How Much Do Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) and Audiologists Make?
Search For Schools
When you click on a sponsoring school or program advertised on our site, or fill out a form to request information from a sponsoring school, we may earn a commission. View our advertising disclosure for more details.
Across the country, more than 48 million Americans have some form of hearing loss. However, only one in five people who could benefit from a hearing aid is using them. Not being able to hear well can contribute to many problems, including behavioral issues in kids and a difficult time at work for adults.
Audiologists and speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are two complementary professions that help patients with hearing issues. Audiologists are trained doctors who can test, diagnose, and treat hearing and balance issues. SLPs, on the other hand, are focused on the mechanism of speech and the throat and vocal tract. They can also address chewing and swallowing problems. In tandem, these professionals can help address myriad issues that can prevent clients from hearing well or communicating clearly with those around them.
Both of these careers require a significant amount of education. Audiologists must complete a doctor of audiology (AuD) degree that typically takes four years to finish. SLPs need to earn a master’s of science in speech-language pathology which can be completed in as little as two years. However, the high education requirements do not come without reward. Both careers are quite lucrative with SLPs earning $85,820 per year on average and audiologists bringing home $86,050 per year on average (Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2021).
Salaries for SLPs and audiologists can vary significantly based on the level of work experience a professional has, the kind of facility they work at, the state where they are employed, and even if they live in a rural or urban area.
Continue reading this guide to get a more in-depth picture of how much SLPs and audiologists make.
Speech-Language Pathologist (SLPs) and Audiologist Salary Overall
Both audiologist and SLP average wages are well above the national average for all salaries in the US. According to the BLS (May 2021), the average salary for all jobs is $58,260. By contrast, the average pay for SLPs is $85,820 and for audiologists, it’s $86,050—the latest data available as of June 2022.
Here are the percentiles for wages for SLPs:
- 10th percentile: $51,310 or $24.67 per hour
- 25th percentile: $61,970 or $29.79 per hour
- 50th percentile (median): $79,060 or $38.01 per hour
- 75th percentile: $100,200 or $48.18 per hour
- 90th percentile: $125,560 or $60.36 per hour
The percentiles for wages of audiologist are:
- 10th percentile: $58,920 or $ 28.33 per hour
- 25th percentile: $71,390 or $34.32 per hour
- 50th percentile (median): $78,950 or $37.96 per hour
- 75th percentile: $99,340 or $47.76 per hour
- 90th percentile: $120,210 or $57.79 per hour
The BLS is an authoritative source of data on wages for SLPs and audiologists. However, different sources aggregate data differently so the ranges they report can vary. When researching a career as an SLP or audiologist, it can be advantageous to look at several sources to understand better how wages can vary.
PayScale (June 2022), a self-reported salary compiling website, estimates that SLPs earn $40.41 per hour versus the $38.01 from the BLS, and audiologists earn $36.09 versus the $37.96 from the BLS.
According to PayScale (2022), the percentiles for wages for SLPs were:
- 10th percentile: $46,000 per year
- 50th percentile (median): $65,000 per year
- 90th percentile; $89,000 per year
The wages for audiologists, according to PayScale (2022), were:
- 10th percentile: $56,000 per year
- 50th percentile (median): $70,000 per year
- 90th percentile: $92,000 per year
According to PayScale, wages can increase for both SLPs and audiologists the longer they are in their field. After 20 years of work experience, SLPs can earn 14 percent more on average, and audiologists can anticipate 13 percent higher earnings.
Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) and Audiologist Salary By Region
While many factors can impact pay for SLPs and audiologists, one of the primary ones is where they work. Demand for employees, cost of living, and the number of open positions in a given region can cause salaries to rise or fall. Here are examples of mean wages for SLPs (BLS May 2021):
- Colorado: $44.93 per hour, $93,460 per year
- Illinois: $39.71 per hour, $82,590 per year
- Vermont: $40.53 per hour, $84,290 per year
- California: $49.35 per hour, $102,650 per year
- Texas: $39.88 per hour, $82,940 per year
- Florida: $40.56 per hour, $84,360 per year
Audiologists mean salaries by state include:
- Montana: $38.27 per hour, $79,610 per year
- Connecticut: $38.88 per hour, $80,860 per year
- Idaho- $33.39 per hour, $69,460 per year
- West Virginia: $37.26 per hour, $77,490 per year
- Colorado: $44.79 per hour, $93,160 per year
- Ohio: $32.78 per hour, $68,180 per year
Top-Paying States for Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists
Some places in the country have significantly higher earnings than others. According to the BLS (May 2021) the top-paying states for SLP, and the mean wages, are:
- California: $102,650 average
- Hawaii: $100,120
- New York: $98,850
- New Jersey: $98,270
- District of Columbia: $98,240
Audiologists, by contrast, vary a bit more than SLP ones. Here are the top states and mean wages for audiologists:
- Nevada: $109,690 average
- California: $106,940
- District of Columbia: $106,720
- North Dakota: $103,700
- Washington: $95,280
The number of audiologists or SLPs in a given area can significantly affect demand. This demand, in turn, can affect how much employers offer for wages. Areas of the country where there are many places for these professionals to work typically have higher wages than places with few employers. Here are the states with the highest number of SLPs.
