Blog Post
Business

Three Things You Need to Know About SLP Salary

Becoming a speech-language pathologist wasn’t about the money—it was about helping people overcome communication challenges.

Brooke Andrus
|
5 min read
|
July 31, 2013
image representing three things you need to know about slp salary
Authors
Illustrators
Share this post:

Subscribe

Get the latest news and tips directly in your inbox by subscribing to our monthly newsletter

When you decided to go into this profession, you probably didn’t do so with dreams of one day touring Robin Leach around your mega-yacht. For you, becoming a speech-language pathologist wasn’t about the money—it was about helping people overcome communication challenges, gain self-confidence, and improve the quality of their lives. And while your heart is definitely in the right place, you still deserve to earn a salary commensurate with the quality of therapy you provide. So, what amounts to a “good” salary? The truth is, SLP salaries depend on a variety of factors, ranging from facility type to geographic location. Here are a few important variables to consider as you contemplate compensation:

1. Setting matters.

In the SLP industry, wages vary drastically based on facility type. According to a May 2019 national salary report from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, SLPs working in skilled nursing facilities and home health services earned average annual salaries of $95,420 and $86,930, respectively—well above the overall national average of $79,120. SLPs working in elementary and secondary schools—despite having the highest level of employment in this occupation (59,310)—earn an average salary of $74,010, which is near the bottom of all industry sectors. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s (ASHA) 2018 Schools Survey breaks that down even further, reporting that SLPs working in secondary schools had the highest average school salary at $68,000, whereas SLPs working in preschools earned only $62,000.

2. Location plays a leading role.

Regional factors such as cost of living, reimbursement rates, and educational funding levels give way to substantial differences in SLP salary from one area of the country to another. According to ASHA's 2019 SLP salary report, SLPs practicing in the Midwest earned the lowest average salary—around $73,520—of all US geographic regions. Those working in the West, on the other hand, earned an average of $85,000. According to the previously cited BLS survey, average salaries in the top five highest-paying states ranged from $92,740 in California to $101,410 in Connecticut (other states in the top five were the District of Columbia, New York, and New Jersey). That report also shows a slight disparity in average SLP earnings between metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, with the top-paying metro area—Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT—coming in at  $117,710 and the top-paying nonmetro area—Northeast Virginia—coming in at $100,250.

3. More experience equals more money.

In general, the more years you spend in a particular field, the more valuable you are (in monetary terms). Speech-language pathology is no different. Case in point: according to the ASHA salary survey mentioned earlier, SLPs with one to three years of experience earned around $66,000 a year. Those with 19 to 21 years of experience, on the other hand, averaged about $100,000. 

{{inline-form}}

These items are just a sampling of things to consider when it comes to salary in the speech-language pathology industry. What factors do you think are most important when it comes to determining a reasonable SLP salary? Share your thoughts in the comments section below. 

Download your SLP Salary Guide now.

Enter your email address below, and we’ll send you a free breakdown of national SLP salary data, including averages for each state and lists of the top-paying regions and clinical settings.

Awards

KLAS award logo for 2024 Best-in-KLAS Outpatient Therapy/Rehab
Best in KLAS  2024
G2 rating official logo
Leader Spring 2024
Capterra logo
Most Loved Workplace 2023
TrustRadius logo
Most Loved 2024
Join the PXM revolution!

Learn how WebPT’s PXM platform can catapult your practice to new heights.

Get Started
two patients holding a physical therapist on their shoulders