Pay for speech-language pathologists in every state, what it comes to after tax, and how far it goes after local prices and rent.
Speech-language pathologists earn a median of $97,870 a year, or $47.05 an hour, 92.0% more than the $50,980 median for all jobs. Pay is highest in California ($118,970) and lowest in South Dakota ($65,680). Occupation code 29-1127 in the Bureau of Labor Statistics survey.
Half of the 183,390 speech-language pathologists in the survey earn between $77,730 and $114,570. The bottom tenth earn under $62,900, the figure the Bureau itself uses as a rough guide to starting pay, and the top tenth more than $134,160. The average is $98,170.
| Nationally | Per year | Per hour |
|---|---|---|
| Bottom 10% earn less than | $62,900 | $30.24 |
| Bottom quarter earn less than | $77,730 | $37.37 |
| Median | $97,870 | $47.05 |
| Top quarter earn more than | $114,570 | $55.08 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $134,160 | $64.50 |
Hourly figures divide the yearly ones by 2,080 hours, the survey's own full-time year. Convert any salary.
The highest state medians are in California ($118,970), Colorado ($110,750), District of Columbia ($109,380), Washington ($105,550) and Nevada ($104,510). The lowest are in South Dakota ($65,680), Louisiana ($69,610), Alabama ($73,660), North Dakota ($75,240) and Mississippi ($78,130).
Higher pay often comes with higher prices. Adjusted for each state's price level, pay goes furthest in Colorado ($107,470 at national prices), California ($107,451), New Mexico ($107,025), Nevada ($104,532) and Delaware ($102,958).
The most speech-language pathologists work in Texas (19,120), California (16,930) and New York (15,310). Relative to all jobs, the work is most common in Arkansas (1.9 per 1,000 jobs), New Jersey (1.6) and New York (1.6).
On the national median of $97,870, a single filer in a state with no income tax takes home about $77,682 a year after federal tax, Social Security and Medicare, or $2,988 every two weeks. On each state's own median and taxes, take-home ranges from $54,954 in South Dakota to $85,023 in California. Work out your own paycheck.
The typical rent in each state's median county takes a median 20.8% of a speech-language pathologist's gross pay, and stays under the usual 30% guideline in 49 of the 50 states and DC. With 10% down at a 7.03% mortgage rate, a single speech-language pathologist earning the state median could afford the typical home in its median county in 22 of the 50 states and DC, under the 28% guideline. On the national median alone, that guideline stretches to about $286,167. Try it with your own numbers, or see where this pay covers the typical rent.
| Alabama | $73,660 | $35.41 | −24.7% | $82,929 | $57,007 | 22.4% | 2,060 |
| Alaska | $102,670 | $49.36 | +4.9% | $100,304 | $81,058 | 21.4% | 340 |
| Arizona | $97,800 | $47.02 | −0.1% | $97,142 | $75,187 | 20.5% | 3,390 |
| Arkansas | $83,580 | $40.18 | −14.6% | $96,139 | $64,903 | 15.8% | 2,430 |
| California | $118,970 | $57.20 | +21.6% | $107,451 | $85,023 | 24.7% | 16,930 |
| Colorado | $110,750 | $53.25 | +13.2% | $107,470 | $81,870 | 21.9% | 4,420 |
| Connecticut | $100,110 | $48.13 | +2.3% | $96,622 | $74,501 | 23.9% | 2,390 |
| Delaware | $102,760 | $49.40 | +5.0% | $102,958 | $75,356 | 22.1% | 690 |
| District of Columbia | $109,380 | $52.59 | +11.8% | $99,526 | $78,082 | 27.7% | 390 |
| Florida | $99,990 | $48.07 | +2.2% | $96,689 | $79,173 | 22.9% | 10,080 |
| Georgia | $96,760 | $46.52 | −1.1% | $100,485 | $72,072 | 20.8% | 4,030 |
| Hawaii | $97,560 | $46.90 | −0.3% | $88,730 | $71,158 | 39.0% | 270 |
