As of 2016, speech-language pathologists earned an average salary of $89,610 according to California’s Employment Development Department. Experienced speech-language pathologists with salaries in the 70th percentile earned an average of $105,539 that year.
Featured Schools:
NYU Steinhardt's online MS in Communicative Sciences and Disorders, Speech@NYU, offers a comprehensive curriculum that combines research and evidence-based clinical practice in a flexible online format. Speech@NYU prepares students across the country to become creative, collaborative, and effective speech-language pathologists. Students of this program will gain the experience needed to provide care to diverse populations across the life span. Request information.
Emerson College offers an online master’s in speech-language pathology with the same curriculum as its top-ranked* on-campus program. Students are prepared to pursue SLP certification in as few as 20 months.
*U.S. News & World Report, 2018
California’s SLPs earned the second highest average salary in the country as of 2015 according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. In addition, five of the state’s cities were among the top ten metro areas in the country in terms of highest average SLP salaries that year:
- #1—Redding
- #3—Sacramento area
- #6—Salinas
- #9—Santa Maria-Santa Barbara
- #10—Fresno
High Employment Levels and Job Growth for California’s SLPs
The California Employment Development Department expects the number of jobs for speech-language pathologists to increase by 14.3% between 2012 and 2022. This level of growth should result in an average of 330 jobs a year becoming available.
California has a large number of SLPs according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. In 2015, the state had the 2nd highest number of speech-language pathologists in the country with 10,480 employed that year. The Los Angeles area had the 5th highest number of SLPs of any metropolitan area.
Salaries of Speech-Language Pathologists Throughout California
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics provides the salaries of speech-language pathologists in the major cities of California and two of its rural areas as of 2015:
*Salaries are equal to or greater than $90 an hour or $187,200 a year. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics does not report salaries higher than these values.
Salaries for Speech-Language Pathologists in California’s Most Populated Counties
Shown here for comparison are salaries of speech-language pathologists in California’s most populated counties according to a 2016 report published by California’s Employment Development Department. Shown below are salaries ranging from the average to the 70th percentile average:
Alameda:
- Annual: $90,726 – $109,990
- Hourly: $43.62 – $52.88
Contra Costa:
- Annual: $90,726 – $109,990
- Hourly: $43.62 – $52.88
Fresno:
- Annual: $97,270 – $117,042
- Hourly: $46.77 – $56.27
Kern:
- Annual: $81,159 – $93,683
- Hourly: $39.02 – $45.04
Los Angeles:
- Annual: $84,101 – $101,088
- Hourly: $40.43 – $48.60
Marin:
- Annual: $85,517 – $97,552
- Hourly: $40.93 – $46.90
Merced:
- Annual: $77,436 – $86,882
- Hourly: $47.23- $41,77
Monterey:
- Annual: $101,652 – $130,021
- Hourly: $48.87 – $62.51
Orange:
- Annual: $89,022 – $104,686
- Hourly: $42.80 – $50.33
Placer:
- Annual: $108,064 – $116,168
- Hourly: $51.95 – $55.85
Riverside:
- Annual: $88,139 – $103,480
- Hourly: $42.38 – $49.75
Sacramento:
- Annual: $108,064 – $116,168
- Hourly: $51.95 – $55.85
San Bernardino:
- Annual: $88,139 – $103,480
- Hourly: $42.38 – $49.75
San Diego:
- Annual: $89,012 – $110,552
- Hourly: $42.79 – $53.15
San Francisco:
- Annual: $91,720 – $109,179
- Hourly: $44.09 – $52.49
San Joaquin:
- Annual: $84,700 – $99,965
- Hourly: $40.72 – $48.06
San Luis Obispo:
- Annual: $85,258 – $94,182
- Hourly: $41.99 – $45.28
San Mateo:
- Annual: $91,720 – $109,179
- Hourly: $44.09 – $52.49
Santa Barbara:
- Annual: $97,432 – $115,482
- Hourly: $46.84 – $55.52
Santa Clara:
- Annual: $95,575 – $107,515
- Hourly: $45.95 – $51.69
Santa Cruz:
- Annual: $82,813 – $98,987
- Hourly: $39.81 – $47.59
Solano:
- Annual: $94,967 – $121,399
- Hourly: $45.66 – $58.36
Sonoma:
- Annual: $79,435 – $93,330
- Hourly: $38.20 – $44.87
Stanislaus:
- Annual: $81,778 – $99,195
- Hourly: $39.32 – $47.69
Tulare:
- Annual: $90,736 – $102,773
- Hourly: $43.62 – $49.41
Ventura:
- Annual: $86.110 – $101,130
- Hourly: $41.40 – $48.62
Yolo:
- Annual: $108,064 – $116,168
- Hourly: $51.95 – $55.85
