A Speech Therapist, also known as a Speech Language Pathologist, is a medical professional who focuses on patients who have two types of problems. The first is with those who exhibit speech issues which relate to speaking, voice articulation, language difficulties, and communication clarity. The second has to do with patients who have problems primarily with swallowing, eating and drinking that in turn have impacts on their communication abilities. Regardless of the type, the average annual Speech Therapy salary was $72k.
Contents
- 1 Average Speech Therapist Salary
- 2 Industries with the Highest Speech Therapy Wages
- 3 Highest Paying States for Speech Therapists
- 4 Lowest Paying States for Speech Therapists
- 5 Top Metropolitan Cities for Speech Therapy
- 6 Top Non-Metropolitan Areas for Speech Therapists
- 7 Highest Speech Therapist Employment Level by States
- 8 Job Outlook
- 9 Speech Therapist Job Description
- 10 How to Become a Speech Therapist
Average Speech Therapist Salary
Speech therapist average annual salary is $74k in 2014. The hourly wage at the 10th percentile was $22 compared to $53 in the 90th percentile. This is mainly due to experience, so when you’re starting out, do expect to earn an income closer to the lower/mid range. As you gain more skills and expertise, your goal should be to earn a salary in the upper percentile.
| Percentile | 10% | 25% | 50% | 75% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly Wage | $21.59 | $26.78 | $34.04 | $42.88 | $52.79 |
| Weekly Wage | $863 | $1,071 | $1,362 | $1,715 | $2,112 |
| Monthly Salary | $3,742 | $4,642 | $5,900 | $7,433 | $9,150 |
| Annual Salary | $44,900 | $55,700 | $70,800 | $89,200 | $109,800 |
Industries with the Highest Speech Therapy Wages
The only industries with an annual Speech Therapy salary over six figures is the mgmt. of companies ($161k per year) and medical/diagnostic laboratories ($154k).
| Rank | Industries | Hourly Wage | Weekly Wage | Monthly Salary | Annual Salary | Employment Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Management of Companies and Enterprises | $77.40 | $3,096 | $13,417 | $161,000 | 1,200 |
| 2 | Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories | $74.18 | $2,967 | $12,858 | $154,300 | 50 |
| 3 | Social Advocacy Organizations | $43.94 | $1,758 | $7,617 | $91,400 | N/A |
| 4 | Home Health Care Services | $43.51 | $1,740 | $7,542 | $90,500 | 5,000 |
| 5 | Offices of Physicians | $43.22 | $1,729 | $7,492 | $89,900 | 1,000 |
| 6 | Residential Mental Health and Substance Abuse Facilities | $42.98 | $1,719 | $7,450 | $89,400 | 100 |
| 7 | Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) | $42.21 | $1,688 | $7,317 | $87,800 | 5,000 |
| 8 | Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly | $42.12 | $1,685 | $7,300 | $87,600 | 800 |
| 9 | Nursing and Residential Care Facilities | $41.78 | $1,671 | $7,242 | $86,900 | 7,000 |
| 10 | Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers | $41.73 | $1,669 | $7,233 | $86,800 | 200 |
Highest Paying States for Speech Therapists
The highest salary for Speech Therapists is California at $86k. Next was New Jersey with an annual salary of $85k and Colorado at $84k. Find a list of states by going to the speech therapist salary by state chart.
| Rank | Salaries by States | Hourly Wage | Weekly Wage | Monthly Salary | Annual Salary | Employment Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $41.39 | $1,656 | $7,175 | $86,100 | 10,000 |
| 2 | New Jersey | $41.06 | $1,642 | $7,117 | $85,400 | 5,000 |
| 3 | Colorado | $40.34 | $1,613 | $6,992 | $83,900 | 3,000 |
| 4 | Nevada | $39.13 | $1,565 | $6,783 | $81,400 | 700 |
| 5 | Maryland | $39.13 | $1,565 | $6,783 | $81,400 | 2,000 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $38.85 | $1,554 | $6,733 | $80,800 | 2,000 |
| 7 | New York | $38.70 | $1,548 | $6,708 | $80,500 | 10,000 |
| 8 | District of Columbia | $38.46 | $1,538 | $6,667 | $80,000 | 300 |
| 9 | Alaska | $38.41 | $1,537 | $6,658 | $79,900 | 300 |
| 10 | Massachusetts | $37.31 | $1,492 | $6,467 | $77,600 | 4,000 |
Lowest Paying States for Speech Therapists
Excluding Puerto Rico, every state had a Speech Therapy salary of at least $51k with the lowest being in South Dakota.
