Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2024 reference period
Entry-Level Speech-Language Pathologist Salary (2026)
Entry-level speech-language pathologists earn approximately $68,098 per year as of 2026, based on the 10th percentile of Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS wage data — a standard proxy for first-year pay before significant experience or specialization. Across U.S. metros, entry-level pay ranges from $53,180 (lowest) to $83,610 (highest), depending on local labor market and cost of living.
10th percentile across U.S. metros, employment-weighted
What This Pay Level Means
The 10th percentile is the BLS-published wage below which only 10% of workers in this occupation earn — a reliable proxy for new entrants in their first one-to-two years. Workers in this band have minimal independent scope, are often still in formal training or apprenticeship, and have limited negotiation leverage. Pay grows fastest in the first three-to-five years as scope and credentials expand.
For workers with 2–5 years of experience, the right benchmark shifts to the 25th percentile (junior / early-career band). For 5+ years, the 50th percentile (median) becomes the anchor. See "How much does a junior speech-language pathologist make?" and "How much do speech-language pathologists make?" for those bands.
Top-Paying Metros at This Level
| Metro | Entry-level Pay |
|---|---|
| Denver, CO | $83,610 |
| San Jose, CA | $83,400 |
| Portland, OR | $78,930 |
| San Francisco, CA | $78,580 |
| Seattle, WA | $78,170 |
What the Numbers Tell You
Geographic pay variation for Speech-Language Pathologists is meaningful but moderate — top metros pay roughly 1.7× the lowest, a $53,580 spread. Cost of living plus a modest premium for high-demand metros explains most of it.
Speech-Language Pathologist is a smaller occupation, with about 75,650 workers tracked. Individual employers can move the local market noticeably.
Other Pay Levels for Speech-Language Pathologists
Each percentile band targets a distinct experience level — see the dedicated page for your career stage:
- Junior speech-language pathologist salary →
- How much do speech-language pathologists make →
- Senior speech-language pathologist salary →
- Top 10% speech-language pathologist salary →
How This Salary Is Calculated
Wages come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program — an annual survey of about 1.2 million U.S. establishments published by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code and Metropolitan Statistical Area. The figure on this page is employment-weighted across 25 BLS-tracked metros for SOC code 29-1127. The mapping from BLS percentiles to experience bands (entry / junior / mid / senior / top 10%) follows the convention used by the U.S. Department of Labor's prevailing wage system. See full methodology.
Frequently Asked Questions
Entry-Level Speech-Language Pathologist Salary (2026)?
Entry-level speech-language pathologists earn approximately $68,098 per year as of 2026, based on the 10th percentile of Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS wage data — a standard proxy for first-year pay before significant experience or specialization. Across U.S. metros, entry-level pay ranges from $53,180 (lowest) to $83,610 (highest), depending on local labor market and cost of living.
How does this percentile compare to the median?
Speech-Language Pathologists have a national median (50th percentile) of $101,561. The 10th percentile shown on this page ($68,098) is 33% below the median — typical for this experience band.
Where do speech-language pathologists at this level earn the most?
Denver, CO pays the highest at this percentile band — $83,610. Lowest-paying tracked metro: Nashville, TN at $53,180.
What years of experience does this percentile represent?
The 10th percentile is the BLS-published wage below which only 10% of workers in this occupation earn — a reliable proxy for new entrants in their first one-to-two years. Workers in this band have minimal independent scope, are often still in formal training or apprenticeship, and have limited negotiation leverage. Pay grows fastest in the first three-to-five years as scope and credentials expand.
Where does this speech-language pathologist salary data come from?
Every wage figure comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program at bls.gov/oes — an annual federal survey of more than 1 million U.S. employers. The percentile figure on this page is employment-weighted across BLS-tracked metros.
Entry-level speech-language pathologists earn approximately $68,098 per year as of 2026, based on the 10th percentile of Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS wage data — a standard proxy for first-year pay before significant experience or specialization. Across U.S. metros, entry-level pay ranges from $53,180 (lowest) to $83,610 (highest), depending on local labor market and cost of living.