Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2024 reference period
How Much Does a Junior Speech-Language Pathologist Make? (2026)
Junior or early-career speech-language pathologists earn approximately $81,869 per year as of 2026, based on the 25th percentile of Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS wage data — the standard proxy for workers with 2–5 years of experience. Across U.S. metros, junior pay ranges from $62,560 (lowest-paying) to $110,200 (highest-paying).
25th percentile across U.S. metros, employment-weighted
What This Pay Level Means
The 25th percentile is the BLS-published wage below which 25% of workers in this occupation earn. It is the standard anchor for "early-career" or "junior" pay — workers past the initial onboarding period but still building independent scope. The 25th percentile is the bottom of the typical negotiation band; if you have 2+ years and an offer is below this number, you have a clear data point for asking for more.
For workers in their first one-to-two years, the 10th percentile (entry-level band) is the right anchor. For mid-career workers with 5+ years, the median (50th percentile) becomes the benchmark. See "Entry-level speech-language pathologist salary" and "How much do speech-language pathologists make?" for those bands.
Top-Paying Metros at This Level
| Metro | Junior Pay |
|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $110,200 |
| San Francisco, CA | $105,380 |
| Denver, CO | $98,210 |
| Seattle, WA | $93,270 |
| Portland, OR | $92,770 |
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:
- Entry-level 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
How Much Does a Junior Speech-Language Pathologist Make? (2026)?
Junior or early-career speech-language pathologists earn approximately $81,869 per year as of 2026, based on the 25th percentile of Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS wage data — the standard proxy for workers with 2–5 years of experience. Across U.S. metros, junior pay ranges from $62,560 (lowest-paying) to $110,200 (highest-paying).
How does this percentile compare to the median?
Speech-Language Pathologists have a national median (50th percentile) of $101,561. The 25th percentile shown on this page ($81,869) is 19% below the median — typical for this experience band.
Where do speech-language pathologists at this level earn the most?
San Jose, CA pays the highest at this percentile band — $110,200. Lowest-paying tracked metro: Raleigh, NC at $62,560.
What years of experience does this percentile represent?
The 25th percentile is the BLS-published wage below which 25% of workers in this occupation earn. It is the standard anchor for "early-career" or "junior" pay — workers past the initial onboarding period but still building independent scope. The 25th percentile is the bottom of the typical negotiation band; if you have 2+ years and an offer is below this number, you have a clear data point for asking for more.
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.
Junior or early-career speech-language pathologists earn approximately $81,869 per year as of 2026, based on the 25th percentile of Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS wage data — the standard proxy for workers with 2–5 years of experience. Across U.S. metros, junior pay ranges from $62,560 (lowest-paying) to $110,200 (highest-paying).