Best states for a speech/language therapist

Q: What is the best state for speech/language therapists?

The best state to be a speech/language therapist is Missouri based on speech/language therapist salaries and job opportunities.

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

The highest paying state for speech/language therapists is South Dakota based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for speech/language therapists?

The worst state for speech/language therapists is South Dakota, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Quoted expert

Dr. Ruth Litovsky Ph.D.

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Do you wonder which states in the U.S. are the best for speech/language therapists? If so, we have the full list of best to worst states for speech/language therapist jobs for you to check out and see if you think it's time to move and start anew. Not all states fare the same when it come to job opportunity and pay.As speech/language therapists are popular in the U.S., we wanted to bring you a list of the best states for speech/language therapists. In case you are trying to decide where to start your career as a speech/language therapist, or if you are considering moving to a different city or state, we got you covered.

To do that, we looked at the most recent data we have available for the following criteria -- average annual wages, and availability of jobs for speech/language therapists.We found that Missouri is the best state for speech/language therapist jobs, whereas South Dakota is the worst.

10 best states for speech/language therapists in 2025

1. Missouri
Total speech/language therapist jobs: 1,128
Average annual salary: $78,993
Lowest 10 percent earn: $58,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $107,000
Location Quotient:
1.25
Speech/language therapist jobs in Missouri
2. Washington
Total speech/language therapist jobs: 1,359
Average annual salary: $80,195
Lowest 10 percent earn: $59,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $107,000
Location Quotient:
1.21
Speech/language therapist jobs in Washington
3. Virginia
Total speech/language therapist jobs: 1,544
Average annual salary: $82,450
Lowest 10 percent earn: $59,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $114,000
Location Quotient:
1.06
Speech/language therapist jobs in Virginia
4. California
Total speech/language therapist jobs: 5,353
Average annual salary: $85,238
Lowest 10 percent earn: $62,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $115,000
Location Quotient:
1.19
Speech/language therapist jobs in California
5. Nevada
Total speech/language therapist jobs: 321
Average annual salary: $82,250
Lowest 10 percent earn: $60,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $112,000
Location Quotient:
1
Speech/language therapist jobs in Nevada
6. Delaware
Total speech/language therapist jobs: 245
Average annual salary: $74,215
Lowest 10 percent earn: $53,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $103,000
Location Quotient:
1.27
Speech/language therapist jobs in Delaware
7. New Jersey
Total speech/language therapist jobs: 1,340
Average annual salary: $81,232
Lowest 10 percent earn: $57,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $113,000
Location Quotient:
1.1
Speech/language therapist jobs in New Jersey
8. Pennsylvania
Total speech/language therapist jobs: 1,781
Average annual salary: $72,986
Lowest 10 percent earn: $52,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $101,000
Location Quotient:
0.99
Speech/language therapist jobs in Pennsylvania
9. Massachusetts
Total speech/language therapist jobs: 700
Average annual salary: $78,871
Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $114,000
Location Quotient:
0.5
Speech/language therapist jobs in Massachusetts
10. Connecticut
Total speech/language therapist jobs: 231
Average annual salary: $79,920
Lowest 10 percent earn: $56,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $113,000
Location Quotient:
0.45
Speech/language therapist jobs in Connecticut

Speech/language therapist jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a speech/language therapist

