Where speech-language pathologists work
BLS says most speech-language pathologists work in schools or healthcare facilities. Educational services were the largest employer in 2025, at 39% of jobs, and nursing and residential care facilities had the highest median pay among the top industries BLS lists.
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.
Quoted from the Work Environment and Pay sections of the BLS Speech-Language Pathologists handbook page, checked November 10, 2026.
BLS states: “Speech-language pathologists held about 193,400 jobs in 2025. Some of the largest employers of speech-language pathologists were as follows:”
- Educational services; state, local, and private — 39%
- Offices of physical, occupational and speech therapists, and audiologists — 25%
- Hospitals; state, local, and private — 13%
- Nursing and residential care facilities — 5%
- Self-employed workers — 5%
It states: “Speech-language pathologists typically work as part of a team. Some travel between different schools or facilities.”
Schedules
BLS states: “Most speech-language pathologists are full time, but part-time work is common. Those working for schools may have a 2-month break during the summer and a shorter midwinter break.”
Median pay by work setting
From the Pay section of the same BLS page: “In May 2025, the median annual wages for speech-language pathologists in some of the top industries in which they worked were as follows:”
- Nursing and residential care facilities — $109,660
- Hospitals; state, local, and private — $103,690
- Offices of physical, occupational and speech therapists, and audiologists — $98,910
- Educational services; state, local, and private — $83,120
These are national medians by industry. BLS publishes state and area wages separately; this site does not copy those tables. All-industry median: $97,870 (see SLP pay and outlook). BLS has no separate handbook profile for SLP assistants, so no assistant setting list appears here.
How ASHA describes settings
ASHA’s Employment Settings for SLPs page, which describes ASHA-certified SLPs, states: “More than half of SLPs (56%) are employed in educational settings, including 53% in schools and 3% in colleges and universities.” It also states: “Some 39% of SLPs are employed in health care settings, including 16% in nonresidential health care facilities, 13% in hospitals, and 10% in residential health care facilities.” These are ASHA’s figures and use different categories from BLS.
For school jobs, BLS states: “Speech-language pathologists who work in schools may need a teaching certification.” The ASLP-IC FAQ states: “If a state Department of Education requires a separate credential to practice in the school system, you must obtain that credential to practice in schools.”
Rules about where and how you may practice come from the state, not from BLS. Confirm current figures on the official BLS page; it showed “Last modified date: August 27, 2026”.