Speech-language pathologists in Iowa who earned salaries within the 90th percentile made $94,455 on average as of 2015 according to the state’s Workforce Development agency. Statewide, SLPs earned $68,738 on average that year.
- 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. GRE Required.
*U.S. News & World Report, 2018 - 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. GRE Required. Request information.
- Baylor’s SLP master’s program online can be completed full time in 20 months or part time in 25 months. 100 percent of on-campus graduates pass the Praxis and become employed. Bachelor’s and GRE required.
The salaries for SLPs varied significantly among Iowa’s by region. The average for speech-language pathologists earning in the top 10 percent in the Southeastern part of Iowa exceeded the state’s overall average by 9.3%. Shown below is the range of salaries for Iowa’s SLPs, from the overall average to the top ten percent average:
Northeastern:
Annual: $52,630 – $68,486
Hourly: $32.62 – $48.01
Northwestern:
Annual: $50,878 – $63,446
Hourly: $32.66 – 42.39
Southeastern:
Annual: $67,051 – $103,271
Hourly: $32.24 – $49.65
Southwestern:
Annual: $69,366 – $94,549
Hourly: $33.35 – $45.46
A Satisfying Career with a High Level of Job Growth
Iowa Workforce Development expects the number of jobs for speech-language pathologists in the state to increase by 19% between 2012 and 2022. This level of growth should generate an average of 35 jobs a year during this ten-year period.
The rate of job growth will be even higher in two of Iowa’s Workforce Development Areas:
- 9% for Region 11 which contains the Central Counties of Warren, Story, Polk, Marion, Madison, Jasper, Boone and Dallas
- 4% for Region 11 which contains the Eastern Counties of Washington, Linn, Jones, Johnson, Iowa, Cedar and Benton
US News & World Report rated the profession the 19th best job in healthcare based on survey responses that showed an exceptionally high degree of job satisfaction. The publication also noted the pay spike in recent years—an increase of nearly 7% in the average salary between 2010 and 2014.
In addition, Forbes reported on a survey by the compensation specialty company PayScale.com. This company surveyed 2 million workers to find out whether they thought that their work made the world a better place. As a result, PayScale.com included the speech-language pathology profession among the top 25 most meaningful jobs that pay top salaries.
SLPs find ready employment in schools and university audiology and communicative disorder clinics. Iowa also has a number of private clinics that feature speech-language pathology as an option for their patients:
- Cedar Falls: Uni Speech & Hearing Clinic
- Clive: Speech Language Dyslexia Clinic
- Iowa City: Children’s Center for Therapy
- Newton: Skiff Medical Center: Bartel-Kelso, Susanna L.
- Urbandale: Enrichment Therapy & Learning Center, PC
Speech-Language Pathology Salaries in Iowa
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics provides a highly detailed analysis of the salaries for speech-language pathologists throughout Iowa:
