Speech pathologists, or speech-language pathologists as they are also known, typically earn salaries in the range from $45,722 to $103,193 a year including bonuses and contributions from profit sharing according to the salary information provided by Payscale.
The annual bonuses for speech pathologists working in the United States can amount to up to $1,946, and the reported yearly earnings from profit sharing are generally in the range from $4.83 to $2,035 based on Payscale’s salary data.
Based on the salary figures reported by Salary.com, 10% of speech pathologists earn $59,913 a year or less, and the 10% on the higher end of the pay scale earn $84,611 a year or more. The middle 50% of speech language pathologists earn an annual pay in the range from $65,601 to $78,529 a year.
The median salary for speech pathologists employed at nursing homes is $81,127 a year, and professionals working in home care earn an average annual income of $71,183 based on the salary information provided by Salary.com.
Average salary
The average salary for speech pathologists employed in the United States is $66,575 a year according to Payscale, and $71,849 a year according to Salary.com. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports a mean annual salary of $72,730 and a median wage of $69,870 a year for this occupation. 10% of the best paid speech pathologists earn $107,650 a year or more, and the 10% on the lower end of the pay scale are paid $44,380 a year or less. The middle 50% of speech pathologists working in the U.S. earn salaries in the range from $55,170 to $87,630 a year according to the BLS.
The average salary can vary significantly from industry to industry. The top paying industries for this profession are other ambulatory care services, where speech pathologists earn $105,800 a year on average, followed by home health care services, where the median annual salary for this occupation is $91,220, and child day care services, where these professionals make $87,370 a year on average. Speech pathologists working at continuing care retirement communities and assisted living facilities for the elderly are paid around $86,490 annually, and those employed by social advocacy organizations earn an average annual salary of $86,240 according to the BLS.
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Speech pathologists working at nursing care facilities (skilled nursing facilities) earn $85,610 a year on average, those employed at specialty hospitals (not including psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals) make $76,210 a year on average, and professionals working in educational support services earn around $65,380 a year according to the BLS salary figures.
Job outlook
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that the job outlook is very good for this occupation, with a faster than average growth rate (23%) estimated for the period between 2010 and 2020. The BLS estimates that 28,800 new jobs will be opened in this field in this period.
Salary by state
Speech pathologists’ annual earnings depend on location among other factors, and can vary considerably from state to state. Professionals employed in New York generally earn between $35,319 and $86,000 a year, and those working in California are typically paid between $47,971 and $85,695 annually. Speech pathologists based in Texas report earning an annual pay in the range from $47,513 to $82,297 a year, and those employed in Ohio generally make between $40,036 and $74,497 a year.
Professionals working in Pennsylvania earn salaries in the range from $30,410 to $98,633 a year, those based in Illinois are paid between $45,654 and $84,494 a year, and speech pathologists employed in Georgia generally earn an income in the range from $48,303 to $81,054 a year according to Payscale’s salary data.
The top paying states for speech language pathologists, as reported by Recruiter.com, are Nevada, where these professionals earn an average annual salary of $96,160, followed by Alaska, where the median yearly salary for this occupation is $81,250, and Maryland, where speech pathologists make $80,860 a year on average. Other states with a high annual income for this profession are California ($80,480), Colorado ($78,680), New Jersey ($78,050), and Connecticut ($77,320).
The states with the lowest annual income for speech pathologists are South Dakota ($47,830), West Virginia ($49,370), North Dakota ($51,240), Nebraska ($52,360), Montana ($52,610), and Maine ($55,940) according to the salary figures provided by Recruiter.com.
Based on the salary information provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS, the states with the highest yearly salaries for this occupation are District of Columbia, where speech pathologists earn $86,220 a year on average, followed by New Jersey, where the median annual pay for this profession is $84,660, and Colorado, where speech pathologists are paid $83,780 a year on average. Professionals employed in California earn a median annual salary of $83,710, and those based in Maryland make $81,180 a year on average according to the BLS.
Speech pathologists employed in Texas earn around $71,010 a year, those based in New York are paid around $78,360 annually, and professionals working in Illinois earn an average salary of $73,230 a year. Speech pathologists employed in Florida earn around $70,610 annually, those based in Vermont make $64,940 a year on average, and professionals working in West Virginia earn a median yearly salary of $61,020. Speech pathologists working in Maine earn around $60,170 a year, and those employed in Arkansas are paid $67,640 a year on average according to the salary data reported by the BLS.
Salary by city
Speech pathologists’ salaries also vary from city to city. SLP specialists employed in New York typically earn salaries in the range from $51,064 to $137,020 a year, those based in Chicago are paid between $53,454 and $80,596 annually, and professionals working in Philadelphia generally make between $58,958 and $97,211 a year.
Speech language pathologists working in Pittsburgh earn an income in the range from $39,305 to $56,972 a year, and those working in Houston are typically paid between $51,946 and $62,259 a year. Professionals employed in Cincinnati make between $52,080 and $71,281 annually, and those based in Denver are paid an annual income in the range from $51,700 to $71,500 according to the salary data provided by Payscale.
Starting salary
The average starting salary for speech pathologists in the first year of practice is usually in the range from $31,328 to $69,692 a year according to the salary data provided by Payscale.
Speech-language pathologists with less than a year or experience typically earn between $24.50 and $38.97 per hour.
Hourly rate
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports a mean hourly salary of $34.97 and a median hourly wage of $33.59 for this occupation. 10% of the best paid speech pathologists earn $51.75 per hour or more, and the 10% on the lower end of the scale make $21.34 per hour or less. The middle 50% of speech language pathologists are paid between $26.53 and $42.13 per hour.
