How much do speech language pathologists make in 2026?
Speech-language pathologists earn a national median of $97,870 a year ($47.05 an hour) per BLS OEWS May 2025 (SOC 29-1127). The bottom 10% earn about $62,900 and the top 10% reach $134,160. Setting is the dominant variable: school-based practice — the largest employer of the profession — sits below the median on a district salary schedule and an academic calendar, while acute-care hospitals, skilled nursing and home health pay above it because swallowing evaluation and management is a medically necessary, reimbursable service. Entry requires a master's degree from an accredited programme, a supervised clinical fellowship year and state licensure. Employment is projected to grow 15% through 2034 with roughly 13,300 openings a year. → Full speech language pathologist career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $97,870 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Speech Language Pathologists earn a national median $97,870/yr ($47.05/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 29-1127); the P10 to P90 range is $62,900 to $134,160.
- Setting decides SLP pay: schools sit below the $97,870 median on district schedules, while acute care, skilled nursing and home health sit above it.
- Swallowing evaluation and management is the profession's economic centre in medical settings, and instrumental assessment competency is the clearest specialty premium.
- BLS projects 15% growth through 2034 with roughly 13,300 openings a year, one of the highest growth rates among master's-level clinical professions.
US Speech Language Pathologist Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do speech language pathologists earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 29-1127; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 29-1127, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does a speech language pathologist earn at each career stage?
Speech-language pathology has one licence, so the stages below follow setting, clinical competency and leadership. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 29-1127.
By State
Which states pay speech language pathologists the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates — the BLS national median scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index — not BLS state observations. An interstate compact for audiology and speech-language pathology is being implemented across participating states, which is starting to make multi-state and teletherapy practice much easier than it was.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($112,550), the highest-paying state shown. See all 51 state salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay speech language pathologists the most?
Modeled metro estimates: the national median scaled by the state wage index and then by the published metro index for that state. They estimate local wage levels and are not BLS metropolitan-area observations.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a speech language pathologist’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does speech language pathologist pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Speech Language Pathologists sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify speech language pathologist wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a speech language pathologist actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Speech Language Pathologist Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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