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Job outlook for graduate student clinicians in the United States
Graduate student clinician job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected graduate student clinician job growth rate is 21% from 2018-2028.
About 34,000 new jobs for graduate student clinicians are projected over the next decade.
Graduate student clinician salaries have increased 8% for graduate student clinicians in the last 5 years.
There are over 132,271 graduate student clinicians currently employed in the United States.
There are 39,709 active graduate student clinician job openings in the US.
The average graduate student clinician salary is $59,667.
Are graduate student clinician jobs in demand?
Graduate student clinician job and salary trends over time
Graduate student clinician jobs over time
Graduate student clinician job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 132,271 | 0.04% |
| 2020 | 133,009 | 0.04% |
| 2019 | 138,050 | 0.04% |
| 2018 | 130,524 | 0.04% |
| 2017 | 126,359 | 0.04% |
Average graduate student clinician salary over time
Graduate student clinician salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $59,667 | $28.69 | +1.7% |
| 2024 | $58,658 | $28.20 | +2.1% |
| 2023 | $57,465 | $27.63 | +1.2% |
| 2022 | $56,798 | $27.31 | +2.6% |
| 2021 | $55,367 | $26.62 | +1.7% |
Graduate student clinician jobs by state
Most common states for graduate student clinicians
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vermont | 623,657 | 138 | 22% |
| 2 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 285 | 21% |
| 3 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 1,132 | 17% |
| 4 | West Virginia | 1,815,857 | 285 | 16% |
| 5 | Delaware | 961,939 | 132 | 14% |
| 6 | Alaska | 739,795 | 93 | 13% |
| 7 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 359 | 10% |
| 8 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 106 | 10% |
| 9 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 72 | 10% |
| 10 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 271 | 9% |
| 11 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 71 | 9% |
| 12 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 55 | 9% |
| 13 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 701 | 8% |
| 14 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 432 | 8% |
| 15 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 146 | 8% |
| 16 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 110 | 8% |
| 17 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 547 | 7% |
| 18 | Arizona | 7,016,270 | 479 | 7% |
| 19 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 285 | 7% |
| 20 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 142 | 7% |
Most common cities for graduate student clinicians
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elmira | 1 | 4% | $63,100 |
| 2 | Cookeville | 1 | 3% | $50,201 |
| 3 | Dalton | 1 | 3% | $52,948 |
| 4 | Chesterfield | 1 | 2% | $58,503 |
| 5 | Cleveland | 1 | 2% | $50,389 |
| 6 | Collierville | 1 | 2% | $51,526 |
| 7 | Danville | 1 | 2% | $61,696 |
| 8 | Appleton | 1 | 1% | $57,477 |
| 9 | College Station | 1 | 1% | $56,432 |
| 10 | Columbia | 1 | 1% | $53,677 |
| 11 | Decatur | 1 | 1% | $55,921 |
| 12 | Fayetteville | 1 | 1% | $55,683 |
| 13 | Frederick | 1 | 1% | $61,429 |
| 14 | Charlotte | 1 | 0% | $51,169 |
Graduate Student Clinician job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of graduate student clinician experts
University of Florida
University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Idaho State University
Mercy College
California State University - Sacramento
University of Iowa
Laurie Gauger Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Clinical Assistant ProfessorUniversity of Florida
Communication Disorders Sciences And Services
What general advice would you give to a Graduate Student Clinician?
Laurie Gauger Ph.D., CCC-SLP: With the significant changes in the makeup of the US population, knowledge of a second language and language issues surrounding second language acquisition will be sought after skills in CSD. Other skills that will be important include being able to use telepractice and artificial intelligence in the assessment and intervention of individuals with communication disorders. I believe the need for skilled clinicians who are experienced in all three of these areas will continue to increase over the next 5+ years.
What Graduate Student Clinician skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Laurie Gauger Ph.D., CCC-SLP: I think the main thing is to be open to new clinical and educational experiences. There are a range of clinical and educational environments that graduates in CSD can work in. I would encourage new graduates to think about their interests and their strengths and weaknesses when deciding on their first job. Now is the time to consider new clinical and educational environments, even some that are different from the clinical placements you completed in graduate school. You would want to make yourself aware of all the possibilities and explore the kinds of jobs that are available. And remember, if your first job isn’t all you hoped for, there are lots of other possibilities to move on to.