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

Detailed list of the best states for a speech/language therapist

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	Missouri	$78,993	$58,000	6,113,532	1,128
2	Washington	$80,195	$59,000	7,405,743	1,359
3	Virginia	$82,450	$59,000	8,470,020	1,544
4	California	$85,238	$62,000	39,536,653	5,353
5	Nevada	$82,250	$60,000	2,998,039	321
6	Delaware	$74,215	$53,000	961,939	245
7	New Jersey	$81,232	$57,000	9,005,644	1,340
8	Pennsylvania	$72,986	$52,000	12,805,537	1,781
9	Massachusetts	$78,871	$54,000	6,859,819	700
10	Connecticut	$79,920	$56,000	3,588,184	231
11	North Carolina	$69,465	$50,000	10,273,419	1,648
12	Idaho	$71,641	$52,000	1,716,943	253
13	Louisiana	$73,030	$53,000	4,684,333	191
14	Oregon	$72,630	$53,000	4,142,776	670
15	Kansas	$66,241	$48,000	2,913,123	657
16	Ohio	$67,187	$49,000	11,658,609	1,631
17	Colorado	$71,927	$53,000	5,607,154	1,040
18	Alaska	$77,450	$64,000	739,795	34
19	Illinois	$69,105	$51,000	12,802,023	2,251
20	Vermont	$71,437	$48,000	623,657	119
21	District of Columbia	$81,111	$58,000	693,972	135
22	Montana	$65,898	$49,000	1,050,493	226
23	Rhode Island	$70,640	$49,000	1,059,639	71
24	Wyoming	$68,825	$51,000	579,315	32
25	New Mexico	$68,517	$50,000	2,088,070	156
26	Kentucky	$64,767	$47,000	4,454,189	626
27	Iowa	$64,274	$47,000	3,145,711	685
28	North Dakota	$63,656	$47,000	755,393	226
29	Texas	$65,112	$47,000	28,304,596	3,867
30	Florida	$69,656	$49,000	20,984,400	1,204
31	New Hampshire	$67,717	$46,000	1,342,795	274
32	New York	$69,828	$49,000	19,849,399	2,045
33	Arkansas	$64,896	$47,000	3,004,279	391
34	Utah	$66,553	$49,000	3,101,833	295
35	South Carolina	$67,286	$48,000	5,024,369	317
36	Maryland	$66,242	$47,000	6,052,177	1,164
37	Georgia	$64,292	$46,000	10,429,379	1,794
38	Wisconsin	$64,337	$47,000	5,795,483	873
39	West Virginia	$61,634	$44,000	1,815,857	263
40	Oklahoma	$63,545	$46,000	3,930,864	521
41	Maine	$61,784	$41,000	1,335,907	234
42	Michigan	$63,411	$46,000	9,962,311	1,252
43	Nebraska	$61,091	$45,000	1,920,076	481
44	Minnesota	$65,175	$48,000	5,576,606	776
45	Hawaii	$68,970	$59,000	1,427,538	66
46	Indiana	$57,250	$42,000	6,666,818	1,374
47	Tennessee	$61,193	$44,000	6,715,984	905
48	Arizona	$64,144	$47,000	7,016,270	370
49	Mississippi	$62,235	$45,000	2,984,100	107
50	Alabama	$58,085	$42,000	4,874,747	664
51	South Dakota	$56,960	$42,000	869,666	64

Highest paying states for speech/language therapists

Rank	State	Avg. Speech/Language Therapist Salary
1	Missouri	$78,993
2	Washington	$80,195
3	Virginia	$82,450
4	California	$85,238
5	Nevada	$82,250
6	Delaware	$74,215
7	New Jersey	$81,232
8	Pennsylvania	$72,986
9	Massachusetts	$78,871
10	Connecticut	$79,920
11	North Carolina	$69,465
12	Idaho	$71,641
13	Louisiana	$73,030
14	Oregon	$72,630
15	Kansas	$66,241
16	Ohio	$67,187
17	Colorado	$71,927
18	Alaska	$77,450
19	Illinois	$69,105
20	Vermont	$71,437
21	District of Columbia	$81,111
22	Montana	$65,898
23	Rhode Island	$70,640
24	Wyoming	$68,825
25	New Mexico	$68,517
26	Kentucky	$64,767
27	Iowa	$64,274
28	North Dakota	$63,656
29	Texas	$65,112
30	Florida	$69,656
31	New Hampshire	$67,717
32	New York	$69,828
33	Arkansas	$64,896
34	Utah	$66,553
35	South Carolina	$67,286
36	Maryland	$66,242
37	Georgia	$64,292
38	Wisconsin	$64,337
39	West Virginia	$61,634
40	Oklahoma	$63,545
41	Maine	$61,784
42	Michigan	$63,411
43	Nebraska	$61,091
44	Minnesota	$65,175
45	Hawaii	$68,970
46	Indiana	$57,250
47	Tennessee	$61,193
48	Arizona	$64,144
49	Mississippi	$62,235
50	Alabama	$58,085
51	South Dakota	$56,960

Expert opinions on the best states for speech/language therapists

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for speech/language therapists 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 therapist best states FAQs

What is the best state for speech/language therapists?

What is the highest paying state for speech/language therapists?

What is the worst state for speech/language therapists?

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

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Speech/Language Therapist
Best states for Speech/Language Therapists

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse healthcare practitioner and technical jobs

Total speech/language therapist jobs:	1,128
Average annual salary:	$78,993
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$58,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$107,000
Location Quotient:	1.25

Best states for a speech/language therapist

10 best states for speech/language therapists in 2025

1. Missouri

2. Washington

3. Virginia

4. California

5. Nevada

6. Delaware

7. New Jersey

8. Pennsylvania

9. Massachusetts

10. Connecticut