Speech-Language Pathologists pay in the U.S.
$98,170avg. a year
$47.20 an hour · 183,390 employed
Speech-Language Pathologists in the U.S. earn an average of $98,170 a year and a median of $97,870. Pay is highest in California ($118,600) and lowest in South Dakota ($73,310).
$97,870Median pay
$47.20Average hourly
+18%Avg. pay since 2020
183,390Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for speech-language pathologists
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
116,930 jobs
California
$118,600
$57.02 an hour
24,420 jobs
Colorado
$116,960
$56.23 an hour
3390 jobs
District of Columbia
$112,940
$54.30 an hour
46,840 jobs
New Jersey
$109,510
$52.65 an hour
515,310 jobs
New York
$107,700
$51.78 an hour
63,570 jobs
Washington
$107,610
$51.74 an hour
71,600 jobs
Oregon
$106,210
$51.06 an hour
8690 jobs
Delaware
$105,380
$50.66 an hour
91,270 jobs
Nevada
$103,870
$49.94 an hour
10720 jobs
Rhode Island
$103,850
$49.93 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Speech-Language Pathologists pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
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Under $87k$87k–$91k$91k–$101k$101k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $134,270 | $64.55 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $132,480 | $63.69 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $130,240 | $62.62 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $129,450 | $62.24 |
| Boulder, CO | $129,240 | $62.14 |
| Vallejo, CA | $123,960 | $59.59 |
| Salinas, CA | $123,560 | $59.41 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $122,840 | $59.06 |
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Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Speech-Language Pathologists pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $78,780 | $73,660 | 2,060 |
| Alaska | $100,320 | $102,670 | 340 |
| Arizona | $100,270 | $97,800 | 3,390 |
| Arkansas | $90,490 | $83,580 | 2,430 |
| California | $118,600 | $118,970 | 16,930 |
| Colorado | $116,960 | $110,750 | 4,420 |
| Connecticut | $101,340 | $100,110 | 2,390 |
| Delaware | $105,380 | $102,760 | 690 |
| District of Columbia | $112,940 | $109,380 | 390 |
| Florida | $96,710 | $99,990 | 10,080 |
| Georgia | $93,470 | $96,760 | 4,030 |
| Hawaii | $91,660 | $97,560 | 270 |
| Idaho | $87,060 | $84,380 | 1,210 |
| Illinois | $92,660 | $95,080 | 9,040 |
| Indiana | $92,290 | $87,360 | 3,310 |
| Iowa | $83,760 | $81,050 | 1,540 |
| Kansas | $82,760 | $80,120 | 1,690 |
| Kentucky | $89,180 | $83,550 | 2,610 |
| Louisiana | $77,000 | $69,610 | 3,000 |
| Maine | $83,690 | $82,660 | 640 |
| Maryland | $98,070 | $99,190 | 3,510 |
| Massachusetts | $101,890 | $101,310 | 5,290 |
| Michigan | $88,650 | $89,120 | 4,730 |
| Minnesota | $87,670 | $89,380 | 3,890 |
| Mississippi | $78,570 | $78,130 | 1,790 |
| Missouri | $89,040 | $89,280 | 3,230 |
| Montana | $80,780 | $78,740 | 490 |
| Nebraska | $87,030 | $84,350 | 1,310 |
| Nevada | $103,870 | $104,510 | 1,270 |
| New Hampshire | $88,460 | $83,040 | 720 |
| New Jersey | $109,510 | $101,560 | 6,840 |
| New Mexico | $102,370 | $98,690 | 1,250 |
| New York | $107,700 | $100,610 | 15,310 |
| North Carolina | $88,640 | $86,460 | 5,600 |
| North Dakota | $75,980 | $75,240 | 630 |
| Ohio | $93,140 | $93,300 | 7,270 |
| Oklahoma | $87,230 | $84,470 | 1,870 |
| Oregon | $106,210 | $102,660 | 1,600 |
| Pennsylvania | $93,720 | $92,960 | 6,570 |
| Rhode Island | $103,850 | $104,000 | 720 |
| South Carolina | $89,950 | $90,530 | 2,190 |
| South Dakota | $73,310 | $65,680 | 410 |
| Tennessee | $85,050 | $84,630 | 3,320 |
| Texas | $99,460 | $99,910 | 19,120 |
| Utah | $90,630 | $91,560 | 1,460 |
| Vermont | $86,040 | $82,090 | 430 |
| Virginia | $99,590 | $96,250 | 4,460 |
| Washington | $107,610 | $105,550 | 3,570 |
| West Virginia | $88,180 | $80,970 | 880 |
| Wisconsin | $85,550 | $83,000 | 2,940 |
| Wyoming | $89,350 | $82,040 | 240 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$115,310
15,260 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$95,200
7,150 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX$100,090
4,800 jobsLos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$115,640
4,800 jobsHouston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
$100,160
3,780 jobsBoston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
$103,120
3,720 jobsPhiladelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
$99,520
3,330 jobsWashington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
$104,380
3,140 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do speech-language pathologists make?
The average is $98,170 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $97,870 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $47.20, and the median is $47.05 an hour.
Which state pays speech-language pathologists the most?
California, with an average of $118,600 a year. The best-paying metro area is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA at $134,270.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $62,900 a year, and the top 10% earn over $134,160.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 29-1127. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.