Speech-Language Pathologist Salary by State
How much speech-language pathologists earn in each state. SOC code 29-1127 (Speech-Language Pathologists). Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025.
- National median wage$97,870Half earn more, half less
- National mean wage$98,170Average of all workers
- Median hourly wage$47.05Mean $47.20/hour
- U.S. employment183,390Wage & salary jobs
- Top-paying stateCalifornia$118,600 mean
- States with data51 / 51Others not published by BLS
How much do speech-language pathologists make?
Nationally, speech-language pathologists earn a median of $97,870 a year and a mean of $98,170 (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle half of the occupation earns between $77,730 (25th percentile) and $114,570 (75th percentile); the bottom 10% earn under $62,900 and the top 10% more than $134,160.
That median is 1.9× the median for all U.S. occupations ($50,980).
By state, the mean wage ranges from $118,600 in California (highest) to $73,310 in South Dakota (lowest). After adjusting the median for each state’s price level, California comes out on top at $107,471 in national-average dollars.
National pay distribution
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly | Hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | $62,900 | $5,242 | $30.24 |
| 25th | $77,730 | $6,478 | $37.37 |
| Median | $97,870 | $8,156 | $47.05 |
| 75th | $114,570 | $9,548 | $55.08 |
| 90th | $134,160 | $11,180 | $64.50 |
| Mean | $98,170 | $8,181 | $47.20 |
25th and 75th percentile hourly figures are annual ÷ 2,080 hours.
Speech-Language Pathologist salary in every state
Click a column heading to sort. Adjusted median = median × 100 ÷ BEA regional price parity (2024).
| State | Mean wage | Median wage | Median hourly | 10th pct | 90th pct | Adjusted median | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $118,600 | $118,970 | $57.20 | $79,750 | $160,900 | $107,471 | 16,930 |
| Colorado | $116,960 | $110,750 | $53.25 | $73,900 | $164,520 | $107,420 | 4,420 |
| District of Columbia | $112,940 | $109,380 | $52.59 | $81,800 | $137,140 | $99,527 | 390 |
| New Jersey | $109,510 | $101,560 | $48.83 | $71,620 | $167,230 | $93,346 | 6,840 |
| New York | $107,700 | $100,610 | $48.37 | $64,980 | $157,920 | $93,244 | 15,310 |
| Washington | $107,610 | $105,550 | $50.74 | $81,330 | $132,630 | $98,645 | 3,570 |
| Oregon | $106,210 | $102,660 | $49.35 | $74,410 | $143,000 | $99,284 | 1,600 |
| Delaware | $105,380 | $102,760 | $49.40 | $79,880 | $135,200 | $102,966 | 690 |
| Nevada | $103,870 | $104,510 | $50.25 | $63,180 | $136,520 | $104,510 | 1,270 |
| Rhode Island | $103,850 | $104,000 | $50.00 | $75,270 | $130,830 | $101,662 | 720 |
| New Mexico | $102,370 | $98,690 | $47.45 | $61,630 | $134,750 | $107,039 | 1,250 |
| Massachusetts | $101,890 | $101,310 | $48.71 | $71,030 | $129,730 | $95,756 | 5,290 |
| Connecticut | $101,340 | $100,110 | $48.13 | $65,400 | $130,290 | $96,631 | 2,390 |
| Alaska | $100,320 | $102,670 | $49.36 | $79,700 | $125,950 | $100,264 | 340 |
| Arizona | $100,270 | $97,800 | $47.02 | $68,990 | $130,550 | $97,120 | 3,390 |
| Virginia | $99,590 | $96,250 | $46.27 | $66,890 | $132,400 | $95,203 | 4,460 |
| Texas | $99,460 | $99,910 | $48.03 | $66,370 | $132,990 | $102,894 | 19,120 |
| Maryland | $98,070 | $99,190 | $47.69 | $63,480 | $130,590 | $94,467 | 3,510 |
| Florida | $96,710 | $99,990 | $48.07 | $69,970 | $122,050 | $96,702 | 10,080 |
| Pennsylvania | $93,720 | $92,960 | $44.69 | $60,650 | $130,780 | $95,246 | 6,570 |
| Georgia | $93,470 | $96,760 | $46.52 | $59,800 | $125,550 | $100,478 | 4,030 |
| Ohio | $93,140 | $93,300 | $44.86 | $61,840 | $125,330 | $100,539 | 7,270 |
