Speech-Language Pathology Salary

The demand for speech and linguistic therapy has been trending upward as public school systems are now more than ever making SLP services available to students, as strides are being made to identify and diagnose disorders early, and as a greater number of elderly stroke survivors undergo therapy, among other factors.

Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) have landed, once again, on the U.S. News & World Report’s 100 Best Jobs list, holding down the #9 spot for 2025, and for good reason. A strong demand for SLPs has driven salaries up and unemployment down, and everyone from young children to seniors are benefiting from the services they provide related to speech, language, and swallowing disorders.

More kids in preschool than ever before…expanded services being made available in schools under Individualized Education Programs that address students’ specific needs…and increasing numbers of seniors living with age-related medical conditions like dementia and strokes are just a few of the factors contributing to the rising demand for SLPs. It’s a red-hot profession, and demand is far outpacing supply in many cases.

Earn the credentials it takes to become part of this profession and you just might end up with your pick of job offers, while definitely being in line for strong salary offers and fantastic perks like hiring and relocation bonuses.

Keep reading to learn how much SLPs are earning, how experience, setting, and geographic location can and do influence earning potential, and how to position yourself as one of the top earners in the profession.

SLP Salaries and How Experience Influences Earning Potential

From Hospitals to In-Home Service: What SLPs Earn in Different Practice Settings

And the Top-Paying Cities and States for SLPs Are…

Hiring Bonuses and Other Salary Perks for Speech-Language Pathologists

A Guide to SLP Salaries in All 50 States

SLP Salaries and How Experience Influences Earning Potential

Strong salaries continue to dominate the SLP field and reaching a six-figure salary isn’t out of the question here.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), speech-language pathologists earned an average, annual salary of $95,840 as of May 2024. The top earners in the profession (top 25%) earned a salary of $112,510 and higher.

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s (ASHA) 2023 annual SLP Healthcare Survey reported a similar annual average salary for speech-language pathologists of $89,954. Those in the top 25% earned a salary of $101,000 and higher.

Speech-language pathologists share similar qualifications, including a graduate education in speech-language pathology that’s been accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA), pre-licensure professional experiences, a state license and, in many cases, the  through the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (many states either require the Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC-SLP) for licensure or recognize it as a path to licensure).

Because of these fairly standard license and practice requirements, you won’t find much difference in salaries here. However, where you practice (both setting and location) and how long you’ve been practicing does influence your earning power in the SLP field.

According to ASHA, SLPs with 1-3 years of experience earned a median salary of $74,000. Median salaries continue to grow until reaching a peak at about 20 years of experience:

• 4-6 years: $78,575
• 7-9 years: $85,000
• 10-12 years: $89,000
• 13-15 years: $92,000
• 16-18 years: $90,000
• 19-21 years: $98,000

From Hospitals to In-Home Service: What SLPs Earn in Different Practice Settings

You’ll find significant salary differences depending on the setting in which SLPs work. According to the ASHA 2023 salary survey, the highest-paid SLPs worked in skilled nursing facilities, where they earned an annual average salary of $96,900. In 2024 the BLS reported a higher annual mean salary for SLPs in this setting, at $111,710.

SLPs in VA, long-term acute care, and general medical hospitals earned an average annual salary of $93,378 according to ASHA, far exceeding the national average. 2024 BLS stats show SLPs in general medical and surgical hospitals earned an average annual salary of $100,990.

According to ASHA, other average annual salaries according to setting include:

• Home health: $84,712
• Outpatient clinics/offices: $87,885
• Rehabilitation hospitals: $89,530

The top earners in the field (top 25%) earned the following average salaries, according to ASHA:

• General medical/VA/long-term acute care hospitals: $111,000
• Home health: $95,680
• Outpatient clinics: $100,000
• Rehabilitation hospitals: $98,000
• Skilled nursing facilities: $106,000

While ASHA didn’t reveal salaries for SLPs in elementary and secondary schools, the BLS reported an average mean salary of $86,320 for these professionals. SLPs in school settings remain among the lowest paid in the field and are often among the busiest due to high caseloads.

And the Top-Paying Cities and States for SLPs Are…

According to ASHA, the top earners in the field are in the western part of the U.S., with these SLPs earning an average salary of $96,500. This isn’t surprising, considering that the cost of living in this area of the country tends to be higher than in other parts of the country.

Other average salaries according to geographical location include:

• Northeast: $85,160
• South: $85,000
• Midwest: $85,000

The BLS provided even more insight into where SLPs earn the highest salaries by highlighting the top-paying states for these professionals (according to annual mean salary):

• California: $114,050
• New York: $111,640
• New Jersey: $109,310
• Hawaii: $107,040
• New Mexico: $106,280

And according to metro area:

• San Jose, CA: $135,190
• San Francisco, CA: $125,480
• Santa Barbara, CA: $124,680
• Santa Rosa, CA: $124,250
• Salinas, CA: $121,560
• New York, NY: $119,030
• Modesto, CA: $118,870
• Sacramento, CA: $118,320
• Oxnard, CA: $117,710
• Merced, CA: $116,240

Hiring Bonuses and Other Salary Perks for Speech-Language Pathologists

Total compensation in the SLP field includes both salary and bonuses, often as a result of holding the CCC-SLP. It’s quite common for employers in states that don’t require the CCC-SLP for licensure to encourage SLPs to earn this national designation by offering hiring/annual bonuses and/or higher salaries. Also, many of the nation’s top employers of SLPs now require this designation as a condition of employment, so holding the CCC-SLP may be your ticket to more and higher-paying job opportunities.

Employers across the country continue to struggle with recruitment and retention of SLPs, so it’s quite common to find employers offering sign-on bonuses, relocation bonuses, and more. A quick search of current SLP jobs throughout the country revealed signing bonuses reaching $2,500, relocation assistance, and even student loan repayment.

A Guide to SLP Salaries in All 50 States

Learn more about the earning power of SLPs in your state by checking out the following BLS salary stats for SLPs in the median to top 10%:

Salary and employment data compiled by the United States Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics in May of 2024. Figures represent accumulated data for all employment sectors in which speech-language pathologists work. BLS salary data represents average and median earnings for the occupations listed and includes workers at all levels of education and experience. This data does not represent starting salaries. 

Salary and employment data compiled by ASHA’s 2023 SLP Healthcare Survey. Figures represent accumulated data for all employment sectors in which speech-language pathologists work. This data does not represent starting salaries.  

All salary and employment data accessed April 2025.

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