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Speech and language specialist salary
Average speech and language specialist salary
$62,320
Understanding Speech and Language Specialist Salaries
The average salary for a Speech and Language Specialist is approximately $62,320 per year or $30 per hour in the United States. This figure can vary based on several factors, including geographic location, years of experience, and the specific field of practice.
Salary by Experience Level
Entry-level specialists may earn less, while those with advanced experience or specialized skills can see significantly higher salaries. For instance, professionals with over ten years of experience often command salaries exceeding $80,000.
Highest Paying States
States such as California, New York, and Texas frequently offer some of the highest salaries for speech and language specialists. Additionally, metropolitan areas often present better compensation opportunities than rural locations.
Career Opportunities
With a growing demand for communication specialists in schools and healthcare settings, job prospects remain strong. Exploring various job roles and understanding salary dynamics can enhance career prospects for those entering this field.
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Where can a Speech And Language Specialist earn more?
Speech and language specialist salaries by experience level
| Experience level | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level speech and language specialist | $59,500 | $28.60 |
| Mid-level speech and language specialist | $64,300 | $30.91 |
| Senior-level speech and language specialist | $69,100 | $33.22 |
Average speech and language specialist salary by state
The average speech and language specialist salary in California, Nevada, and Virginia are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average speech and language specialist salary states are Alabama, Indiana, and South Dakota.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for speech and language specialists
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virginia | $76,130 | $36.60 |
| 2 | California | $78,946 | $37.95 |
| 3 | Washington | $75,070 | $36.09 |
| 4 | Louisiana | $71,535 | $34.39 |
| 5 | Delaware | $69,629 | $33.48 |
| 6 | Nevada | $78,554 | $37.77 |
| 7 | New Mexico | $66,332 | $31.89 |
| 8 | Missouri | $72,422 | $34.82 |
| 9 | Connecticut | $69,582 | $33.45 |
| 10 | Florida | $65,689 | $31.58 |
| 11 | Oregon | $69,057 | $33.20 |
| 12 | Texas | $63,787 | $30.67 |
| 13 | Idaho | $67,296 | $32.35 |
| 14 | Alaska | $74,827 | $35.97 |
| 15 | Wyoming | $63,833 | $30.69 |
| 16 | New Jersey | $72,018 | $34.62 |
| 17 | Pennsylvania | $67,808 | $32.60 |
| 18 | Kansas | $60,915 | $29.29 |
| 19 | North Carolina | $62,693 | $30.14 |
| 20 | Colorado | $67,235 | $32.32 |
| 21 | South Carolina | $60,843 | $29.25 |
| 22 | District of Columbia | $75,294 | $36.20 |
| 23 | Arizona | $61,526 | $29.58 |
| 24 | Hawaii | $67,384 | $32.40 |
| 25 | Massachusetts | $61,000 | $29.33 |
| 26 | Arkansas | $61,098 | $29.37 |
| 27 | Maryland | $61,699 | $29.66 |
| 28 | Illinois | $61,415 | $29.53 |
| 29 | Ohio | $60,196 | $28.94 |
| 30 | West Virginia | $55,314 | $26.59 |
| 31 | Utah | $62,939 | $30.26 |
| 32 | Kentucky | $58,611 | $28.18 |
| 33 | Montana | $61,017 | $29.34 |
| 34 | Iowa | $57,319 | $27.56 |
| 35 | New York | $63,395 | $30.48 |
| 36 | Mississippi | $59,702 | $28.70 |
| 37 | Rhode Island | $58,070 | $27.92 |
| 38 | North Dakota | $55,506 | $26.69 |
| 39 | Oklahoma | $60,153 | $28.92 |
| 40 | Georgia | $59,407 | $28.56 |
| 41 | Vermont | $50,331 | $24.20 |
| 42 | New Hampshire | $49,156 | $23.63 |
| 43 | Michigan | $56,349 | $27.09 |
| 44 | Nebraska | $55,088 | $26.48 |
| 45 | Wisconsin | $56,563 | $27.19 |
| 46 | Tennessee | $56,710 | $27.26 |
| 47 | Minnesota | $56,387 | $27.11 |
| 48 | Indiana | $51,164 | $24.60 |
| 49 | Alabama | $54,638 | $26.27 |
| 50 | South Dakota | $50,708 | $24.38 |
| 51 | Maine | $42,220 | $20.30 |
Highest paying cities for speech and language specialists
The highest-paying cities for speech and language specialists are Colusa, CA, Oroville, CA, and Campbell, CA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colusa, CA | $82,704 | $39.76 |
| 2 | Oroville, CA | $82,273 | $39.55 |
| 3 | Campbell, CA | $82,264 | $39.55 |
| 4 | San Jose, CA | $82,227 | $39.53 |
| 5 | Capitola, CA | $82,072 | $39.46 |
| 6 | Modesto, CA | $82,036 | $39.44 |
| 7 | Corralitos, CA | $82,033 | $39.44 |
| 8 | Watsonville, CA | $81,975 | $39.41 |
| 9 | Hollister, CA | $81,804 | $39.33 |
| 10 | Visalia, CA | $80,476 | $38.69 |
| 11 | Bakersfield, CA | $79,495 | $38.22 |
| 12 | Yreka, CA | $79,304 | $38.13 |
| 13 | Santa Barbara, CA | $78,620 | $37.80 |
| 14 | Oxnard, CA | $78,207 | $37.60 |
| 15 | Camarillo, CA | $78,185 | $37.59 |
| 16 | Lawndale, CA | $77,637 | $37.33 |
| 17 | Whittier, CA | $77,619 | $37.32 |
| 18 | Santa Fe Springs, CA | $77,606 | $37.31 |
| 19 | Pomona, CA | $77,596 | $37.31 |
| 20 | Anaheim, CA | $77,440 | $37.23 |
Speech and language specialist salary details
A speech and language specialist's salary ranges from $43,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $90,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a speech and language specialist's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $90,000 | $7,500 | $43 |
| 75th Percentile | $75,000 | $6,250 | $36 |
| Average | $62,320 | $5,193 | $30 |
| 25th Percentile | $51,000 | $4,250 | $25 |
| 10th Percentile | $43,000 | $3,583 | $21 |
Highest paying speech and language specialist jobs
The highest paying types of speech and language specialists are speech therapist, speech/language therapist, and speech-language pathologist teacher.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Student Clinician | $59,506 | $4,959 | $28.61 | 36,281 |
| Graduate Student Clinician | $59,667 | $4,972 | $28.69 | 39,709 |
| Speech-Language Pathology Internship | $59,985 | $4,999 | $28.84 | 72,220 |
| Speech Pathologist | $62,640 | $5,220 | $30.12 | 22,779 |
| Speech Therapist | $70,411 | $5,868 | $33.85 | 57,509 |
| Speech/Language Therapist | $67,378 | $5,615 | $32.39 | 45,699 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for speech and language specialists, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Sharon Rowley Ph.D.
