SOC 29-1127.00Bright outlook

    Speech-Language Pathologists

    Assess and treat persons with speech, language, voice, and fluency disorders.

    Median pay
    $97,870
    Growth
    +16.6%
    Much faster than average
    Openings a year
    12,500
    Typical education
    Master's degree

    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
    $62,900
    Median
    $97,870
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $134,160
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    183,390 people work in this occupation.

    In short

    Speech-language pathologists diagnose and treat individuals who have speech, voice, language, or fluency difficulties. This career offers a median annual salary of $97,870, with opportunities to work in schools, clinics, and home health settings.

    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 speech-language pathologists do

    Job Zone 5: Extensive preparation

    Assess and treat persons with speech, language, voice, and fluency disorders. May select alternative communication systems and teach their use. May perform research related to speech and language problems.

    Most need a graduate degree, such as a master's, PhD, MD or JD.

    What the work is like

    Professionals in this field evaluate patients to identify communication disorders and design tailored treatment plans. Day-to-day tasks involve gathering information, analyzing data, and documenting progress. They may also select and teach patients how to use alternative communication systems. This role requires strong social interests, as building supportive interpersonal relationships is essential.

    To succeed, practitioners rely on skills like active listening, speaking, reading comprehension, and social perceptiveness. They must solve complex problems and instruct patients effectively. Key knowledge areas include therapy, counseling, psychology, education, and the English language. Practitioners must also understand customer service and medicine. Important work styles for this career include empathy, cooperation, dependability, and attention to detail. Sincerity, self-control, and integrity help these specialists guide patients through their therapy journeys.

    How to get there

    Entering this career typically requires extensive preparation, including a master's degree. A graduate degree is the standard entry-level education, though some professionals may hold a PhD or other advanced degrees. College students preparing for this path generally major in communication disorders sciences and services.

    Depending on the employer and location, professionals may seek specific credentials. Available certifications include the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, as well as the Defense Language Proficiency Test from the Defense Intelligence Agency PMO. Additionally, some states list a license for this work, so candidates should check local state guidelines to ensure they meet all regional practice requirements.

    Pay and outlook explained

    The median annual pay for speech-language pathologists is $97,870. Salaries vary based on experience and setting, with the lowest 10% of earners making less than $62,900 and the highest 10% earning more than $134,160.

    Employment in this field is projected to grow by 16.6% from 2025 to 2035, which is much faster than the average for all occupations. This growth is expected to result in approximately 12,500 job openings each year.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R)
    27 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    76 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    33 / 100
    Social (S) · strongest
    85 / 100
    Enterprising (E)
    7 / 100
    Conventional (C)
    51 / 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 SIC. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Documenting/Recording Information
    99
    Getting Information
    95
    Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
    92
    Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
    90
    Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    90
    Developing Objectives and Strategies
    87
    Analyzing Data or Information
    86
    Working with Computers
    83
    Performing Administrative Activities
    82
    Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
    81
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Active Listening
    • Critical Thinking
    • Reading Comprehension
    • Social Perceptiveness
    • Learning Strategies
    • Speaking
    • Writing
    • Active Learning
    • Complex Problem Solving
    • Instructing

    Knowledge

    • English Language
    • Education and Training
    • Customer and Personal Service
    • Psychology
    • Therapy and Counseling
    • Administrative
    • Sociology and Anthropology
    • Medicine and Dentistry
    • Communications and Media
    • Public Safety and Security

    Abilities

    • Oral Comprehension
    • Oral Expression
    • Speech Recognition
    • Written Expression
    • Speech Clarity
    • Written Comprehension
    • Deductive Reasoning
    • Inductive Reasoning
    • Problem Sensitivity
    • Category Flexibility

    Work styles

    • Empathy
    • Attention to Detail
    • Cooperation
    • Dependability
    • Social Orientation
    • Optimism
    • Sincerity
    • Integrity
    • Self-Control
    • Cautiousness

    Also called

    Bilingual Speech-Language Pathologist (Bilingual SLP) · Home Health SLP (Home Health Speech Language Pathologist) · Language Pathologist · Oral Therapist · Pediatric SLP (Pediatric Speech Language Pathologist) · Pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist (Pediatric SLP) · Public School Speech Clinician · Public School Speech Therapist · School SLP (School Speech Language Pathologist) · SLP CF (Speech Language Pathologist Clinical Fellow)

    Career pathway

    From your interests to speech-language pathologists

    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

      • Speech-Language Pathologists$97,870 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. 1
      University of Washington-Seattle Main Campus

      Seattle, WA · Communication Disorders Sciences and Services · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $33,520
      4 yrs after
      $80,947
      Median debt
      $12,500
    2. 2Loma Linda University logo
      Loma Linda University

      Loma Linda, CA · Communication Disorders Sciences and Services · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      Not reported
      4 yrs after
      $79,062
      Median debt
      Not reported
    3. 3CUNY Queens College logo
      CUNY Queens College

      Queens, NY · Communication Disorders Sciences and Services · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $31,666
      4 yrs after
      $78,281
      Median debt
      Not reported
    4. 4University of the Pacific logo
      University of the Pacific

      Stockton, CA · Communication Disorders Sciences and Services · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      Not reported
      4 yrs after
      $77,549
      Median debt
      $22,362
    5. 5Iona College logo
      Iona College

      New Rochelle, NY · Communication Disorders Sciences and Services · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      Not reported
      4 yrs after
      $77,352
      Median debt
      $20,500
    6. 6
      New York University NYU

      New York, NY · Communication Disorders Sciences and Services · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      Not reported
      4 yrs after
      $75,970
      Median debt
      Not reported
    7. 7Long Island University logo
      Long Island University

      Brookville, NY · Communication Disorders Sciences and Services · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      Not reported
      4 yrs after
      $75,502
      Median debt
      Not reported
    8. 8
      California State University-Long Beach

      Long Beach, CA · Communication Disorders Sciences and Services · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      Not reported
      4 yrs after
      $75,137
      Median debt
      $19,218

    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 speech-language pathologists may need beyond a degree, where a license is required, and what the work pays in each state.

    Certifications

    Core certifications employers recognise for this work.

    Search all certifications on CareerOneStop

    Training

    Programs of study that prepare people for this work.

    • Audiology/Audiologist and Speech-Language Pathology/Pathologist
    • Communication Disorders Sciences and Services, Other
    • Communication Sciences and Disorders, General
    • Speech-Language Pathology/Pathologist

    Find training near you on CareerOneStop

    Licenses by state

    53 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 speech-language pathologists

    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 speech-language pathologists?

    They are also known as speech-language pathologist clinical fellows, pediatric speech-language pathologists, and public school speech therapists. Other titles include language pathologists, oral therapists, and bilingual speech-language pathologists.

    How many people are employed in this field?

    There are 183,390 people employed in this profession. This field is expected to experience rapid growth in the coming years.

    What are some related careers in this area of healthcare?

    Related professions include speech-language pathology assistants, audiologists, and recreational therapists. Other similar roles are occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants, and occupational therapy aides.

    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.