Speech-Language Pathologists
Health ScienceO*NET 29-1127.00United States
Assess and treat persons with speech, language, voice, and fluency disorders. May select alternative communication systems and teach their use.
- Median annual earnings
- $96,518
- Projected change
- +18.2%
- Typical education
- Master's or Professional degree
- Employment
- 197.13K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
100% of the workforce
Growing to 233.06K by 2035
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These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
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The work
What speech-language pathologists do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- 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.
- 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.
- Supervise or collaborate with therapy team.
- Instruct clients in techniques for more effective communication, such as sign language, lip reading, or voice improvement.
- Teach clients to control or strengthen tongue, jaw, face muscles, or breathing mechanisms.
- Develop speech exercise programs to reduce disabilities.
- Consult with and advise educators or medical staff on speech or hearing topics, such as communication strategies or speech and language stimulation.
- Complete administrative responsibilities, such as coordinating paperwork, scheduling case management activities, or writing lesson plans.
- Consult with and refer clients to additional medical or educational services.
- Design, develop, or employ alternative diagnostic or communication devices or strategies.
- Participate in conferences, training, continuing education courses, or publish research results to share knowledge of new hearing or speech disorder treatment methods or technologies.
- Use computer applications to identify or assist with communication disabilities.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $59,726
- 25th percentile
- $75,482
- 50th percentile
- $96,518
- 75th percentile
- $115,479
- 90th percentile
- $144,009
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $96,518 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+18.2%much faster than average
2025197,130 jobs
2035 projected233,057 jobs
35,927 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- Master's or Professional degree
- 100%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Systems Evaluation
- Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Operations Analysis
- Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
- Science
- Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Speech Language Pathologists67,959 postings
- 02School Speech Language Pathologists18,007 postings
- 03Travel Speech Language Pathologists8,120 postings
- 04Speech Therapists7,413 postings
- 05Pediatric Speech Language Pathologists6,472 postings
- 06Home Health Speech Language Pathologists2,778 postings
- 07Therapists/Speech Language Pathologists2,124 postings
- 08Speech Language Pathologist Clinical Fellows1,918 postings
- 09Home Health Speech Therapists1,483 postings
- 10School Speech Therapists1,062 postings
- 11Bilingual Speech Language Pathologists920 postings
- 12Outpatient Speech Language Pathologists905 postings
- 13Pediatric Speech Therapists763 postings
- 14Skilled Nursing Facility Speech Language Pathologists716 postings
- 15Teletherapy Speech Language Pathologists681 postings
- 16Speech Therapists/Speech Language Pathologists628 postings
- 17Rehabilitation Speech Language Pathologists624 postings
- 18Licensed Speech Language Pathologists595 postings
- 19Early Intervention Speech Language Pathologists579 postings
- 20Elementary School Speech Language Pathologists561 postings
Top employers
- 01Soliant Health22,916 postings
- 02ProCare Therapy3,683 postings
- 03Amergis3,299 postings
- 04PediaStaff3,223 postings
- 05Stepping Stones2,702 postings
- 06AMN Healthcare2,477 postings
- 07Encompass Health2,134 postings
- 08Sunbelt Staffing2,087 postings
- 09Genesis HealthCare1,514 postings
- 10Jackson Therapy Partners1,513 postings
- 11Pediatric Developmental Services1,261 postings
- 12Reliant Rehabilitation1,128 postings
- 13CompHealth1,047 postings
- 14UnitedHealth Group993 postings
- 15Epic Special Education Staffing989 postings
- 16Care Options For Kids930 postings
- 17HealthPRO Heritage889 postings
- 18Triage Staffing839 postings
- 19Aya Healthcare817 postings
- 20LifePoint Health765 postings
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