Speech-Language Pathologists
SOC 29-1127 · 2024-2034
Assess and treat persons with speech, language, voice, and fluency disorders. May select alternative communication systems and teach their use. May perform research related to speech and language problems.
How the U.S. Department of Labor describes this work. Published in English only.
The job this trains for
- Typical pay in California
- $122,300per year
- Projected openings
- 13,740
- Projected change
- +24%
- Usually needs
- Master's degree
Bright Outlook — a U.S. Department of Labor designation
Rapid Growth
The Department's own designation, made from its national projections. It is not this project's assessment and it is not California's: every other figure on this page comes from California's projection, which can point the other way and for some occupations does.
Skills this work uses most
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, rates how important each of these is to this work, and they are listed in that order, most important first. The ratings themselves are not shown, because the data carries the number without the scale it was measured on. The names are as published, in English.
- Reading Comprehension
- Social Perceptiveness
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Writing
- Learning Strategies
Pay by region
| Region | Typical pay in California | Projected openings |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA (San Benito and Santa Clara Counties) | $139,552 | 570 |
| San Rafael MD (Marin County) | $135,736 | 50 |
| Napa MSA (Napa County) | $135,659 | 20 |
| San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD (San Francisco and San Mateo Counties) | $133,811 | 490 |
| Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) | $132,448 | 1,100 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara MSA (Santa Barbara County) | $132,198 | 130 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA (Ventura County) | $127,565 | 310 |
| Salinas MSA (Monterey County) | $127,421 | 100 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma MSA (Sonoma County) | $126,918 | 100 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA (El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo Counties) | $125,819 | 670 |
| El Centro MSA (Imperial County) | $125,418 | 30 |
| Merced MSA (Merced County) | $122,676 | 50 |
| Modesto MSA (Stanislaus County) | $122,676 | 120 |
| Yuba City MSA (Sutter and Yuba Counties) | $122,121 | 30 |
| Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region (Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Inyo, Mariposa, Mono, and Tuolumne Counties) | $120,560 | 30 |
| Stockton-Lodi MSA (San Joaquin County) | $119,759 | 260 |
| Chico MSA (Butte County) | $119,019 | 70 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties) | $118,526 | 1,410 |
| Vallejo MSA (Solano County) | $115,578 | 120 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County) | $112,743 | 2,490 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville MSA (Santa Cruz County) | $112,425 | 80 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles MSA (San Luis Obispo County) | $111,582 | 80 |
| Fresno MSA (Fresno and Madera Counties) | $111,449 | 420 |
| Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD (Orange County) | $111,099 | 1,120 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA (San Diego County) | $110,093 | 1,320 |
| North Valley-Northern Mountains Region (Colusa, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Plumas, Sierra, Siskiyou, Tehama, and Trinity Counties) | $109,641 | 70 |
| Bakersfield-Delano MSA (Kern County) | $108,706 | 230 |
| North Coast Region (Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, and Mendocino Counties) | $107,042 | 50 |
| Redding MSA (Shasta County) | $104,104 | 50 |
| Visalia MSA (Tulare County) | $102,481 | 170 |
Similar work
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, names these as occupations involving work similar to this one — its own reading of the job, not a grouping by code. They keep O*NET's order, and only those California publishes a projection for are shown.
| The job this trains for | Typical pay in California | Projected openings | Projected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Occupational Therapists | $127,995 | 10,780 | +26.7% |
| Audiologists | $118,127 | 1,010 | +23.5% |
| Registered Nurses | $144,197 | 228,840 | +13.5% |
| Psychiatrists | $363,395 | 2,100 | +10.5% |
| Physical Therapists | $127,666 | 17,850 | +26% |