SOC 29-2092.00Bright outlook

    Hearing Aid Specialists

    Select and fit hearing aids for customers.

    Median pay
    $65,160
    Growth
    +19.4%
    Much faster than average
    Openings a year
    900
    Typical education
    High school diploma

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

    See the pathway

    Annual pay range

    Lowest 10% earn less than
    $38,400
    Median
    $65,160
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $94,020
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    11,270 people work in this occupation.

    In short

    Hearing aid specialists select, fit, and test hearing instruments for clients. This career offers a median annual pay of $65,160, with a projected job growth rate that is much faster than average.

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What hearing aid specialists do

    Job Zone 3: Medium preparation

    Select and fit hearing aids for customers. Administer and interpret tests of hearing. Assess hearing instrument efficacy. Take ear impressions and prepare, design, and modify ear molds.

    Usually vocational training, an associate degree or related experience.

    What the work is like

    People in this career work directly with the public to address hearing loss. On a daily basis, they administer and interpret hearing tests, take ear impressions, and design or modify custom ear molds. They must select the right hearing aids for customers and assess how well the instruments are working.

    This role is highly social, requiring strong skills in active listening, speaking, social perceptiveness, and instruction. Specialists must be comfortable assisting and caring for others, establishing positive relationships, and sometimes selling or influencing clients. Success in this field relies on knowledge of customer and personal service, sales and marketing, therapy and counseling, and basic medicine. They use computers to document information and must pay close attention to detail. Key work styles include empathy, cooperation, sincerity, and dependability.

    How to get there

    To enter this field, candidates typically need at least a high school diploma. However, the career generally requires medium preparation, which often includes vocational training, an associate degree, or related on-the-job experience.

    Students interested in this path often choose college majors in allied health diagnostic, intervention, and treatment professions. Depending on where you plan to practice, some states list a license for this work. This career is also known by several other titles, including hearing aid dispenser, audiology assistant, hearing aid technician, and hearing aid fitter.

    Pay and outlook explained

    In 2025, the median annual pay for hearing aid specialists was $65,160. Earnings can vary significantly based on experience and location; the lowest 10 percent of workers earn less than $38,400, while the highest 10 percent earn more than $94,020.

    This field is experiencing rapid growth. Between 2025 and 2035, employment is projected to increase by 19.4 percent, which is much faster than the average for all occupations. There are approximately 11,270 people currently employed in this role, with about 900 job openings projected to become available each year.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R)
    48 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    56 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    12 / 100
    Social (S) · strongest
    59 / 100
    Enterprising (E)
    12 / 100
    Conventional (C)
    57 / 100
    How strongly each interest area describes the work, from O*NET (scores rescaled to 0–100). The interest code lists the strongest areas in order.

    Interest code SCI. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Assisting and Caring for Others
    92
    Performing for or Working Directly with the Public
    84
    Getting Information
    84
    Working with Computers
    83
    Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
    82
    Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
    79
    Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
    78
    Documenting/Recording Information
    78
    Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    76
    Selling or Influencing Others
    75
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Active Listening
    • Service Orientation
    • Instructing
    • Speaking
    • Reading Comprehension
    • Social Perceptiveness
    • Active Learning
    • Complex Problem Solving
    • Critical Thinking
    • Judgment and Decision Making

    Knowledge

    • Customer and Personal Service
    • Sales and Marketing
    • Therapy and Counseling
    • Medicine and Dentistry
    • Computers and Electronics
    • Administrative
    • English Language
    • Administration and Management
    • Economics and Accounting
    • Psychology

    Abilities

    • Oral Comprehension
    • Oral Expression
    • Speech Clarity
    • Problem Sensitivity
    • Speech Recognition
    • Near Vision
    • Written Comprehension
    • Deductive Reasoning
    • Inductive Reasoning
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness

    Work styles

    • Attention to Detail
    • Cooperation
    • Dependability
    • Empathy
    • Social Orientation
    • Sincerity
    • Integrity
    • Cautiousness
    • Optimism
    • Intellectual Curiosity