| Rank | Salaries by States | Hourly Wage | Weekly Wage | Monthly Salary | Annual Salary | Employment Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Dakota | $24.38 | $975 | $4,225 | $50,700 | 400 |
| 2 | North Dakota | $26.97 | $1,079 | $4,675 | $56,100 | 600 |
| 3 | Louisiana | $28.41 | $1,137 | $4,925 | $59,100 | 2,000 |
| 4 | Oklahoma | $28.51 | $1,140 | $4,942 | $59,300 | 1,000 |
| 5 | Mississippi | $28.80 | $1,152 | $4,992 | $59,900 | 1,000 |
| 6 | Nebraska | $28.94 | $1,158 | $5,017 | $60,200 | 1,000 |
| 7 | West Virginia | $29.33 | $1,173 | $5,083 | $61,000 | 1,000 |
| 8 | Maine | $29.38 | $1,175 | $5,092 | $61,100 | 900 |
| 9 | Vermont | $30.87 | $1,235 | $5,350 | $64,200 | 400 |
| 10 | Tennessee | $30.91 | $1,237 | $5,358 | $64,300 | 2,000 |
Top Metropolitan Cities for Speech Therapy
New York, White Plains and Wayne in New York and New Jersey were the top paying major cities with an annual salary of over $89k.
| Rank | Metropolitan Cities | Hourly Wage | Weekly Wage | Monthly Salary | Annual Salary | Employment Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ | $42.69 | $1,708 | $7,400 | $88,800 | 5,000 |
| 2 | Nassau-Suffolk, NY | $42.50 | $1,700 | $7,367 | $88,400 | 2,000 |
| 3 | Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, CA | $42.31 | $1,692 | $7,333 | $88,000 | 1,000 |
| 4 | Edison-New Brunswick, NJ | $42.12 | $1,685 | $7,300 | $87,600 | 2,000 |
| 5 | Oakland-Fremont-Hayward, CA | $41.78 | $1,671 | $7,242 | $86,900 | 600 |
| 6 | Newark-Union, NJ-PA | $41.06 | $1,642 | $7,117 | $85,400 | 1,000 |
| 7 | San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, CA | $41.01 | $1,640 | $7,108 | $85,300 | 500 |
| 8 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $40.72 | $1,629 | $7,058 | $84,700 | 1,000 |
| 9 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA | $39.95 | $1,598 | $6,925 | $83,100 | 2,000 |
| 10 | Camden, NJ | $38.70 | $1,548 | $6,708 | $80,500 | 900 |
Top Non-Metropolitan Areas for Speech Therapists
The salary of Speech Therapists were higher in top non-metropolitan areas. Western Colorado averaged nearly $93k annual speech therapist salary, followed by Eastern Mexico with $89k.
| Rank | Non-Metropolitan Areas | Hourly Wage | Weekly Wage | Monthly Salary | Annual Salary | Employment Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Western Colorado | $44.66 | $1,787 | $7,742 | $92,900 | 100 |
| 2 | Eastern New Mexico | $42.93 | $1,717 | $7,442 | $89,300 | 100 |
| 3 | Central Indiana | $41.97 | $1,679 | $7,275 | $87,300 | 100 |
| 4 | Northern Mountains Region of California | $41.73 | $1,669 | $7,233 | $86,800 | 40 |
| 5 | Mother Lode Region of California | $41.44 | $1,658 | $7,183 | $86,200 | 40 |
| 6 | Southeast Arizona | $41.06 | $1,642 | $7,117 | $85,400 | 30 |
| 7 | Central Washington | $40.48 | $1,619 | $7,017 | $84,200 | 30 |
| 8 | Southcentral Idaho | $39.71 | $1,588 | $6,883 | $82,600 | 50 |
| 9 | North Central Colorado | $39.47 | $1,579 | $6,842 | $82,100 | N/A |
| 10 | Southwestern Oklahoma | $38.37 | $1,535 | $6,650 | $79,800 | 40 |
Highest Speech Therapist Employment Level by States
Texas employed 11k speech therapists at was #1 in the US. New York and California were tied for the second spot with 10k a piece.