| Illinois | $92,660 | $95,080 | $45.71 | $60,870 | $123,800 | $95,080 | 9,040 |
| Indiana | $92,290 | $87,360 | $42.00 | $60,990 | $122,930 | $93,633 | 3,310 |
| Hawaii | $91,660 | $97,560 | $46.90 | $61,000 | $120,620 | $88,691 | 270 |
| Utah | $90,630 | $91,560 | $44.02 | $56,070 | $128,490 | $92,578 | 1,460 |
| Arkansas | $90,490 | $83,580 | $40.18 | $56,250 | $134,420 | $96,180 | 2,430 |
| South Carolina | $89,950 | $90,530 | $43.52 | $56,560 | $124,070 | $96,617 | 2,190 |
| Wyoming | $89,350 | $82,040 | $39.44 | $63,520 | $124,250 | $88,501 | 240 |
| Kentucky | $89,180 | $83,550 | $40.17 | $63,250 | $121,090 | $92,627 | 2,610 |
| Missouri | $89,040 | $89,280 | $42.92 | $58,180 | $119,240 | $98,326 | 3,230 |
| Michigan | $88,650 | $89,120 | $42.84 | $62,430 | $108,670 | $92,640 | 4,730 |
| North Carolina | $88,640 | $86,460 | $41.57 | $60,800 | $121,040 | $91,686 | 5,600 |
| New Hampshire | $88,460 | $83,040 | $39.92 | $64,030 | $119,290 | $79,693 | 720 |
| West Virginia | $88,180 | $80,970 | $38.93 | $62,690 | $125,160 | $90,469 | 880 |
| Minnesota | $87,670 | $89,380 | $42.97 | $62,390 | $107,820 | $90,649 | 3,890 |
| Oklahoma | $87,230 | $84,470 | $40.61 | $51,230 | $127,920 | $96,207 | 1,870 |
| Idaho | $87,060 | $84,380 | $40.57 | $62,090 | $121,890 | $88,356 | 1,210 |
| Nebraska | $87,030 | $84,350 | $40.55 | $59,120 | $117,980 | $93,618 | 1,310 |
| Vermont | $86,040 | $82,090 | $39.47 | $64,320 | $103,380 | $83,765 | 430 |
| Wisconsin | $85,550 | $83,000 | $39.90 | $61,320 | $108,360 | $88,204 | 2,940 |
| Tennessee | $85,050 | $84,630 | $40.69 | $58,550 | $116,790 | $92,089 | 3,320 |
| Iowa | $83,760 | $81,050 | $38.97 | $63,270 | $106,460 | $92,312 | 1,540 |
| Maine | $83,690 | $82,660 | $39.74 | $54,010 | $108,580 | $85,216 | 640 |
| Kansas | $82,760 | $80,120 | $38.52 | $59,390 | $108,390 | $88,923 | 1,690 |
| Montana | $80,780 | $78,740 | $37.86 | $58,460 | $106,330 | $83,235 | 490 |
| Alabama | $78,780 | $73,660 | $35.41 | $58,010 | $109,300 | $82,950 | 2,060 |
| Mississippi | $78,570 | $78,130 | $37.56 | $50,280 | $106,170 | $89,805 | 1,790 |
| Louisiana | $77,000 | $69,610 | $33.46 | $53,480 | $107,650 | $78,923 | 3,000 |
| North Dakota | $75,980 | $75,240 | $36.17 | $56,140 | $103,350 | $84,539 | 630 |
| South Dakota | $73,310 | $65,680 | $31.58 | $54,740 | $98,810 | $74,131 | 410 |
Highest median pay
- California — $118,970
- Colorado — $110,750
- District of Columbia — $109,380
- Washington — $105,550
- Nevada — $104,510
Lowest median pay
- South Dakota — $65,680
- Louisiana — $69,610
- Alabama — $73,660
- North Dakota — $75,240
- Mississippi — $78,130
Best pay after cost of living
- California — $107,471
- Colorado — $107,420
- New Mexico — $107,039
- Nevada — $104,510
- Delaware — $102,966
The most speech-language pathologists work in Texas (19,120 jobs), California and New York.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a speech-language pathologist make?
The national median wage for speech-language pathologists is $97,870 a year and the mean is $98,170, according to BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates.
Which state pays speech-language pathologists the most?
California has the highest mean wage for speech-language pathologists at $118,600.
Which state pays speech-language pathologists the least?
South Dakota has the lowest mean wage for speech-language pathologists among states with published data, at $73,310.
Where do speech-language pathologists earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state’s median wage by its BEA price level, California ranks first at $107,471 in national-average dollars, followed by Colorado and New Mexico.