    Also called

    Audiology Assistant · Audiology Technician · Audioprosthologist · Board Certified Hearing Instrument Specialist (Board Certified HIS) · Hearing Aid Attendant · Hearing Aid Consultant · Hearing Aid Dispenser · Hearing Aid Fitter · Hearing Aid Specialist · Hearing Aid Technician (Hearing Aid Tech)

    Career pathway

    From your interests to hearing aid specialists

    Interests that fit the work, the career, majors that lead there and colleges whose graduates in those majors earn the most. Hover or focus a step to follow one path.

    1. Interests

    2. This career

      • Hearing Aid Specialists$65,160 median pay

    3. Majors

    4. Colleges

    College Scorecard program outcomes

    Colleges with strong outcomes

    Programs that lead to this career, ranked by what their graduates earn four years after finishing. Earnings are for graduates who received federal aid.

    1. 1Wagner College logo
      Wagner College

      Staten Island, NY · Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      Not reported
      4 yrs after
      $156,982
      Median debt
      $27,000
    2. 2St. John's University-New York logo
      St. John's University-New York

      Queens, NY · Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $102,500
      4 yrs after
      $142,774
      Median debt
      $23,325
    3. 3John Patrick University of Health and Applied Sciences logo
      John Patrick University of Health and Applied Sciences

      South Bend, IN · Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $112,673
      4 yrs after
      $122,061
      Median debt
      $23,437
    4. 4Saint Francis University logo
      Saint Francis University

      Loretto, PA · Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      Not reported
      4 yrs after
      $115,813
      Median debt
      $28,000
    5. 5D'Youville University logo
      D'Youville University

      Buffalo, NY · Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $113,290
      4 yrs after
      $114,737
      Median debt
      $30,703
    6. 6Molloy College logo
      Molloy College

      Rockville Centre, NY · Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $90,567
      4 yrs after
      $111,267
      Median debt
      Not reported
    7. 7Salisbury University logo
      Salisbury University

      Salisbury, MD · Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $75,312
      4 yrs after
      $109,739
      Median debt
      $23,250
    8. 8Long Island University logo
      Long Island University

      Brookville, NY · Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $90,526
      4 yrs after
      $107,539
      Median debt
      $22,000

    Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard field-of-study data, 2025. Programs with few graduates are not listed.

    NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk

    Majors that lead here

    Related programs by four-digit CIP code. They are common routes in, not the only ones.

    CareerOneStop

    Certifications, licenses and pay by state

    What hearing aid specialists may need beyond a degree, where a license is required, and what the work pays in each state.

    Training

    Programs of study that prepare people for this work.

    • Hearing Instrument Specialist

    Find training near you on CareerOneStop

    Licenses by state

    49 states list a license for this work. Open your state for the license and the agency that issues it.

    Check license requirements on CareerOneStop

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 6, 2026.

    Your plan

    Build my pathway plan

    Courses, majors, colleges, scholarships and a timeline for this career, built from your profile.

    Related careers

    Careers with similar work, interests or skills.

    All careers

    Questions about hearing aid specialists

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What are some alternative job titles for a hearing aid specialist?

    People in this profession are also called hearing aid dispensers, audiology assistants, hearing aid fitters, audiology technicians, and hearing aid consultants.

    Do I need a college degree to become a hearing aid specialist?

    While the typical entry-level education is a high school diploma, most people in this career complete vocational training, an associate degree, or equivalent hands-on experience. Some states also list a license for this work.

    What is the job outlook for this career?

    The job outlook is very strong, with employment projected to grow by 19.4 percent from 2025 to 2035. This growth rate is much faster than average and is expected to result in 900 job openings each year.

    Sources and attribution

    Every figure on this page comes from these public datasets. Missing values are shown as not reported, never estimated.

    O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 6, 2026.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.