Professor, Christopher Newport University
Top companies hiring speech and language specialists now:
Which companies pay speech and language specialists the most?
Speech and language specialist salaries at Tenet Healthcare and Roper St. Francis Healthcare are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average speech and language specialist salary at companies like AccentCare and Hackensack Meridian Health are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tenet Healthcare | $91,073 | $43.79 |
| 2 | Roper St. Francis Healthcare | $84,441 | $40.60 |
| 3 | AccentCare | $81,769 | $39.31 |
| 4 | Hackensack Meridian Health | $81,193 | $39.04 |
| 5 | Froedtert Hospital | $77,613 | $37.31 |
| 6 | Bilingual Therapies | $71,602 | $34.42 |
| 7 | University of Scranton | $71,543 | $34.40 |
| 8 | Baylor Scott & White Health | $71,458 | $34.35 |
| 9 | Willamette Education Service District | $71,045 | $34.16 |
| 10 | El Centro | $70,046 | $33.68 |
| 11 | Cumberland Therapy Services, LLC | $68,344 | $32.86 |
| 12 | HealthTrust | $68,253 | $32.81 |
| 13 | Piedmont Healthcare | $68,154 | $32.77 |
| 14 | Lawndale Elementary School District | $67,512 | $32.46 |
| 15 | Menifee Union School District | $67,124 | $32.27 |
| 16 | Campbell Union High School District | $67,014 | $32.22 |
| 17 | Alvord Unified School District | $66,708 | $32.07 |
| 18 | South Orange-Maplewood School District | $64,604 | $31.06 |
| 19 | MANALAPAN-ENGLISHTOWN REGIONAL SCHOOLS | $63,564 | $30.56 |
| 20 | Soquel Union Elementary School District | $63,386 | $30.47 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Speech and language specialist salary trends
The average speech and language specialist salary has risen by $8,812 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average speech and language specialist earned $53,508 annually, but today, they earn $62,320 a year. That works out to a 8% change in pay for speech and language specialists over the last decade.
Compare speech and language specialist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average speech and language specialist salary over time
Compare speech and language specialist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Speech and language specialist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $62,300 | $29.96 | +1.7% |
| 2024 | $61,300 | $29.46 | +2.0% |
| 2023 | $60,000 | $28.86 | +1.2% |
| 2022 | $59,300 | $28.52 | +2.5% |
| 2021 | $57,800 | $27.80 | +1.7% |
Recently added speech and language specialist salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public School of North Carolina | EC Path-Speech Language | Greensboro, NC | 06/25/2025 | $71,976 |
| Fair Lawn Public Schools | Speech Language Specialist (Leave Replacement) | Fair Lawn, NJ | 06/18/2025 | $59,858 |
| Middle Township Public Schools | L.T. Sub-Speech Language Specialist | Cape May Court House, NJ | 06/17/2025 | $65,219 |
| Spectrum360 a New Jersey Nonprofit Corporation | Speech Language Specialist | Livingston, NJ | 06/16/2025 | $63,000 |
| Bergen County Special Services School District | Speech Language Specialist | Downe, NJ | 06/16/2025 | $73,690 |
| Connected Health Care, LLC | Speech Language Path. *UP To | Dickinson, TX | 06/16/2025 | $129,394 |
| Burlington County Special Services School District | Speech Language Specialist | Westampton, NJ | 06/15/2025 | $64,064 |
| ECMC | Speech Language Path Early Interv-PD-Varied Shift | Buffalo, NY | 06/13/2025 | $81,581 |
| Mendham Borough School District | Leave Replacement Speech and Language Specialist (.8 FTE) | Mendham, NJ | 06/11/2025 | $59,185 |
| Vocational Schools | Speech Language Specialist-LTR Anticipated | Downe, NJ | 06/06/2025 | $70,530 |
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