| Rank | States | Hourly Wage | Weekly Wage | Monthly Salary | Annual Salary | Employment Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas | $35.14 | $1,406 | $6,092 | $73,100 | 11,000 |
| 2 | New York | $38.70 | $1,548 | $6,708 | $80,500 | 10,000 |
| 3 | California | $41.39 | $1,656 | $7,175 | $86,100 | 10,000 |
| 4 | Illinois | $35.63 | $1,425 | $6,175 | $74,100 | 8,000 |
| 5 | Florida | $35.53 | $1,421 | $6,158 | $73,900 | 7,000 |
| 6 | Ohio | $34.71 | $1,388 | $6,017 | $72,200 | 5,000 |
| 7 | New Jersey | $41.06 | $1,642 | $7,117 | $85,400 | 5,000 |
| 8 | North Carolina | $33.56 | $1,342 | $5,817 | $69,800 | 4,000 |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | $36.68 | $1,467 | $6,358 | $76,300 | 4,000 |
| 10 | Massachusetts | $37.31 | $1,492 | $6,467 | $77,600 | 4,000 |
Job Outlook
There were 134,000 Speech Therapists in the United States, and this figure is expected to grow 19% to 160,000 by 2022. This is nearly double that of what is expected for all occupations.
| Employment Projections Data Speech Therapist, 2012-2022 | |
|---|---|
| Employment, 2012 | 134,100 |
| Projected Employment, 2022 | 160,100 |
| Employment Difference: | 26,000 |
| Speech-language pathologists (Speech Therapists) | 19% |
| Health Diagnosing and treating practitioners | 20% |
| Total, All Occupations | 11% |
Source: Bureau of Labor and Statistics
Speech Therapist Job Description
Speech Therapists will often need to do an in depth analysis of the scope, depth and type of problems faced by the specific patient.
Based on this review, the therapist would then be able to design a specific treatment plan that provides methods to reduce the intensity of the problem, while offering steps to gradually rectify the causes and thereby eliminate it over time.
In most cases the therapist has to work closely with family members or friends who can participate and support the patients in their treatment program. The therapists will also need to interact with other medical professionals such as psychologists and physiotherapists to address both the mental and physical causes of the patient’s conditions.
Finally, as with all medical practitioners, they will need to maintain detailed patient case files which will track the treatment progress, individual coaching sessions and discussions, as well as developmental and environmental conditions that need to be addressed.
A Speech Therapist has to look at the patient, as well as his or her lifestyle and surroundings in order to provide a proper diagnosis and treatment. As a result the work is not limited just to a hospital setting and can include visits to speech and hearing clinics, rehabilitation centers, as well as the patient’s home and local community.
With such a demanding career, these professionals are deserving of the high Speech Therapy salary.
How to Become a Speech Therapist
To become a qualified Speech Therapist it is necessary to first seek a Master’s degree in speech therapy. This degree has to be from a college or university that has received accreditation from the Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA) in the field of Audiology and Speech Language Pathology.
This is important because it is needed in order to qualify for the required certification to be licensed to practice as a therapist. The key certification that needs to be obtained is the CCP-SLP, or the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology. This is provided through the main certification body in this medical field which is the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA). This body ensures that all candidates are put through a rigorous certification process that includes first formal study and examination.
Secondly, a Clinical Fellowship is required wherein the candidate has to provide details of work experience with a speech therapy professional certified by ASHA. This professional will provide a detailing rating of the candidate as part of the certification process.
Once the certification has been obtained this is valued both for government licensing, as well as certifying the ability and qualification of the speech therapist to his or her patients. It should be noted that the certification is reviewed every three years and the speech therapist has to ensure a minimum number of hours of professional development to maintain this certification.
In this way, ASHA ensures that its certified professionals are always well informed with the latest developments in its field, which can only result in continuing improvement in treatment for patients. Having the proper up-to-date certification will ensure that you receive the highest Speech Therapy salary possible.