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Speech pathologist salary
Average speech pathologist salary
$62,640
Average Speech Pathologist Salary
The average salary for a speech pathologist in the United States is $62,640 per year. This figure can vary based on geographical location, experience, and the specific setting in which the speech pathologist works, such as schools, hospitals, or private practices.
Salary by Experience Level
Entry-level speech pathologists typically earn less than their more experienced counterparts. A professional with several years of experience may see their salary increase significantly, reflecting their expertise and skills. For instance, those with over ten years in the field can expect salaries approaching or exceeding $80,000.
Highest Paying States
Salary levels also differ by state. For example, states like California and New York often offer higher salaries, with averages near $75,000 due to the cost of living and demand for services. In contrast, states with lower costs of living may offer salaries closer to $55,000.
Conclusion
Understanding these salary dynamics helps aspiring speech pathologists make informed decisions about their career paths. By considering factors like location and experience, you can strategically plan your career in this fulfilling profession.
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Where can a Speech Pathologist earn more?
Speech pathologist salaries by experience level
| Experience level | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level speech pathologist | $59,800 | $28.75 |
| Mid-level speech pathologist | $64,600 | $31.07 |
| Senior-level speech pathologist | $69,500 | $33.39 |
Speech pathologist salary estimates from across the web
Average speech pathologist salary by state
The highest-paying states for speech pathologists are Nevada, California, and New Jersey. The lowest average speech pathologist salary states are North Dakota, Indiana, and Vermont.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for speech pathologists
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $79,712 | $38.32 |
| 2 | Louisiana | $71,909 | $34.57 |
| 3 | Connecticut | $72,000 | $34.62 |
| 4 | Arizona | $70,045 | $33.68 |
| 5 | Washington | $74,251 | $35.70 |
| 6 | Delaware | $70,888 | $34.08 |
| 7 | Nevada | $79,803 | $38.37 |
| 8 | Missouri | $73,999 | $35.58 |
| 9 | Virginia | $72,014 | $34.62 |
| 10 | New Mexico | $66,737 | $32.09 |
| 11 | Florida | $67,272 | $32.34 |
| 12 | New Jersey | $76,429 | $36.74 |
| 13 | South Carolina | $64,701 | $31.11 |
| 14 | Alaska | $75,931 | $36.51 |
| 15 | Oregon | $69,520 | $33.42 |
| 16 | Idaho | $67,420 | $32.41 |
| 17 | Wyoming | $64,162 | $30.85 |
| 18 | Pennsylvania | $66,933 | $32.18 |
| 19 | Colorado | $69,980 | $33.64 |
| 20 | New York | $69,179 | $33.26 |
| 21 | Kansas | $62,114 | $29.86 |
| 22 | District of Columbia | $77,484 | $37.25 |
| 23 | Minnesota | $67,034 | $32.23 |
| 24 | Massachusetts | $63,818 | $30.68 |
| 25 | Kentucky | $60,778 | $29.22 |
| 26 | West Virginia | $57,564 | $27.68 |
| 27 | Maryland | $64,696 | $31.10 |
| 28 | Illinois | $62,978 | $30.28 |
| 29 | Hawaii | $69,774 | $33.55 |
| 30 | North Carolina | $61,271 | $29.46 |
| 31 | Arkansas | $62,359 | $29.98 |
| 32 | Georgia | $62,248 | $29.93 |
| 33 | Utah | $63,283 | $30.42 |
| 34 | Rhode Island | $60,684 | $29.18 |
| 35 | Montana | $61,153 | $29.40 |
| 36 | Mississippi | $60,736 | $29.20 |
| 37 | Vermont | $52,773 | $25.37 |
| 38 | Wisconsin | $57,706 | $27.74 |
| 39 | Iowa | $55,667 | $26.76 |
| 40 | Texas | $57,688 | $27.73 |
| 41 | New Hampshire | $51,391 | $24.71 |
| 42 | Oklahoma | $60,924 | $29.29 |
| 43 | Tennessee | $58,614 | $28.18 |
| 44 | North Dakota | $54,240 | $26.08 |
| 45 | Alabama | $56,368 | $27.10 |
| 46 | Ohio | $56,796 | $27.31 |
| 47 | Nebraska | $54,973 | $26.43 |
| 48 | Michigan | $55,748 | $26.80 |
| 49 | Indiana | $52,841 | $25.40 |
| 50 | South Dakota | $51,412 | $24.72 |
| 51 | Maine | $44,075 | $21.19 |
Highest paying cities for speech pathologists
The highest-paying cities for speech pathologists are San Francisco, CA, Las Vegas, NV, and Camden, NJ.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $82,860 | $39.84 |
| 2 | Las Vegas, NV | $79,431 | $38.19 |
| 3 | Camden, NJ | $77,554 | $37.29 |
| 4 | Vancouver, WA | $75,307 | $36.21 |
| 5 | Springfield, MO | $74,891 | $36.01 |
| 6 | Winchester, VA | $71,285 | $34.27 |
| 7 | Colorado Springs, CO | $70,519 | $33.90 |
| 8 | Eugene, OR | $70,372 | $33.83 |
| 9 | Phoenix, AZ | $70,246 | $33.77 |
| 10 | New York, NY | $69,927 | $33.62 |
| 11 | Springfield, MA | $67,944 | $32.67 |
| 12 | Tallahassee, FL | $67,279 | $32.35 |
