Best states for a speech language pathologist

Q: What is the best state for speech language pathologists?

The best state to be a speech language pathologist is California based on speech language pathologist salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for speech language pathologists?

The highest paying state for speech language pathologists is Maine based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for speech language pathologists?

The worst state for speech language pathologists is Maine, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Quoted expert

Dr. Ruth Litovsky Ph.D.

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Not all states present equal opportunity for employees, and when it comes to speech language pathologist jobs, it's no different. We know how hard job search can be, and in order to make your life a little easier, we have the information you need in order to determine where you might want to start your job search. As speech language pathologists are popular in the U.S., we wanted to bring you a list of the best states for speech language pathologists. In case you are trying to decide where to start your career as a speech language pathologist, or if you are considering moving to a different city or state, we got you covered.

To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for speech language pathologists. California is the best state for speech language pathologists, where the median salary is $82,600.We found that California is the best state for speech language pathologist jobs, whereas Maine is the worst.

10 best states for speech language pathologists in 2025

1. California
Total speech language pathologist jobs: 1,957
Average annual salary: $82,600
Lowest 10 percent earn: $60,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $113,000
Location Quotient:
1.23
Speech language pathologist jobs in California
2. Virginia
Total speech language pathologist jobs: 565
Average annual salary: $74,834
Lowest 10 percent earn: $52,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $107,000
Location Quotient:
1.1
Speech language pathologist jobs in Virginia
3. Washington
Total speech language pathologist jobs: 440
Average annual salary: $74,039
Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $101,000
Location Quotient:
1.11
Speech language pathologist jobs in Washington
4. Nevada
Total speech language pathologist jobs: 97
Average annual salary: $79,594
Lowest 10 percent earn: $57,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $110,000
Location Quotient:
0.85
Speech language pathologist jobs in Nevada
5. Louisiana
Total speech language pathologist jobs: 177
Average annual salary: $71,715
Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $99,000
Location Quotient:
1.02
Speech language pathologist jobs in Louisiana
6. Connecticut
Total speech language pathologist jobs: 233
Average annual salary: $71,803
Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $107,000
Location Quotient:
1.29
Speech language pathologist jobs in Connecticut
7. New Mexico
Total speech language pathologist jobs: 151
Average annual salary: $66,398
Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $91,000
Location Quotient:
1.41
Speech language pathologist jobs in New Mexico
8. Delaware
Total speech language pathologist jobs: 93
Average annual salary: $69,835
Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $100,000
Location Quotient:
1.36
Speech language pathologist jobs in Delaware
9. Arizona
Total speech language pathologist jobs: 337
Average annual salary: $68,463
Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $93,000
Location Quotient:
1.06
Speech language pathologist jobs in Arizona
10. New Jersey
Total speech language pathologist jobs: 306
Average annual salary: $75,450
Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $110,000
Location Quotient:
0.71
Speech language pathologist jobs in New Jersey

Speech language pathologist jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a speech language pathologist

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for a speech language pathologist

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	California	$82,600	$60,000	39,536,653	1,957
2	Virginia	$74,834	$52,000	8,470,020	565
3	Washington	$74,039	$54,000	7,405,743	440
4	Nevada	$79,594	$57,000	2,998,039	97
5	Louisiana	$71,715	$51,000	4,684,333	177
6	Connecticut	$71,803	$48,000	3,588,184	233
7	New Mexico	$66,398	$48,000	2,088,070	151
8	Delaware	$69,835	$48,000	961,939	93
9	Arizona	$68,463	$50,000	7,016,270	337
10	New Jersey	$75,450	$51,000	9,005,644	306
11	Alaska	$76,983	$64,000	739,795	28
12	South Carolina	$64,043	$45,000	5,024,369	301
13	Maryland	$70,931	$49,000	6,052,177	389
14	Oregon	$69,006	$50,000	4,142,776	209
15	New York	$72,431	$49,000	19,849,399	638
16	Idaho	$66,674	$48,000	1,716,943	66
17	Pennsylvania	$65,926	$45,000	12,805,537	367
18	Wyoming	$63,500	$46,000	579,315	27
19	Missouri	$64,906	$46,000	6,113,532	268
20	Kansas	$61,142	$43,000	2,913,123	201
21	Hawaii	$70,475	$60,000	1,427,538	65
22	Wisconsin	$63,254	$45,000	5,795,483	239
23	Florida	$62,208	$45,000	20,984,400	1,166
24	District of Columbia	$76,451	$53,000	693,972	41
25	Iowa	$59,938	$43,000	3,145,711	232
26	Michigan	$61,645	$43,000	9,962,311	375
27	Ohio	$61,598	$43,000	11,658,609	364
28	Illinois	$62,468	$44,000	12,802,023	688
29	Colorado	$65,553	$47,000	5,607,154	284
30	Rhode Island	$61,548	$40,000	1,059,639	64
31	Massachusetts	$60,251	$39,000	6,859,819	620
32	West Virginia	$56,910	$39,000	1,815,857	262
33	Kentucky	$59,628	$42,000	4,454,189	200
34	Texas	$60,324	$44,000	28,304,596	1,175
35	Indiana	$59,412	$42,000	6,666,818	366
36	North Carolina	$60,425	$42,000	10,273,419	498
37	Arkansas	$61,072	$43,000	3,004,279	78
38	Georgia	$61,429	$43,000	10,429,379	441
39	Vermont	$55,532	$35,000	623,657	119
40	Montana	$60,844	$44,000	1,050,493	57
41	New Hampshire	$54,075	$34,000	1,342,795	271
42	Mississippi	$59,961	$42,000	2,984,100	84
43	Oklahoma	$60,038	$43,000	3,930,864	97
44	North Dakota	$54,504	$39,000	755,393	61
45	Nebraska	$54,229	$39,000	1,920,076	122
46	Tennessee	$57,230	$40,000	6,715,984	188
47	Alabama	$55,729	$39,000	4,874,747	155
48	South Dakota	$51,192	$37,000	869,666	51
49	Utah	$57,471	$41,000	3,101,833	56
50	Minnesota	$54,588	$39,000	5,576,606	226
51	Maine	$46,238	$29,000	1,335,907	53

