Speech therapist vs audiologist

The differences between speech therapists and audiologists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a speech therapist and an audiologist. Additionally, a speech therapist has an average salary of $70,411, which is higher than the $55,657 average annual salary of an audiologist.

The top three skills for a speech therapist include patients, home health and rehabilitation. The most important skills for an audiologist are patients, rehabilitation, and patient care.

Speech therapist vs audiologist overview

	Speech Therapist	Audiologist
Yearly salary	$70,411	$55,657
Hourly rate	$33.85	$26.76
Growth rate	21%	10%
Number of jobs	57,509	1,121
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Average age	40	43
Years of experience	2	2

What does a speech therapist do?

Speech Therapists work with patients across multiple age groups to facilitate the treatment of speech and language disorders, such as stammers and stutters. They work with people who cannot produce speech sounds or cannot produce them clearly.

What does an audiologist do?

An audiologist is responsible for conducting hearing examinations with patients, diagnosing their hearing problems, and identifying treatment plans for immediate recovery. Audiologists operate advanced technologies and devices to determine the patients' hearing abilities and limitations. They also evaluate results accurately, respond to the patients' inquiries and concerns, and advise patients on proper ways to take care of their hearing balances. An audiologist must have excellent communication skills, especially extensive knowledge of the medical industry, to discuss the patients' condition properly.

Speech therapist vs audiologist salary

Speech therapists and audiologists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Speech Therapist	Audiologist
Average salary	$70,411	$55,657
Salary range	Between $52,000 And $93,000	Between $25,000 And $121,000
Highest paying City	Richmond, CA	Redwood City, CA
Highest paying state	California	Alaska
Best paying company	Ohio's Hospice of Dayton	Gundersen Lutheran Medical Foundation Inc.
Best paying industry	Professional	-

Differences between speech therapist and audiologist education

There are a few differences between a speech therapist and an audiologist in terms of educational background:

	Speech Therapist	Audiologist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common major	Communication Disorders Sciences	Speech-Language Pathology
Most common college	Northwestern University	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Speech therapist vs audiologist demographics

Here are the differences between speech therapists' and audiologists' demographics:

	Speech Therapist	Audiologist
Average age	40	43
Gender ratio	Male, 9.0% Female, 91.0%	Male, 23.2% Female, 76.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 4.5% White, 76.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 1.0% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 5.0% Asian, 5.1% White, 82.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	6%	23%

Differences between speech therapist and audiologist duties and responsibilities

Speech therapist example responsibilities.

Conduct individual and group therapy with individuals diagnose with speech and language impairment, learning disabilities, and autism spectrum disorder.
Conduct IEP meetings and provide documentation for Medicaid billing.
Provide services to children with developmental delay and autism.
Graduate student supervisor, and supervisor for CFY's.
Work under the supervision of an ASHA's certify SLP.
Instruct children in the proper use of assistive devices such as hearing aides.

Audiologist example responsibilities.

Select and fit hearing instruments, and provide counseling and aural rehabilitation for hearing impair veterans and their families.
Conduct basic diagnostic testing procedures including pure tone audiometry, play audiometry, VRA, immittance, and DP OAE testing.
Administer aural rehabilitation to geriatric-psychiatric patients.
Involve in several FDA clinical trials of new cochlear implant devices.
Administer and interpret electrophysiologic testing including ABR & ECOG, and balance testing using VNG and VHIT.
Perform sedated threshold ABR testing in the audiology clinic, NICU, PACU, and operating room.

Speech therapist vs audiologist skills

Common speech therapist skills

Patients, 29%
Home Health, 25%
Rehabilitation, 8%
Acute Care, 7%
Asha, 5%
Treatment Programs, 4%

Common audiologist skills

Patients, 31%
Rehabilitation, 13%
Patient Care, 12%
Hearing Loss, 8%
Test Results, 8%
Listening Devices, 3%

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Speech Therapist vs Audiologist

Updated January 8, 2025

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