Occupation salary profile

Speech-Language Pathologists

SOC 29-1127 BLS OEWS May 2025 H-1B LCAs, last 12 months

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.

National median · BLS
$97,870
▲ +2.58% YoY
H-1B sponsor median
$90,958
▲ +5.28% YoY · 419 LCAs
Average salary · BLS
$98,170
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
183,390
Jobs (BLS)
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Enter your pay and a location to see where you stand against BLS and H-1B pay, your estimated take-home pay, and your purchasing power.

Pay range for Speech-Language Pathologists

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation; H-1B covers 419 certified Labor Condition Applications filed by sponsoring employers in the last 12 months.

Percentile All U.S. workers (BLS) H-1B sponsored
10th — entry pay$62,900$70,706
25th$77,730$78,582
Median (50th)$97,870$90,958
75th$114,570$100,284
90th — top pay$134,160$115,606
H-1B sponsors pay a median of $90,958 for Speech-Language Pathologists — 7.1% below the BLS national median of $97,870.

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Based on hrs/week × weeks/year = 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035

Job outlook for Speech-Language Pathologists

BLS projects employment of speech-language pathologists to grow 16.6% from 2025 to 2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations. About 12,500 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
193,400 → 225,500
+32,100 jobs
Projected change
+16.6%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
12,500
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
Master's degree
No related experience required
On-the-job training
Internship/residency
Self-employed
4.5% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 5)
Extensive Preparation Needed. Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Fastest-growing jobs → Best-paying jobs that need a master's degree →

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035 · BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook →

H-1B sponsored pay

Pay by H-1B wage level

Employers assign every H-1B filing a Department of Labor prevailing-wage level, from Level I (entry) to Level IV (fully competent). Pay rises steeply with level.

H-1B median $90,958
Change vs prior year +5.28%
After inflation (CPI-U) +2.08%
Wage level LCAs Share P25 Median P75
Level I 262 62.5% $76,836 $87,943 $96,782
Level II 95 22.7% $80,974 $100,800 $109,760
Level III 28 6.7% $103,990 $113,568 $126,984
Level IV 15 3.6% $124,405 $133,827 $139,693
H-1B job titles

Salaries by job title in Speech-Language Pathologists

The 2 most-filed job titles inside SOC 29-1127, from 419 H-1B filings. Seniority words and level numbers are grouped (“Senior Data Engineer II” counts as Data Engineer). Tap a title for its full range, wage levels and the exact titles employers used.

Job title LCAs Share P25 Median P75 YoY
Speech Language Pathologist 347 82.82% $80,454 $92,269 $100,720 +5.54%
RPE/CFY, Speech Language Pathologist 26 6.21% $76,690 $79,498 $86,637 +2.11%

Titles are cleaned from the employer's own LCA text (codes and typos removed, nothing invented). Rows need 10+ filings in this SOC.

Skills & tools

Skills needed for Speech-Language Pathologists

How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.

Top skills
  • Active Listening4.1
  • Critical Thinking4.1
  • Reading Comprehension4.1
  • Social Perceptiveness4.1
  • Learning Strategies4.0
  • Speaking4.0
  • Writing4.0
  • Active Learning3.9
  • Complex Problem Solving3.9
  • Instructing3.9
Top knowledge areas
  • English Language4.9
  • Education and Training4.2
  • Customer and Personal Service4.0
  • Psychology4.0
  • Therapy and Counseling4.0
  • Administrative3.6
  • Sociology and Anthropology3.2
  • Medicine and Dentistry3.1
Software and technology used
eClinicalWorks EHR softwareMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft WordAdobe AuditionApple Logic ProAvaaz Innovations AphasiaMateAvaaz Innovations Computerized Speech Research Environment CSREAvaaz Innovations Interactive Voice Analysis System IVANSBiofeedback softwareBungalow Software Aphasia TutorDropboxELR Software eLr Extra Language ResourcesEmail softwareKayPENTAX Multi-SpeechKayPENTAX NasometerLanguage analysis softwareLearning Fundamentals Speech Visualization

Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).

Source: 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. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

About the job

What speech-language pathologists do

  • Evaluate hearing or speech and language test results, barium swallow results, or medical or background information to diagnose and plan treatment for speech, language, fluency, voice, or swallowing disorders.
  • Write reports and maintain proper documentation of information, such as client Medicaid or billing records or caseload activities, including the initial evaluation, treatment, progress, and discharge of clients.
  • Monitor patients' progress and adjust treatments accordingly.
  • Develop or implement treatment plans for problems such as stuttering, delayed language, swallowing disorders, or inappropriate pitch or harsh voice problems, based on own assessments and recommendations of physicians, psychologists, or social workers.
  • Administer hearing or speech and language evaluations, tests, or examinations to patients to collect information on type and degree of impairments, using written or oral tests or special instruments.
  • Educate patients and family members about various topics, such as communication techniques or strategies to cope with or to avoid personal misunderstandings.
  • Supervise or collaborate with therapy team.
  • Participate in and write reports for meetings regarding patients' progress, such as individualized educational planning (IEP) meetings, in-service meetings, or intervention assistance team meetings.
Also called
Bilingual Speech-Language Pathologist (Bilingual SLP)Speech and Language SpecialistSpeech PathologistSpeech-Language Pathologist (SLP)Pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist (Pediatric SLP)Speech and Language ClinicianSpeech and Language TeacherSpeech and Language TherapistSpeech ClinicianSpeech Therapist
More job titles for this occupation (16)
Home Health SLP (Home Health Speech Language Pathologist)Language PathologistOral TherapistPediatric SLP (Pediatric Speech Language Pathologist)Public School Speech ClinicianPublic School Speech TherapistSchool SLP (School Speech Language Pathologist)SLP CF (Speech Language Pathologist Clinical Fellow)SNF RN (Skilled Nursing Facility Registered Nurse)Speech Correction ConsultantSpeech Language PathologistSpeech-Language SpecialistTeletherapy SLP (Teletherapy Speech Language Pathologist)Travel SLP (Travel Speech Language Pathologist)Virtual School SLP (Virtual School Speech Language Pathologist)Voice Pathologist

Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.