The U.S. News and World report states that the pathologist salary in the US is $71,550 a year. Another source, Payscale, informs that the speech and language pathologist salary could be $58,220 a year and $37.00 an hour. However, are these the only sources we should count on for determining a speech pathologist salary we can expect? There are multiple factors that influence the annual wage for these professionals, such as industry, geographic area or experience. Read everything you need to know about the speech pathologist salary in the U.S. below.
Speech Pathologist Salary Influencers
1. Industry
Firstly, the average salary of a speech pathologist can vary depending on industry. While most speech pathologists work in the educational services industry (44%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics), there are several other industries that employ these professionals. Speech pathologists can also work in these areas:
- Offices of physical, occupational and speech therapists, and audiologists – 19%
- State, local and private hospitals – 13%
- Nursing and residential care facilities – 5%
- Social assistance – 4%
In addition to this, the salary for speech pathologist can be different based on employer. Here are a few examples of popular companies with salary ranges provided by Payscale:
- EBS Healthcare – $56,000 – $81,000
- Life Care Centers of America – $68,000 – $84,000
- RehabCare – $72,000 – $92,000
2. Geographic Area
Secondly, location is fundamental for the speech pathologist salary. Analyzing speech language pathologist salary by state data, we have found that Connecticut provides the greatest salaries for these employees, with $88,460 a year. Close up are the following states with high speech pathologist salary estimates:
- Speech pathologist salary California employees get – $88,330
- Alaska school speech pathologist salary – $88,300
- Average salary of speech pathologist in District of Columbia – $88,070
- Speech pathologist salary NYC professionals receive – $87,640
- New Jersey salary of speech language pathologist – $84,840
However, there are quite a few states where the average salary speech pathologist professionals get is at an all-time low. Aside from Puerto Rico, where the speech pathologists salary is $48,770, these are the locations in the U.S. with the lowest speech pathology pay:
- Louisiana – $63,410
- Nebraska – $63,300
- West Virginia – $62,740
- Mississippi – $62,620
- South Dakota – $56,110
If you want to increase your chances of getting hired as a speech pathologist in America, here are the states you should target for your application. They have the highest employment rates, therefore boosting your job opportunities:
- Texas
- California
- New York
- Florida
- Illinois
Consequently, California would be the ideal place for your speech pathologist starting salary. Not only do you have greater chances of landing a job, but your annual wage will also be attractive.
3. Experience
Thirdly, experience is highly relevant for all speech pathologist candidates. Payscale shows that there is no less than a $17k difference between beginners and experienced individuals in this field. As a result, the starting speech pathologist salary for employees with 0-5 years of experience is $62,000.
As you progress, you will earn $70,000 in your mid-career, when you have between 5 and 10 years’ experience. Moreover, experienced professionals with a background of 10-20 years in the field are repaid with $76,000 annually. At last, those who have been in the industry for more than 20 years and are in their late career get $79,000 a year.
Working Hours and Environment
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 2 in 5 speech pathologists carry out their work in schools, while the rest work in hospitals and other healthcare facilities. As far as their schedule is concerned, the majority work full time. Only around 1 in 4 speech pathologists have a part time working schedule. Depending on their contract, some might have to travel from one facility to another.
Speech Pathologist Salary by State
| State | Annual mean wage ($) |
|---|---|
| Alabama | 67,850 |
| Alaska | 88,300 |
| Arizona | 68,790 |
| Arkansas | 72,570 |
| California | 88,330 |
| Colorado | 84,550 |
| Connecticut | 88,460 |
| Delaware | 71,460 |
| District of Columbia | 88,070 |
| Florida | 78,790 |
| Georgia | 71,400 |
| Hawaii | 74,290 |
| Idaho | 69,950 |
| Illinois | 75,850 |
| Indiana | 73,000 |
| Iowa | 72,180 |
| Kansas | 68,450 |
| Kentucky | 70,590 |
| Louisiana | 63,410 |
| Maine | 63,900 |
| Maryland | 80,610 |
| Massachusetts | 81,290 |
| Michigan | 75,140 |
| Minnesota | 69,980 |
| Mississippi | 62,620 |
| Missouri | 67,370 |
| Montana | 66,040 |
| Nebraska | 63,300 |
| Nevada | 81,310 |
| New Hampshire | 72,600 |
| New Jersey | 84,840 |
| New Mexico | 80,580 |
| New York | 87,640 |
| North Carolina | 70,250 |
| North Dakota | 65,040 |
| Ohio | 74,600 |
| Oklahoma | 67,790 |
| Oregon | 76,970 |
| Pennsylvania | 76,700 |
| Puerto Rico | 48,770 |
| Rhode Island | 76,280 |
| South Carolina | 68,480 |
| South Dakota | 56,110 |
| Tennessee | 69,710 |
| Texas | 78,340 |
| Utah | 66,930 |
| Vermont | 69,350 |
| Virginia | 80,620 |
| Washington | 74,970 |
| West Virginia | 62,740 |
| Wisconsin | 66,270 |
| Wyoming | 70,040 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Bonuses and Benefit Packages
To begin with, speech pathologists can gain an extra $2,517 a year from performance, project or experience-based bonuses. In addition to this, they can make between $201.34 and $9,617 annually from profit sharing.
Furthermore, a great number of speech pathologists enjoy medical benefits – 72%, to be exact. After that, it is reported that 46% benefit from vision insurance. Dental coverage is offered to roughly 60% of speech pathologists in the U.S. This only leaves about 26% of these employees with no benefits.
Job Outlook
A positive piece of news for aspiring speech pathologists is that they’ll have more job opportunities in the following years than they would have had before 2014. Data from the BLS shows that a 21% increase in employment is expected to take place until 2024 for speech pathologists.
This is a lot faster than the 7% percent change in employment for all professions in the American economy. Additionally, the employment increase for speech pathologists exceeds the percent difference for health diagnosing and treating practitioners in general, which is reported to be 17%.
Conclusion
All in all, the speech pathologist salary can be an aspect for candidates to look forward to if they know where to apply. As you have noticed, location plays a major role for future speech pathologists, but also their employer. Nevertheless, it is important that candidates search for locations with high employment rates so they have chances of getting hired in the domain. Generally, the job market is open to more and more speech pathologists in the next years.
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