Speech-Language Pathologists: salary, outlook & degrees
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.
Middle half $77,730–$114,570. 183,390 jobs.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
98% hold a bachelor's or higher. Those with one: $66,821.
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers with at least a high school diploma; EducationGuide calculation
About 12,500 openings a year, including replacements.
BLS Employment Projections 2025-35
Extensive preparation (usually a graduate degree).
BLS; O*NET 31.0 job zone
Degrees that lead to this career
What workers ages 25-34 in this job studied, among those with a bachelor's or higher. This is what people actually did, not a requirement.
| Field of bachelor's degree | Share | Degree pages |
|---|---|---|
| Communication Disorders Sciences And Services | 59% | Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders |
| Psychology | 5% | Psychology |
| Communications | 4% | Communications · Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other |
| Nursing | 2% | Nursing |
| Biology | 2% | Biology |
| General Medical And Health Services | 1% | Health Sciences |
| English Language And Literature | 1% | English |
| Linguistics And Comparative Language And Literature | 1% | Linguistics |
| Family And Consumer Sciences | 1% | Human Development and Family Studies · Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services |
| Elementary Education | 1% | — |
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata (ages 25-34, employed, bachelor's or higher; top 10 fields); EducationGuide calculation.
Education workers say the job requires
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers (“required level of education”); small samples, so treat shares as approximate.
Pay by state and metro
| State | Median wage |
|---|---|
| California | $118,970 |
| Colorado | $110,750 |
| District of Columbia | $109,380 |
| Washington | $105,550 |
| Nevada | $104,510 |
| Rhode Island | $104,000 |
| Delaware | $102,760 |
| Alaska | $102,670 |
| Oregon | $102,660 |
| New Jersey | $101,560 |
| Massachusetts | $101,310 |
| New York | $100,610 |
| Connecticut | $100,110 |
| Florida | $99,990 |
| Texas | $99,910 |
| Maryland | $99,190 |
| New Mexico | $98,690 |
| Arizona | $97,800 |
| Hawaii | $97,560 |
| Georgia | $96,760 |
| Virginia | $96,250 |
| Illinois | $95,080 |
| Ohio | $93,300 |
| Pennsylvania | $92,960 |
| Utah | $91,560 |
| South Carolina | $90,530 |
| Minnesota | $89,380 |
| Missouri | $89,280 |
| Michigan | $89,120 |
| Indiana | $87,360 |
| North Carolina | $86,460 |
| Tennessee | $84,630 |
| Oklahoma | $84,470 |
| Idaho | $84,380 |
| Nebraska | $84,350 |
| Arkansas | $83,580 |
| Kentucky | $83,550 |
| New Hampshire | $83,040 |
| Wisconsin | $83,000 |
| Maine | $82,660 |
| Vermont | $82,090 |
| Wyoming | $82,040 |
| Iowa | $81,050 |
| West Virginia | $80,970 |
| Kansas | $80,120 |
| Montana | $78,740 |
| Mississippi | $78,130 |
| North Dakota | $75,240 |
| Alabama | $73,660 |
| Louisiana | $69,610 |
| South Dakota | $65,680 |
| PR | $49,800 |
Florida metro areas
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach$101,590
- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater$96,580
- Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford$97,900
- Jacksonville$99,830
- North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota$101,310
- Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville$60,000
- Port St. Lucie$97,650
- Cape Coral-Fort Myers$99,940
Virginia metro areas
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria$99,960
- Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk$97,870
- Richmond$96,080
- Roanoke$91,560
- Kingsport-Bristol$78,940
- Charlottesville$94,800
- Lynchburg$93,410
- Winchester$96,040
California metro areas
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim$109,740
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario$118,560
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont$130,850
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad$119,690
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom$126,360
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara$132,720
- Fresno$110,960
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura$115,060
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: median annual wage, all workers in the job. Metro areas: the largest by employment.
What the work takes
Top skills
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Writing
- Speaking
Knowledge used
- English Language
- Education and Training
- Customer and Personal Service
- Psychology
- Therapy and Counseling
Work styles
- Empathy
- Attention to Detail
- Cooperation
- Dependability
- Social Orientation
People in this job tend to have Social (helping), Investigative (analytical), Conventional (organizing) interests.
O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0): skills and knowledge by importance; work styles; interest high points.
Speech-Language Pathologists: questions
How much do speech-Language Pathologists make?
Speech-Language Pathologists earn a U.S. median $97,870 a year; the middle half earn $77,730 to $114,570 (BLS, May 2025). Workers ages 25-34 in this job earn a median $66,821 (Census ACS 2020-2024).
Is speech-Language Pathologists a growing field?
BLS projects growth of 16.6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 12,500 openings a year, including replacements.
What degree do you need to be a speech-Language Pathologist?
BLS lists the typical entry education as master's degree. In O*NET's survey, 100% of workers say a bachelor's or higher is required. Among workers ages 25-34 with a bachelor's, the most common field of degree is communication Disorders Sciences And Services (59%).
How much do speech-Language Pathologists make in Florida?
The median in Florida is $99,990 a year (BLS, May 2025), compared with $97,870 nationally.
Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35); O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0); U.S. Census Bureau ACS microdata. SOC 29-1127. Method
Data: JSON · Markdown · all careers
Cite this: “Speech-Language Pathologists: salary, outlook and degrees,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/careers/speech-language-pathologists.