Speech-Language Pathologists: Career Overview
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.
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What Tasks Do Speech-Language Pathologists Do?
Typical responsibilities of speech-language pathologists cover:
- 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.
- Monitor patients' progress and adjust treatments accordingly.
- 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.
- Educate patients and family members about various topics, such as communication techniques or strategies to cope with or to avoid personal misunderstandings.
- Supervise or collaborate with therapy team.
- Participate in and write reports for meetings regarding patients' progress, such as individualized educational planning (IEP) meetings, in-service meetings, or intervention assistance team meetings.
What Speech-Language Pathologists Need to Know
Successful speech-language pathologists combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Top Skills
The competencies that matter most in this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Knowledge Areas
Related Job Titles
Common job titles for this role include:
- Bilingual Speech-Language Pathologist (Bilingual SLP)
- Home Health SLP (Home Health Speech Language Pathologist)
- Language Pathologist
- Oral Therapist
- Pediatric SLP (Pediatric Speech Language Pathologist)
- Pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist (Pediatric SLP)
- Public School Speech Clinician
- Public School Speech Therapist
How Many Speech-Language Pathologists Are There?
There are about 412,698 speech-language pathologists working in the United States today. Employment is projected to grow by +4.4% over the projection horizon.
Salary for Speech-Language Pathologists
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $47,305 |
| Hourly median | $22.74 |
| 10th percentile | $29,136 |
| 25th percentile | $38,220 |
| 75th percentile | $56,389 |
| 90th percentile | $65,474 |
Wages vary widely based on experience, location, and industry.
Pay by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| California | $116,000 |
| New York | $108,870 |
| Hawaii | $108,230 |
| Colorado | $108,070 |
| District of Columbia | $106,950 |
| New Mexico | $104,910 |
| Oregon | $104,230 |
| Washington | $102,450 |
| Massachusetts | $101,790 |
| New Jersey | $101,600 |
| Delaware | $101,030 |
| Nevada | $100,840 |
| Rhode Island | $100,680 |
| Maryland | $100,560 |
| Connecticut | $100,550 |
| Alaska | $100,180 |
| Georgia | $99,100 |
| Florida | $97,150 |
| Arizona | $95,990 |
| Virginia | $94,370 |
| Pennsylvania | $93,800 |
| South Carolina | $91,880 |
| Texas | $89,450 |
| Ohio | $88,340 |
| North Carolina | $87,420 |
| Wyoming | $85,820 |
| Utah | $85,320 |
| Indiana | $84,330 |
| Oklahoma | $84,310 |
| Missouri | $83,950 |
| New Hampshire | $83,800 |
| Tennessee | $82,990 |
| Kentucky | $82,910 |
| Illinois | $82,480 |
| Minnesota | $82,450 |
| Michigan | $81,860 |
| Nebraska | $81,710 |
| Maine | $81,700 |
| Kansas | $81,360 |
| Iowa | $81,120 |
| Wisconsin | $80,580 |
| Montana | $80,330 |
| West Virginia | $80,170 |
| Arkansas | $79,800 |
| Vermont | $78,580 |
| Idaho | $78,450 |
| Mississippi | $75,790 |
| Alabama | $72,560 |
| North Dakota | $67,330 |
| Louisiana | $65,770 |
| South Dakota | $63,180 |
| Puerto Rico | $49,850 |
Where Speech-Language Pathologists Earn the Most
Compensation for speech-language pathologists shift depending on where you work. These regions lead on median pay:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Far Western US | $111,877 | 11.9% | 0.71 |
| Middle Atlantic | $103,403 | 19.6% | 1.35 |
| New England | $97,628 | 5.5% | 1.15 |
| Rocky Mountains | $96,447 | 4.3% | 1.13 |
| Southwest | $90,433 | 13.7% | 1.10 |
| Southeast | $87,569 | 22.7% | 0.97 |
| Great Lakes | $84,000 | 15.4% | 1.11 |
| Plains States | $80,734 | 6.7% | 0.99 |
Where the Jobs Cluster
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $135,860 | 630 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $130,270 | 1,930 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | CA | $128,700 | 160 |
| Boulder, CO | CO | $126,890 | 330 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | NY | $126,330 | 16,820 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | CA | $124,190 | 410 |
| Salinas, CA | CA | $124,050 | 150 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | CA | $123,560 | 130 |
Top Industries Employing Speech-Language Pathologists
The bulk of speech-language pathologists are concentrated in the following sectors:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 95,310 | $101,230 |
| Educational Services | 75,020 | $80,280 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 2,990 | $101,190 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 930 | $75,990 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 100 | $86,700 |
Speech-Language Pathologists work in the following industries:
Tools and Technology
- Medical software: eClinicalWorks EHR software (hot technology)
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
The Day-to-Day Environment
The on-the-job environment of speech-language pathologists is shaped by the following characteristics:
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Contact With Others
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
- Physical Proximity
- Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals
How to Become Speech-Language Pathologists
Typical speech-language pathologists positions require a doctoral or professional degree as the typical entry-level education. This career aligns with Extensive Preparation Needed (Job Zone 5), reflecting the level of preparation typically expected.
Related Careers
Similar Occupations
- Clinical and Counseling Psychologists (Primary-Long)
- Clinical Neuropsychologists (Supplemental)
- Marriage and Family Therapists (Supplemental)
- Mental Health Counselors (Supplemental)
- Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers (Supplemental)
- Occupational Therapists (Primary-Short)
- Low Vision Therapists, Orientation and Mobility Specialists, and Vision Rehabilitation Therapists (Primary-Long)
- Physical Therapists (Primary-Long)
Degree Programs
Future speech-language pathologists often complete programs in:
Health Professions and Related Programs
4 programs across 1 majors
Sources
This profile draws on the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 29-1127.00 (Speech-Language Pathologists).
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