| 13 | York, PA | $67,089 | $32.25 |
| 14 | Albuquerque, NM | $66,730 | $32.08 |
| 15 | Salisbury, MD | $65,677 | $31.58 |
| 16 | Florence, SC | $64,849 | $31.18 |
| 17 | Decatur, IL | $63,394 | $30.48 |
| 18 | Salt Lake City, UT | $63,001 | $30.29 |
| 19 | Atlanta, GA | $62,214 | $29.91 |
| 20 | Providence, RI | $60,340 | $29.01 |
Speech pathologist salary details
A speech pathologist's salary ranges from $43,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $89,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a speech pathologist's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $89,000 | $7,417 | $43 |
| 75th Percentile | $75,000 | $6,250 | $36 |
| Average | $62,640 | $5,220 | $30 |
| 25th Percentile | $51,000 | $4,250 | $25 |
| 10th Percentile | $43,000 | $3,583 | $21 |
Highest paying speech pathologist jobs
The highest paying types of speech pathologists are optometrist, speech therapist, and speech/language therapist.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graduate Student Clinician | $59,667 | $4,972 | $28.69 | 39,709 |
| Student Clinician | $59,506 | $4,959 | $28.61 | 36,281 |
| Optometrist | $187,654 | $15,638 | $90.22 | 20,993 |
| Speech/Language Therapist | $67,378 | $5,615 | $32.39 | 45,699 |
| Speech-Language Pathology Internship | $59,985 | $4,999 | $28.84 | 72,220 |
| Speech Therapist | $70,411 | $5,868 | $33.85 | 57,509 |
Top companies hiring speech pathologists now:
Which companies pay speech pathologists the most?
Speech pathologist salaries at Mayo Clinic and University of California, Berkeley are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average speech pathologist salary at companies like East Tennessee Children's Hospital and University of California are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mayo Clinic | $95,675 | $46.00 |
| 2 | University of California-Berkeley | $95,159 | $45.75 |
| 3 | East Tennessee Children's Hospital | $94,936 | $45.64 |
| 4 | University of California | $94,629 | $45.49 |
| 5 | UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital | $93,974 | $45.18 |
| 6 | Aya Healthcare | $91,318 | $43.90 |
| 7 | Washington Hospital Healthcare System | $90,900 | $43.70 |
| 8 | Northwell Health | $90,673 | $43.59 |
| 9 | Stanford Health Care | $90,603 | $43.56 |
| 10 | Erlanger Health System | $89,802 | $43.17 |
| 11 | University of Maryland Medical System | $89,013 | $42.79 |
| 12 | Community Medical Center | $87,770 | $42.20 |
| 13 | GradyHealth | $87,394 | $42.02 |
| 14 | Bozeman Health | $87,231 | $41.94 |
| 15 | Nicklaus Children's Hospital | $87,041 | $41.85 |
| 16 | Encompass Health | $86,814 | $41.74 |
| 17 | Blessing Hospital Emergency Room | $86,053 | $41.37 |
| 18 | Consonus Healthcare | $86,030 | $41.36 |
| 19 | Baystate Health | $85,691 | $41.20 |
| 20 | Kaiser Permanente | $85,117 | $40.92 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Speech pathologist salary trends
The average speech pathologist salary has risen by $8,858 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average speech pathologist earned $53,782 annually, but today, they earn $62,640 a year. That works out to a 8% change in pay for speech pathologists over the last decade.
Compare speech pathologist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average speech pathologist salary over time
Compare speech pathologist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Speech pathologist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $62,600 | $30.12 | +1.7% |
| 2025 | $61,600 | $29.61 | +2.0% |
| 2024 | $60,300 | $29.00 | +1.2% |
| 2023 | $59,600 | $28.67 | +2.5% |
| 2022 | $58,100 | $27.94 | +1.7% |
Recently added speech pathologist salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Encompass Health | Speech Pathologist | Danbury, CT | 06/29/2025 | $83,200 |
| Encompass Health | Speech Pathologist | Worcester, MA | 06/29/2025 | $104,350 |
| Encompass Health | Speech Pathologist (Pool) | Bowie, MD | 06/29/2025 | $135,655 |
| Encompass Health | Speech Pathologist | Overland Park, KS | 06/29/2025 | $108,524 |
| Encompass Health | Speech Pathologist | Gadsden, AL | 06/29/2025 | $135,655 |
| Healthsouth | Speech Pathologist (Pool) | Colorado Springs, CO | 06/29/2025 | $104,350 |
| Encompass Health | Speech Pathologist (Pool) | Petersburg, VA | 06/29/2025 | $114,785 |
| Encompass Health | Speech Pathologist PRN | Jacksonville, FL | 06/29/2025 | $114,785 |
| Encompass Health | Speech Pathologist (Pool) | Martinsburg, WV | 06/29/2025 | $135,655 |
| Healthsouth | Speech Pathologist (Pool) | Prosper, TX | 06/29/2025 | $125,220 |
Speech pathologist salary FAQs
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