- California: 14,150 employed SLPs
- Texas: 13,370
- New York: 13,150
- Illinois: 7,710
- Florida: 7,300
The states with the highest number of audiologists are:
- California: 1,110 employed audiologists
- Florida: 700
- Ohio: 690
- Virginia: 660
- New York: 630
Top-Paying Cities for Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists
Salaries for SLPs and audiologists can vary widely within each state as well. The metropolitan area where one of these professionals works can significantly impact pay. In general, SLPs and audiologists who work in rural areas earn less than those who work in urban areas. Below are the highest-paying metropolitan areas for SLPs, along with the mean wages:
- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA: $56.85 per hour $118,260 per year on average
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA: $53.42 per hour $111,120 per year on average
- Salinas, CA: $51.52 per hour $107,160 per year on average
- Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA: $51.30 per hour $106,710 per year on average
- Modesto, CA: $51.03 per hour $106,130 per year on average
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA: $50.98 per hour $106,030 per year on average
- Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA: $50.27 per hour $104,550 per year on average
- Sacramento–Roseville-Arden-Arcade, CA: $49.88 per hour $103,740 per year on average
- Urban Honolulu, HI: $49.72 per hour $103,420 per year on average
- Vallejo-Fairfield, CA: $49.49 per hour $102,940 per year on average
The top-paying metropolitan areas and mean wages for audiologists were:
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA: $58.26 per hour $121,170 per year on average
- Sacramento-Roseville-Arden-Arcade, CA: $56.64 per hour $117,810 per year on average
- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA: $55.98 per hour $116,450 per year on average
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA: $48.77 per hour $101,440 per year on average
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: $48.73 per hour $101,370 per year on average
- Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO: $48.69 per hour $101,280 per year on average
- San Diego-Carlsbad, CA: $48.54 per hour $100,960 per year on average
- Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin, TN: $47.81 per hour $99,440 per year on average
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA: $47.34 per hour $98,460 per year on average
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: $47.27 per hour $98,320 per year on average
Speech-Language Pathologist (SLPs) and Audiologist Salary By Type Of Office
Another key factor in the wages of SLPs and audiologists is their place of employment. Typically audiologists work in schools or clinics. However, they can also be found in hospitals, educational support services, and outpatient care centers. Audiologists can even work in lucrative roles such as device manufacturing. Here are the places of employment with the highest wages for SLPs:
- Management of Companies and Enterprises: $54.42 per hour, $113,190 per year on average
- Home Health Care Services: $53.29 per hour, $110,850 per year on average
- Individual and Family Services: $49.33 per hour, $102,610 per year on average
- Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities): $48.66 per hour, $101,210 per year on average
- Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly: $48.13 per hour, $100,120 per year on average
For audiologists, these are the top-paying places of employment:
- Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing: $49.40 per hour, $102,760 per year on average
- Outpatient Care Centers: $49.26 per hour, $102,460 per year on average
- General Medical and Surgical Hospitals: $43.62 per hour, $90,720 per year on average
- Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals: $43.28 per hour, $90,020 per year on average
- Elementary and Secondary Schools: $42.82 per hour, $89,060 per year on average
Although salary isn’t typically the only determining factor when choosing a career, having realistic expectations about earnings is an important consideration for aspiring professionals doing their due diligence in a particular field. Also, a keen understanding of why wages may fall outside of the average such as years of experience, level of education, certification, and place of employment can help SLPs and audiologists better accurately predict what wages may be given their particular circumstances.
Aside from salary, SLPs and audiologists should consider other important things when seeking employment, including health insurance, retirement, paid time off, opportunities for advancement, commute, and management.
