Speech-language pathologist pay and outlook
BLS reports a May 2025 median annual wage of $97,870 for speech-language pathologists and projects employment to grow 17 percent from 2025 to 2035, much faster than the average for all occupations.
Quoted from official pages checked November 10, 2026. Confirm current requirements, fees, and dates on those sites. This page is not legal advice and does not guarantee eligibility, certification, or licensure.
On its Speech-Language Pathologists handbook page, checked November 10, 2026, BLS lists these Quick Facts:
- 2025 Median Pay: $97,870 per year ($47.05 per hour)
- Typical Entry-Level Education: Master’s degree
- Work Experience in a Related Occupation: None
- On-the-job Training: Internship/residency
- Number of Jobs, 2025: 193,400
- Job Outlook, 2025–35: 17% (Much faster than average)
- Employment Change, 2025–35: 32,100
That page states: “Speech-language pathologists (sometimes called speech therapists) assess and treat people who have speech, language, voice, and fluency disorders. They also treat clients who have problems swallowing.”
On pay, it states: “The median annual wage for speech-language pathologists was $97,870 in May 2025.” It also states: “The lowest 10 percent earned less than $62,900, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $134,160.”
On outlook, it states: “Employment of speech-language pathologists is projected to grow 17 percent from 2025 to 2035, much faster than the average for all occupations.” And: “About 12,500 openings for speech-language pathologists are projected each year, on average, over the decade.”
On why, it states: “As the population ages, there will be more instances of health conditions such as strokes or dementia, which can cause speech or language impairments.”
BLS publishes state and area wage resources on that page; this site does not copy them. On November 10, 2026, the page showed “Last modified date: August 27, 2026”. BLS has no separate handbook profile for speech-language pathology assistants, so no SLPA pay or outlook figures are listed on this site.
Median pay by work setting is on SLP work settings. Side-by-side figures: OT vs SLP and PT vs SLP.