Speech Pathologist

Speech Pathologist Job Description

Speech Pathologist Salary Statistics as of 2015

Average annual salary for a Speech Pathologist is $64160 based on statistics in the U.S. as of 2015. The highest salary recorded was $101411. The lowest salary reported was $41523. These figures will vary on a state to state basis as these are averages across all 50 states.

Median hourly wage for a Speech Pathologist is $31.9 based on statistics in the U.S. as of 2015. The highest hourly rate recorded was $50.43. The lowest hourly rate recorded was $20.65. These figures will vary on a state to state basis as these are averages across all 50 states.

Bonuses for a Speech Pathologist are based on the years of experience using statistics from the U.S. as of 2015. The average bonus recorded was $0 from people with 15+ years of experience. The average bonus recorded was $0 from people with under 1 year of experience.

These are the highest paying states for a Speech Pathologist. These numbers are based off the median annual salary as of 2015.
California – $36,065 – $86,865
Maryland – $54,459 – $74,000
Michigan – $33,655 – $78,906
New York – $35,750 – $90,400
North Carolina – $40,695 – $58,958
Ohio – $40,547 – $67,331
Texas – $40,425 – $85,367

These are the highest paying cities for a Speech Pathologist. These numbers are based off the median annual salary as of 2015.
New York, New York –
Houston, Texas –
New Orleans, Louisiana –
Chicago, Illinois –
Boston, Massachusetts –
Nashville, Tennessee –
Cincinnati, Ohio –

This chart outlines the average annual salary of a Speech Pathologist from the past 5 years. In 2015 the average annual salary was $64160 while in 2007 it was just $59500.86

How To Become a Speech Pathologist

There’s no undergraduate program for speech therapy. This doesn’t mean that those interested in the career don’t stand a chance at it. One has to enroll for a bachelor’s degree in communication sciences and disorders since speech therapy focuses on speech, language and hearing. Once you have acquired the bachelor’s degree, you need to gain acceptance for a master’s program to specialize in speech pathology. It takes between 2-3 years to complete the program. During or immediately after the master’s degree program, you have to find acceptance as a student in a program for you to get hands on experience in the real practice of speech pathology.

A successful internship completion certificate and a passed praxis exam are required in order for you to get official certification and license recognition as a speech pathology. This license will allow you to work anywhere you wish as a fully qualified speech pathologist. The license is obtained from the department of state health services where you have to submit a proof of bachelor’s degree certificates and at least 375 hours of clinical experience, completed as part of your master’s degree curriculum. All pathologists must be licensed by their home state and certified by the proper authorities.

Job Outlook

Speech pathologists are very much in demand as there are a number of people who are in need of these special services to correct their speech disabilities. Their main duty is to establish speech problems and come up with corrective measures for it. It’s an interesting and quite rewarding career.