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The national median salary for Speech-Language Pathologists is $95,410 per year ($45.87/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024. The middle 50% of earners make between $75,317 and $112,507 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $132,850 per year. There are approximately 178,790 speech-language pathologists employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
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.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+15.0%
Much faster than average
Annual openings
13K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
187K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
21% from new growth79% from people leaving the role
Mixed: openings come from both new growth and people exiting the role.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Master's degree
Experience
None
On-the-job training
Internship/residency
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Elementary and Secondary Schools
NAICS 611100
70K
$79,940
Offices of Other Health Practitioners
NAICS 621300
48K
$98,660
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
NAICS 622100
20K
$101,010
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities)
NAICS 623100
7K
$107,870
Home Health Care Services
NAICS 621600
6K
$117,740
Wage range across top 5 industries: $79,940 to $117,740 (47% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$29.08
$60,486
P25
$36.21
$75,317
P50MEDIAN
$45.87
$95,410
P75
$54.09
$112,507
P90
$63.87
$132,850
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · health sector
Hot
Openings Rate
5.4%
Quits Rate
1.9%
Health Care & Social Assistance openings rebounded to 1.36M (+87K) in March with rate at 5.4%. Hires rose to 700K (+75K). The sector remains structurally tight; compensation pressure persists for clinical roles.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average speech-language pathologists salary?
The national median salary for Speech-Language Pathologists is $95,410 per year ($45.87/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2024 data. The middle 50% earn between $75,317 and $112,507 annually.
How much do top-earning speech-language pathologists make?
The 90th percentile salary for Speech-Language Pathologists is $132,850 per year ($63.87/hr). The 75th percentile is $112,507 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for speech-language pathologists?
Entry-level Speech-Language Pathologists (10th percentile) earn approximately $60,486 per year ($29.08/hr). The 25th percentile is $75,317 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
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