| Idaho | $84,380 | $40.57 | −13.8% | $88,362 | $63,719 | 22.0% | 1,210 |
| Illinois | $95,080 | $45.71 | −2.9% | $95,120 | $71,012 | 15.2% | 9,040 |
| Indiana | $87,360 | $42.00 | −10.7% | $93,604 | $67,711 | 16.3% | 3,310 |
| Iowa | $81,050 | $38.97 | −17.2% | $92,352 | $62,769 | 15.3% | 1,540 |
| Kansas | $80,120 | $38.52 | −18.1% | $88,955 | $60,811 | 18.9% | 1,690 |
| Kentucky | $83,550 | $40.17 | −14.6% | $92,670 | $64,683 | 18.1% | 2,610 |
| Louisiana | $69,610 | $33.46 | −28.9% | $78,917 | $55,712 | 23.0% | 3,000 |
| Maine | $82,660 | $39.74 | −15.5% | $85,173 | $61,591 | 24.0% | 640 |
| Maryland | $99,190 | $47.69 | +1.3% | $94,504 | $73,951 | 23.5% | 3,510 |
| Massachusetts | $101,310 | $48.71 | +3.5% | $95,795 | $75,036 | 28.9% | 5,290 |
| Michigan | $89,120 | $42.84 | −8.9% | $92,624 | $67,738 | 18.1% | 4,730 |
| Minnesota | $89,380 | $42.97 | −8.7% | $90,630 | $66,114 | 17.3% | 3,890 |
| Mississippi | $78,130 | $37.56 | −20.2% | $89,853 | $61,069 | 22.2% | 1,790 |
| Missouri | $89,280 | $42.92 | −8.8% | $98,308 | $67,623 | 17.3% | 3,230 |
| Montana | $78,740 | $37.86 | −19.5% | $83,195 | $60,226 | 23.2% | 490 |
| Nebraska | $84,350 | $40.55 | −13.8% | $93,615 | $64,633 | 18.4% | 1,310 |
| Nevada | $104,510 | $50.25 | +6.8% | $104,532 | $82,353 | 20.8% | 1,270 |
| New Hampshire | $83,040 | $39.92 | −15.2% | $79,720 | $67,249 | 30.0% | 720 |
| New Jersey | $101,560 | $48.83 | +3.8% | $93,341 | $75,934 | 27.1% | 6,840 |
| New Mexico | $98,690 | $47.45 | +0.8% | $107,025 | $73,965 | 17.9% | 1,250 |
| New York | $100,610 | $48.37 | +2.8% | $93,226 | $74,241 | 18.5% | 15,310 |
| North Carolina | $86,460 | $41.57 | −11.7% | $91,661 | $66,205 | 22.4% | 5,600 |
| North Dakota | $75,240 | $36.17 | −23.1% | $84,578 | $61,239 | 19.3% | 630 |
| Ohio | $93,300 | $44.86 | −4.7% | $100,567 | $72,617 | 16.7% | 7,270 |
| Oklahoma | $84,470 | $40.61 | −13.7% | $96,160 | $64,668 | 18.0% | 1,870 |
| Oregon | $102,660 | $49.35 | +4.9% | $99,322 | $72,388 | 20.0% | 1,600 |
| Pennsylvania | $92,960 | $44.69 | −5.0% | $95,273 | $71,373 | 16.9% | 6,570 |
| Rhode Island | $104,000 | $50.00 | +6.3% | $101,682 | $77,875 | 28.4% | 720 |
| South Carolina | $90,530 | $43.52 | −7.5% | $96,566 | $68,767 | 20.2% | 2,190 |
| South Dakota | $65,680 | $31.58 | −32.9% | $74,143 | $54,954 | 23.7% | 410 |
| Tennessee | $84,630 | $40.69 | −13.5% | $92,119 | $68,367 | 21.1% | 3,320 |
| Texas | $99,910 | $48.03 | +2.1% | $102,940 | $79,117 | 17.7% | 19,120 |
| Utah | $91,560 | $44.02 | −6.4% | $92,612 | $69,168 | 22.8% | 1,460 |
| Vermont | $82,090 | $39.47 | −16.1% | $83,801 | $62,719 | 25.8% | 430 |
| Virginia | $96,250 | $46.27 | −1.7% | $95,199 | $71,265 | 22.9% | 4,460 |
| Washington | $105,550 | $50.74 | +7.8% | $98,633 | $83,084 | 20.8% | 3,570 |
| West Virginia | $80,970 | $38.93 | −17.3% | $90,472 | $62,881 | 16.4% | 880 |
| Wisconsin | $83,000 | $39.90 | −15.2% | $88,209 | $63,425 | 17.5% | 2,940 |
| Wyoming | $82,040 | $39.44 | −16.2% | $88,509 | $66,545 | 19.5% | 240 |
Click a column to sort it. “After local prices” divides the median by the state's price level (national average = 100). Take-home is for a single filer on the state median with no retirement or health deductions. Rent share is a year of the typical rent in the state's median county against the median pay. A dash means the survey publishes no figure.
Registered Nurse $97,550 · LPN $64,400 · Pharmacy Technician $45,750 · Nurse Practitioner $132,300 · Pharmacist $140,910 · Physical Therapist $102,760 · Radiologic Technologist $80,110 · Dental Hygienist $98,100