What will help Graduate Student Clinicians increase their earning potential?
Laurie Gauger Ph.D., CCC-SLP: This goes along with my answer to the first question. To maximize earning potential it is important to be flexible and open to the diverse range of clinical environments available to graduates of CSD. The need for SLPs and audiologists will continue to increase in the next 5+ years and so should salaries. Being open to all types of work environments will give the new graduate the best options for higher salaries. Typically, skilled nursing facilities, hospitals, and private practices pay the most, but it is important to check out all options because of various benefits that are associated with different job settings. There are even traveling positions for SLPs that pay very well.
What general advice would you give to a Graduate Student Clinician?
Kristy Weissling: Science and technology. It is likely that we will see large advances in our understanding of learning, recovery, and social science in the next 3-5 years. It will be important that people beginning their career keep up to date with new discoveries especially related to AI.
What Graduate Student Clinician skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Kristy Weissling: My advice is to see yourself as a glass half full. Some individuals default to feeling that they are not ready, they see themselves as an empty glass. Some people see themselves as full of new knowledge and skill, but there is still much to learn. You won’t know everything you need to know, but you will know some things you need to know. Focus on using what you do know to enhance the communication of the people you have been tasked to see.
What will help Graduate Student Clinicians increase their earning potential?
Kristy Weissling: I think that employers are attracted to people who can identify their particular skill sets. If you have a strength, market it. For example, if you have a passion and experience in working with autistic children, use your interview and application materials to demonstrate how you can add to the organization's mission through a specific skill set. I always encourage students to get as many experiences as they can that help them stand from others. While there are many jobs in the field of speech pathology, finding the exact setting you want, for example an acute care setting, in a particular geographical location may take time. This is where volunteering for and marketing your experiences can be helpful.
What general advice would you give to a Graduate Student Clinician?
Jessi Hardy MS, CCC-SLP: Give yourself grace when learning as you enter the workforce. Realize that it can be from 'misses' that your career will experience some of its best lessons. It's a marathon, not a sprint; be sure self-care is part of your regimen early on in your career. We give invaluable care to others but we cannot do so unless we first care for ourselves.
What Graduate Student Clinician skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Jessi Hardy MS, CCC-SLP: Virtual Reality and other integrative or experiential technology; cutting-edge use of instrumental measurement tools to add quantitative results to existing trends which foster qualitative measurements in assessment; and new and exciting ways to foster diversity, equity, and inclusion in treatment are some of the upcoming exciting growth areas with CSD fields I can imagine on the horizon.
What will help Graduate Student Clinicians increase their earning potential?
Jessi Hardy MS, CCC-SLP: Achieving your potential in salary is a strategic process. Some methods I believe might increase odds include engaging in continuing education professional development; participating in research development in your specialty area(s); knowing everything widely but a few things deeply (positioning yourself professionally so you offer both 'diversity and depth' of practice); and finally, be confident and do your research for your geographical location, the company you are hiring on with, and the setting you are entering. Compensation varies drastically by practice area in CSD fields.
Dawn Cotter-Jenkins
Clinic Director and Externship Coordinator, Speech-Language Pathologist, MA CCC-SLP, MSHIMercy College
Communication Disorders Sciences And Services
What general advice would you give to a Graduate Student Clinician?
Dawn Cotter-Jenkins: The first rule of thumb is to always question the first offer and have in mind your counteroffer criteria. Keep in mind that you may not get a starting salary commensurate to a seasoned certified and licensed Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP), but you can confirm that increases in salary are customary upon certification and/or licensure and that annual increases based on merit, or years of experience are available. In addition to these monetary options, an assessment of the resources and benefits of the job should be considered. If you have to buy your own materials and don't have medical insurance, then the financial compensation should be counterbalanced to that. Good luck, may you get all that you deserve!
What Graduate Student Clinician skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dawn Cotter-Jenkins: As you enter the field of speech-language pathology, you have invaluable hands-on experiences under your belt and a fresh knowledge base to build on. If you remember that this is a service field and not a know-it-all field, then the best advice for most situations comes from the stoic adage that you have two ears and one mouth so listen twice as much as you speak. You will be listening to your clients, patients and their caretakers, and to your clinical fellowship mentor so that you can address their needs and meet their expectations. This is not to discount your newly developed clinical instincts, but instead, it is to recognize that you are a lifelong learner and everyone you meet will teach you something. You need to know what they want and expect so that you can provide the correct solutions by asking probing questions and helping them exactly where they need you.