Highest paying states for speech language pathologists

Rank	State	Avg. Speech Language Pathologist Salary
1	California	$82,600
2	Virginia	$74,834
3	Washington	$74,039
4	Nevada	$79,594
5	Louisiana	$71,715
6	Connecticut	$71,803
7	New Mexico	$66,398
8	Delaware	$69,835
9	Arizona	$68,463
10	New Jersey	$75,450
11	Alaska	$76,983
12	South Carolina	$64,043
13	Maryland	$70,931
14	Oregon	$69,006
15	New York	$72,431
16	Idaho	$66,674
17	Pennsylvania	$65,926
18	Wyoming	$63,500
19	Missouri	$64,906
20	Kansas	$61,142
21	Hawaii	$70,475
22	Wisconsin	$63,254
23	Florida	$62,208
24	District of Columbia	$76,451
25	Iowa	$59,938
26	Michigan	$61,645
27	Ohio	$61,598
28	Illinois	$62,468
29	Colorado	$65,553
30	Rhode Island	$61,548
31	Massachusetts	$60,251
32	West Virginia	$56,910
33	Kentucky	$59,628
34	Texas	$60,324
35	Indiana	$59,412
36	North Carolina	$60,425
37	Arkansas	$61,072
38	Georgia	$61,429
39	Vermont	$55,532
40	Montana	$60,844
41	New Hampshire	$54,075
42	Mississippi	$59,961
43	Oklahoma	$60,038
44	North Dakota	$54,504
45	Nebraska	$54,229
46	Tennessee	$57,230
47	Alabama	$55,729
48	South Dakota	$51,192
49	Utah	$57,471
50	Minnesota	$54,588
51	Maine	$46,238

Expert opinions on the best states for speech language pathologists

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for speech language pathologists to find work opportunities?
Dr. Ruth Litovsky Ph.D.
Professor, Department Chair, University of Wisconsin – Madison
If students with a CSD major do not pursue graduate school, they can apply for:
-Internships in healthcare and human services
-Teach for America
-Americorps
-Substitute teacher
-Newborn hearing screenings
-Healthcare insurance
-Hearing aid dispenser
-Research assistant in a lab
-Nursing assistant
-Early intervention
-Nursing home
-Daycare
-American Sign Language Interpreter (with the appropriate amount of ASL)
-Deaf education
-Non-for-profit organizations

Speech language pathologist best states FAQs

What is the best state for speech language pathologists?

What is the highest paying state for speech language pathologists?

What is the worst state for speech language pathologists?

Have more questions? See all answers to common healthcare practitioner and technical questions.

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Speech Language Pathologist
Best states for Speech Language Pathologists

Updated January 8, 2025

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Total speech language pathologist jobs:	1,957
Average annual salary:	$82,600
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$60,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$113,000
Location Quotient:	1.23

Best states for a speech language pathologist

10 best states for speech language pathologists in 2025

1. California

2. Virginia

3. Washington

4. Nevada

5. Louisiana

6. Connecticut

7. New Mexico

8. Delaware

9. Arizona

10. New Jersey