. Every state requires a license, so most people need about 7 years after high school.

Typical time: 7 years; Fastest: About 6 years
Minimum education: Master's degree from a speech-language pathology program accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA)
License: Required in all states
Typical training cost: $36.3K–$57.3K; See the guide for what it includes

Read the step-by-step guide to becoming a speech-language pathologist: each step with its time and cost, education options, exams, licensing and advancement.

Is it worth it? Training cost against pay

Compare careers

Training time: 7 years; Typical path in our guide
Training cost: $36.3K–$57.3K; Tuition and exam fees, before aid
Median pay: $97,870; $46,890 above the all-jobs median ($50,980)
Cost vs. one year's pay: 37–59%; Training cost as a share of a year at the median

Once qualified, the pay difference over the typical US job at the median ($46,890 a year before tax) would repay the training cost in less than a year to 1.2 years after training ends (7 years in our guide). This is a rough guide: it ignores taxes, financial aid, interest, earnings given up while training and how pay changes over a career. How we calculate ROI.

Job outlook for speech-language pathologists

BLS Employment Projections 2025–35

Projected growth: +16.6%; All occupations +3.5%
Jobs in 2025: 193,400; 225,500 projected for 2035
Openings each year: 12,500; New jobs plus replacements
Self-employed: 4.5%; Not in the pay figures above

BLS expects speech-language pathologist jobs to grow 16.6% from 2025 to 2035, from 193,400 to 225,500. That is close to five times the 3.5% average for all occupations, with about 12,500 openings a year.

Three trends drive the growth. An aging population means more strokes, dementia and other conditions that affect speech and swallowing. Earlier identification of speech and language delays in young children brings more kids into therapy. And schools need more SLPs for growing special education caseloads, including students with autism.

Related careers and their pay

Related occupations from O*NET 31.0; median annual pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.

Speech-language Pathologist salary FAQ

How much do speech-language pathologists make an hour?

The median hourly wage for speech-language pathologists was $47.05 in May 2025. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $30.24 an hour and the highest-paid 10% more than $64.50. Hourly figures are BLS estimates for all workers in the occupation, full-time and part-time.

Which state pays speech-language pathologists the most?

California has the highest median pay for speech-language pathologists, $118,970 a year, followed by Colorado ($110,750) and District of Columbia ($109,380). After adjusting for each state's price level, Colorado comes out ahead at about $107,470 in national-average dollars.

Do speech-language pathologists make six figures?

Some do: based on the BLS percentiles, between 25% and 50% of speech-language pathologists earn more than $100,000 a year. The median is $97,870, and the top 10% earn more than $134,160. Pay generally rises with experience, specialization and location.

Is a speech therapist the same as a speech-language pathologist?

Yes. "Speech therapist" is the everyday name, and "speech-language pathologist" is the professional title used in state licenses and by ASHA. Both describe someone with a graduate degree who treats speech, language, voice, fluency and swallowing disorders. A speech-language pathology assistant is a different, supporting role with less training who works under an SLP's supervision.

Do speech pathologists in schools get summers off?

Usually, yes. School SLPs typically work the school-year calendar, with breaks and summers off, though some take summer jobs in clinics, extended-school-year programs or teletherapy. That schedule is one reason many SLPs choose schools despite the lower median pay there compared with hospitals, nursing homes and home health agencies.

Do speech-language pathologists treat swallowing problems?

Yes, and it is a large part of the job in medical settings. SLPs evaluate swallowing, sometimes alongside imaging studies such as a barium swallow, and recommend safer food and liquid textures, positions and exercises. Patients include people recovering from strokes, head and neck cancer, or long hospital stays. Experienced clinicians can earn board specialty certification in swallowing.

Sources

Data updated October 28, 2026 · Text checked against its sources October 28, 2026

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates, released April 30, 2026, SOC 29-1127
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035, released September 2026
O*NET 31.0 Database (29-1127.00), U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0; tasks rewritten by Careers and Salaries
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by state and metro area, 2024
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, May values
U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study and institution data, most recent cohorts, released 2026-10-15
Speech-Language Pathologists, Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · checked October 28, 2026
2020 Standards for the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association · checked October 28, 2026
Apply for Certification in Speech-Language Pathology, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association · checked October 28, 2026
Speech-Language Pathology (5331), ETS Praxis · checked October 28, 2026
Estimated Program Completion Costs, Speech-Language Pathology, Missouri State University · checked October 28, 2026
Speech-Language Pathology (MA/MS), University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences · checked October 28, 2026
License Finder, CareerOneStop, U.S. Department of Labor · checked October 28, 2026
ASHA EdFind: New York University Master of Science (MS), American Speech-Language-Hearing Association · checked October 28, 2026

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