Speech-Language Pathologists Salary: $117,150 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 178,790 speech-language pathologists nationally earn a mean of $117,150. Employment in the series shown fell about 15% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 3.7% annual growth.
Key Statistics
Speech-Language Pathologists: what the data shows
Common questions about speech-language pathologists careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a speech-language pathologists?
Speech-Language Pathologists is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 29-1127.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 178,790 workers.
What does a speech-language pathologists do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Documenting/Recording Information, Getting Information, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Developing Objectives and Strategies, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a speech-language pathologists make?
BLS national median annual wage: $95,410 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $117,150 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $68,975 |
| 25th percentile | $98,434 |
| Median (50th) | $119,153 |
| 75th percentile | $135,988 |
| 90th percentile | $158,113 |
What education do you need?
For Speech-Language Pathologists, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Social Perceptiveness, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Writing, Learning Strategies, and knowledge areas including English Language, Education and Training, Customer and Personal Service, Psychology. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is speech-language pathologists in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 3.7% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 19.9%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 43.9%.
Current U.S. headcount: 178,790.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do speech-language pathologistss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 178,790 | 14.6% |
| Educational Services | 150,030 | 12.3% |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools | 139,340 | 11.4% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 103,450 | 8.5% |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 95,310 | 7.8% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 75,340 | 6.2% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Speech-Language Pathologists in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors | 36,260 | $59,950 |
| English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary | 59,590 | $78,270 |
| Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary | 21,170 | $77,010 |
| Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians | 136,390 | $78,680 |
| Computer Hardware Engineers | 75,710 | $155,020 |
| Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary | 11,430 | $84,290 |
| Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials | 26,830 | $33,880 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Speech-Language Pathologists workforce.
Employment Over Time
178,790 Workforce in 2023
The Speech-Language Pathologists workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Speech-Language Pathologists.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$117,150 Average Wage
In 2023, Speech-Language Pathologists earned an average of $117,150.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Speech-Language Pathologists.
Salary distribution for Speech-Language Pathologists.
Employment Growth Projections
3.7% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
69,593 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 19.9%
83,474 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 43.9%
This occupation is projected to grow at 3.7% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Speech-Language Pathologists.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Speech-Language Pathologists and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Speech-Language Pathologists employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Speech-Language Pathologists.
Wage Trends by Industry
6.0% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Speech-Language Pathologists.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Speech-Language Pathologists.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- TX: 18,600 employees, $94,850 avg wage
- NY: 16,250 employees, $111,640 avg wage
- CA: 14,680 employees, $114,050 avg wage
- IL: 9,100 employees, $87,940 avg wage
- FL: 8,990 employees, $92,770 avg wage
- NJ: 7,660 employees, $109,310 avg wage
- OH: 7,660 employees, $89,740 avg wage
- PA: 6,860 employees, $93,980 avg wage
- NC: 5,160 employees, $89,980 avg wage
- MA: 5,000 employees, $99,570 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Speech-Language Pathologists.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 16,820 employees, $119,030 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 7,210 employees, $89,860 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 4,990 employees, $95,180 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 4,370 employees, $110,110 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 4,110 employees, $98,230 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 3,610 employees, $100,020 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 3,570 employees, $99,170 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 2,660 employees, $103,700 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 2,590 employees, $98,070 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 2,590 employees, $95,420 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Speech-Language Pathologists.
Diversity
Demographic information on Speech-Language Pathologists in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Speech-Language Pathologists in 2023 was 178,790 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Speech-Language Pathologists.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Speech-Language Pathologists.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Speech-Language Pathologists.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Speech-Language Pathologists in 2023 were Health Sciences, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Speech-Language Pathologists.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Speech-Language Pathologists workers.
Education level distribution for Speech-Language Pathologists.
Skills
Speech-Language Pathologists need many skills, but most especially Social Perceptiveness, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Writing.
Required skills for Speech-Language Pathologists.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Speech-Language Pathologists.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Speech-Language Pathologists include English Language, Education and Training, Customer and Personal Service, Psychology, Therapy and Counseling.
Knowledge areas required for Speech-Language Pathologists.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Speech-Language Pathologists include Oral Comprehension, Written Expression, Oral Expression, Speech Recognition, Written Comprehension.
Required abilities for Speech-Language Pathologists.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Speech-Language Pathologists.
Daily Activities
Speech-Language Pathologists spend their time on activities such as Documenting/Recording Information, Getting Information, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, Making Decisions and Solving Problems.
Most important work activities for Speech-Language Pathologists.
About
Speech-Language Pathologists
The average yearly wage for Speech-Language Pathologists was $117,150 in 2023.
SOC Code
29-1127 - Speech-Language Pathologists
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Speech-Language Pathologists reports an average salary of $117,150, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 178,790 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 3.7%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.