Average salaries for speech pathologists are around $53,000 a year. A career in speech-language pathology looks to be a lucrative one. The median income of practicing SLPs is reported as over $61,000, with the top 10% of those in the field bringing home almost $92,000 yearly.
The average salary for speech pathologists is $70,000.
Average salaries for speech pathologists
Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the average salary for a speech pathologist is $42,515 per year. Of course, that’s just a national average, since depending on where you work and your level of experience, your salary could be drastically different. The good news: more than half of all speech pathologists have a master’s degree, which completely makes sense when you consider how much education it takes to become one. This means that most people in this profession are likely making more than the national average. Read on to learn how much speech pathologists make based on factors like their level of education and years of experience
Average national salary: $42,515
The average national salary for speech pathologists is $42,515. This is an increase of 2% from the previous year, but still down 1% from five years ago.
The highest paying states for speech pathologists are:
- Maryland – $67,000 (up 5%)
- Massachusetts – $65,000 (up 14%)
- Connecticut – $60,000 (up 3%)
The top paying cities/areas within each state tend to be those with large populations and higher costs of living. For example in New York City it was possible to earn over $100k per year as a speech pathologist due to cost-of-living differences compared to other parts of the country where salaries would be lower than average.
Average salary by education level:
The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) reports that the average salary for school psychologists is $73,030. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the median national wage for speech-language pathologists was $58,970 in 2013. The bottom 10 percent of earners made less than $36,310 per year, while top 10 percent earned more than $86,300 annually.
The average annual salary for clinical psychologists is $89,000 according to indeed.com’s 2018 survey of salaries across all industries in San Francisco and Silicon Valley—and it can reach up to as much as $166k if you’re working at Facebook or Google!
Less than a high school diploma – $24,600
Speech pathologists with less than a high school diploma can expect an average salary of $24,600. Speech pathologists with an associate’s degree can earn an average salary of $33,700.
The national average salary for speech pathologists is $54,000 per year as of 2016.
High school diploma or equivalent – $25,700
If you have a high school diploma or equivalent and are interested in becoming a speech pathologist, it is important to note that this is the minimum educational requirement for the profession. The average annual salary for a speech pathologist with a high school diploma or equivalency is $25,700.
In order to become a licensed speech pathologist you will need to complete an undergraduate degree program at an accredited university that prepares students for licensure and certification through the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). A bachelor’s degree in communication disorders will typically take four years to complete if you attend full time. While earning your degree, it can be helpful if you participate in internships where you will gain hands on experience working with patients who have communication disorders as well as work directly under licensed clinicians who can help guide and mentor your academic pursuits throughout your studies.
Associate’s degree – $33,700
If you’re looking to become a speech pathologist, an associate’s degree will be your ticket. The second-highest level of education one can achieve, an associate’s degree will prepare you for the job market and give you everything that you need to know about being a speech therapist.
To get your associate’s degree in speech pathology, it will take two years of full-time study and cost between $11,000-$20,000 per year depending on where you go and what kind of program they offer (online versus residential).
Bachelor’s degree – $36,200
A bachelor’s degree is the most common degree for speech pathologists. As of May 2016, the median annual salary for this group was $36,200 and a range of $29,400 to $47,000.
Employment of speech-language pathologists is expected to grow by 14% from 2014 to 2024 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The BLS lists these factors as contributing significantly to this growth:
- an increasing focus on preventive care;
- an increase in chronic medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes and obesity;
- reductions in childhood immunization rates have led to more children with communication disorders;
- advances in technology have made it easier for people with disabilities or hearing loss due to age-related hearing loss
Master’s degree – $47,300
A master’s degree is required for this profession. However, you can earn a master’s degree in any subject area and your degree does not have to be in speech-language pathology. Your field of study will dictate which license you need:
- Master of Science (MS): To become certified as an SLP, you must have graduated with an MS and passed the Praxis exam.
- Master’s of Education (MEd): To become a licensed clinical specialist in school settings, you must hold this credential and pass a state-regulated exam.
Doctoral or professional degree – $76,200
- Doctoral or professional degree – $76,200
The first step to becoming a speech pathologist is to earn at least a bachelor’s degree. However, to work in the field, you’ll need to obtain either a doctorate or professional degree from an accredited program. A doctoral degree is required for people who want to become speech-language pathologists (SLPs). On the other hand, those who want to pursue careers as speech-language pathologists-audiologists have the option of earning either a master’s or doctoral degree.
Average salary by years of experience:
- The average speech pathologist makes around $42,500 a year.
- The average speech pathologist makes around $58,300 in their first year.
- The average speech pathologist makes around $48,500 in their fifth year.
Less than 1 year – $58,300
Speech-language pathologists with less than 1 year of experience make about $58,300 a year. This is the highest average salary for any experience level and for any education level.
1-4 years – $48,500
Speech pathologists with less than 5 years of experience can expect to earn an annual salary of $48,500. Those in the same position with 5-9 years of experience make $81,200 per year on average. Speech pathologists who have worked between 10 and 19 years will earn an average salary of $87,700 per year. Those who have been in the field for 20 years or more will see an average income of $128,500 per year.
5-9 years – $60,000
You should expect to see an average salary increase of about $10,000 per year for the first five years of your career. This means that you could be earning around $60,000 after only five years in the field. After 9 years, this number increases even more to around $80,000 on average.
10-19 years – $52,100
- 10-19 years – $52,100
With 10-19 years of experience, you can expect to make an average salary of $52,100. This is a 5% increase over speech pathologists with 5-9 years of experience who make an average of $49,400 annually.
20 years or more – $43,600
The average speech pathologist with 20 years of experience earns $43,600 per year. This is the lowest annual salary for this level of experience, but it’s still a good number. Those who work in this field typically have a master’s or even doctoral degree, so it’s important to consider that when evaluating the true value of these jobs.
The median salary for speech pathologists with 20 years or more experience is $49,550 per year
The average speech pathologist in the U.S. makes about $42,500 a year.
The average speech pathologist in the U.S. makes about $42,500 a year.
- By education level:
- Bachelor’s degree: $45,000-$55,000
- Master’s degree: $50,000-$65,000
- Doctorate (PhD): $60,000+
- By years of experience:
- 0-3 years: $39,000-$46,00
- 3-5 years: $43,00-$52k
- 6-10 years: $48k-$60k * 10+ years: 54k+
Conclusion
As you can see from this article, the salary for speech pathologists is relatively stable and provides a comfortable living. There are many benefits of being in this field, including the job outlook which is growing at a rate of 27% through 2026. This means that there will be more opportunities for people to start careers as speech pathologists, making it easier for them to find work after completing their programs and licensing exams.