What will help Graduate Student Clinicians increase their earning potential?
Dawn Cotter-Jenkins: The future of speech-language pathology is heading towards technological advancement in many ways. Therefore, the skill of technological aptitude will be increasingly necessary. This does not negate the personal interactive skills that a clinician has, but instead technology will be used to advance the reach of the field and the effectiveness of the services we provide. Telehealth (telepractice) is growing and that is one way that more clients will be able to gain access to the services that we provide across the scope of practice. Additionally, the way that outcomes will be measured can become more precise and therefore more valuable, due to more objectivity. And there are constant advancements in technologies that provide a voice to those who would have traditionally been left without one. Technological innovation will provide options that were only seen in science fiction shows like Star Trek. It is to everyone's advantage that we embrace and learn how technology can help us to make ourselves more useful.
What general advice would you give to a Graduate Student Clinician?
Dr. Elisabeth D'Angelo Ph.D., CCC-SLP, CBIS: Be open to trying all aspects of the field: medical, school, early intervention/home based care…. If you are not sure where you want to end up or focus on and cannot decide between medical or school, adults or children, make sure you get as many experiences as you can. Ask your Clinical Fellowship Year supervisor a lot of questions: you are still learning. You are not expected to know it all when you are done with your Master’s Degree. In fact, the most successful speech-language pathologists know that they will always continue to learn!
What Graduate Student Clinician skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Elisabeth D'Angelo Ph.D., CCC-SLP, CBIS: Bilingualism is a great and important skill!!! Keep your skills up and if you are bilingual make sure you negotiate for payment for that skill! Early Intervention services and Medical Speech Pathology services will only grow as the population continues to age and survive injuries and illnesses, and we keep premature or medically-fragile babies alive. Learn about pediatric feeding and swallowing issues: seek continued education and mentorship! This is great area of need and only continues to grow! Many children have persistent issues in feeding and swallowing into their school careers: and we are the specialty that understands this function and can assess and treat. Always speak up! Advocacy is one of our most important tools!!! We can advocate for our patients, students, and policy changes!!! You are a communication specialist and you are speaking for those who cannot!
What will help Graduate Student Clinicians increase their earning potential?
Dr. Elisabeth D'Angelo Ph.D., CCC-SLP, CBIS: Be open to negotiating. Know the salary ranges in your area. Ask speech pathologists what they make. Look at the benefits: can be a very big part of your compensation with 401K matching, employer paid insurance, potential for increases in salary and responsibility. However, be aware that many agencies that have excellent pay, may require you to move around in settings (i.e. not stay in one school or part-time in a school and part in a clinic, but no consistency). Per diem work is very lucrative but without benefits, so if you work in the schools and work on the weekends a little or during the summers as per diem, you can make quite a bit of extra salary. Or, you can do tele-practice for an agency after school hours from home. If you want to work in the schools, many of the districts have sign-on bonuses or student loan payment programs.
What general advice would you give to a Graduate Student Clinician?
Jenny DiVita M.A. CCC-SLP: In this field, it is imperative that you have a mindset for continuous learning and that you prioritize your critical thinking skills. Given the increased prevalence of social media clinicians (e.g., speech-language pathology influencers), it will be your continued job to critically analyze information presented on these mediums to ensure you are following best practices. Similarly, with developments in AI such as ChatGPT, new grads will need to be skilled at thoughtfully utilizing these supports if they choose to do so. While these things can be immensely beneficial for productivity, it will be everyone’s continued responsibility to ensure they are using these in accurate and applicable ways.
What Graduate Student Clinician skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Jenny DiVita M.A. CCC-SLP: Highlight any special experiences or trainings from graduate school and clinical practicums. Like many other careers in both medical and educational sectors, most facilities have structured pay scales with entry-level salaries varying based on geographical location and facility type.
What will help Graduate Student Clinicians increase their earning potential?
Jenny DiVita M.A. CCC-SLP: To be open to any setting (hospital, school, outpatient/private practice) and to research each option to try to determine what best fits your priorities. And to recognize that you can always make a change regarding the setting you are in; just because you start in one setting does not mean you have to stay there for your entire career.