Speech pathologists’ hourly salary can vary considerably from industry to industry. Professionals working at elementary and secondary schools earn $31.94 per hour on average, those working in home health care services are paid around $43.86 per hour, and speech pathologists employed at offices of other health practitioners earn an average hourly pay of $38.04.
Professionals working at general medical and surgical hospitals earn around $36.40 per hour, those employed at nursing care facilities are paid $41.16 per hour on average, and speech pathologists working at specialty hospitals (not including psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals) earn a median hourly salary of $36.64 according to the BLS. Professionals working in educational support services are paid around $31.43 per hour, and those employed in child day care services make $42.01 per hour on average.
Speech pathologists employed in continuing care retirement communities and assisted living facilities for the elderly earn around $41.58 per hour, those employed by social advocacy organizations are paid $41.46 per hour on average, and professionals working in other ambulatory care services earn an average hourly wage of $50.87 according to the BLS data.
The hourly rate for this profession also varies from state to state. Speech pathologists working in Vermont earn $31.22 per hour on average, those based in Maine are paid around $28.93 per hour, and professionals working in West Virginia earn a median hourly pay of $29.34. Speech pathologists in Illinois are paid around $35.21 per hour, those working in Arkansas earn $32.52 per hour on average, and professionals employed in Florida are paid around $33.95 per hour. Speech pathologists employed in California earn around $40.24 per hour, those based in New York earn an average hourly salary of $37.67, and professionals working in Texas make $34.14 per hour on average.
Speech pathologist employed in the District of Columbia are paid around $41.45 per hour, and those working in New Jersey earn around $40.70 per hour. Professionals based in Colorado earn $40.28 per hour on average, and those working in Maryland earn a median hourly pay of $39.03 according to the salary data reported by the BLS.
Speech pathologists’ hourly pay can vary significantly depending on work experience among other factors. Based on Payscale’s salary data, professionals with 1 to 4 years of experience generally make between $24.63 and $48.54 per hour, and those with 5 to 9 years of work experience under their belt are typically paid an hourly wage in the range from $29.43 to $53.99. Speech pathologists with 10 to 19 years of experience usually earn between $32.17 and $55.49 per hour, and those with 20 or more years of experience report being paid between $31.47 and $77.71 per hour.
Salary range
Speech pathologists’ annual pay depends on a variety of factors, including years of work experience in the field. Speech-language pathologists with 1 to 4 years of experience typically earn salaries in the range from $35,955 to $69,995 a year, and those with 5 to 9 years of experience under their belt generally make between $44,076 and $70,405 a year. Professionals with 10 to 19 years of experience are usually paid between $47,839 and $87,900 annually, and those with 20 or more years of experience typically earn an annual income in the range from $49,298 to $86,135 according to the salary data reported by Payscale.
Speech pathologists’ salaries can also vary considerably from industry to industry. Professionals employed in the health care industry earn between $49,730 and $78,991 a year, those working in public K-12 education are generally paid between $36,525 and $71,360 a year, and speech pathologists working in the rehabilitation sector typically make between $35,235 and $78,368 annually. Professionals employed at speech therapists’ offices earn an income in the range from $38,978 to $80,080 a year, and those working at hospitals report earning an annual pay in the range from $40,722 to $79,734. Speech pathologists working in the education sector earn salaries in the range between $38,783 and $82,320 a year, and those employed at nursing homes typically make between $50,684 and $83,191 a year according to Payscale’s salary figures.
Benefits
Speech language pathologists typically get a wide range of benefits along with their basic annual pay and yearly bonus earnings, and their benefits packages can sometimes reflect their annual income.
Speech pathologists who have 401(k) plans as part of their benefits package typically make between $39,526 and $75,346 a year, those who have life and disability insurance generally report earning salaries in the range from $42,662 to $81,165 a year, and professionals who have 403(b) plans are usually paid an income in the range from $49,493 to $89,920 a year.
Speech pathologists who have paid holidays and vacations generally earn between $40,212 and $79,826 a year, and those who have paid sick leave are typically paid between $40,536 and $76,909 annually. Professionals who get reimbursement for education, training, tuition, or certification earn salaries in the range from $40,638 to $89,307 a year, and those who are allowed to wear casual clothes at work are generally paid between $44,295 and $85,423 a year according to Payscale’s salary data.
The most popular benefits among speech-language pathologists, as reported by Payscale, are 401(k) plans, paid vacations and holidays, life and disability insurance, paid sick leave, reimbursement for professional training, education, tuition, and certification, 403(b) plans, and flexible work schedule.
Other income factors
Professional certification is another factor that can affect a speech pathologist’s annual salary. For example, professionals with a Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP) typically earn salaries in the range from $42,072 to $80,906 a year, while those with a Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) report earning an income in the range between $41,754 and $78,653 a year according to Payscale’s salary figures.
Salaries also vary depending on gender. Women generally earn salaries in the range from $40,374 to $76,621 a year, and men are typically paid between $65,000 and $80,497 a year according to Payscale.
Speech pathologists’ salaries can also vary depending on the type of employer. Professionals employed by schools or school districts typically earn between $38,796 and $74,821 a year, those working at hospitals are generally paid an income in the range from $48,841 to $78,474 annually, and speech pathologists employed by companies make between $41,537 and $80,850 a year.
Professionals working for private practices or firms earn between $36,766 and $77,081 annually, those employed by non-profit organizations are generally paid between $33,836 and $77,476 a year, and speech language pathologists working for the state or local government typically earn salaries in the range from $27,785 to $86,162 a year. Professionals working for other organizations generally report earning an income in the range between $48,000 and $71,000 a year, and those who are self-employed earn an annual pay in the range from $50,000 to $100,800 according to Payscale.