Speech-Language Pathologist Salary, Adjusted for Cost of Living
Speech-language pathologists earn the most in California ($118,970/yr) — but once you adjust for what a dollar actually buys there, California drops to #2, and Colorado pays the most real money ($107,470 in U.S.-average buying power).
| # | State | Nominal / yr | Cost of living | Real pay / yr | COL shift |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado | $110,750 | 103 | $107,470 | ▲ 1 | |
| California | $118,970 | 111 | $107,451 | ▼ 1 | |
| New Mexico | $98,690 | 92 | $107,025 | ▲ 14 | |
| Nevada | $104,510 | 100 | $104,532 | ▲ 1 | |
| Delaware | $102,760 | 100 | $102,958 | ▲ 2 | |
| Texas | $99,910 | 97 | $102,940 | ▲ 9 | |
| Rhode Island | $104,000 | 102 | $101,682 | ▼ 1 | |
| Ohio | $93,300 | 93 | $100,567 | ▲ 15 | |
| Georgia | $96,760 | 96 | $100,485 | ▲ 11 | |
| Alaska | $102,670 | 102 | $100,304 | ▼ 2 | |
| District of Columbia | $109,380 | 110 | $99,526 | ▼ 8 | |
| Oregon | $102,660 | 103 | $99,322 | ▼ 3 | |
| Washington | $105,550 | 107 | $98,633 | ▼ 9 | |
| Missouri | $89,280 | 91 | $98,308 | ▲ 14 | |
| Arizona | $97,800 | 101 | $97,142 | ▲ 3 | |
| Florida | $99,990 | 103 | $96,689 | ▼ 2 | |
| Connecticut | $100,110 | 104 | $96,622 | ▼ 4 | |
| South Carolina | $90,530 | 94 | $96,566 | ▲ 8 | |
| Oklahoma | $84,470 | 88 | $96,160 | ▲ 14 | |
| Arkansas | $83,580 | 87 | $96,139 | ▲ 16 | |
| Massachusetts | $101,310 | 106 | $95,795 | ▼ 10 | |
| Pennsylvania | $92,960 | 98 | $95,273 | ▲ 2 | |
| Virginia | $96,250 | 101 | $95,199 | ▼ 2 | |
| Illinois | $95,080 | 100 | $95,120 | ▼ 2 | |
| Maryland | $99,190 | 105 | $94,504 | ▼ 9 | |
| Nebraska | $84,350 | 90 | $93,615 | ▲ 9 | |
| Indiana | $87,360 | 93 | $93,604 | ▲ 3 | |
| New Jersey | $101,560 | 109 | $93,341 | ▼ 18 | |
| New York | $100,610 | 108 | $93,226 | ▼ 17 | |
| Kentucky | $83,550 | 90 | $92,670 | ▲ 7 | |
| Michigan | $89,120 | 96 | $92,624 | ▼ 2 | |
| Utah | $91,560 | 99 | $92,612 | ▼ 7 | |
| Iowa | $81,050 | 88 | $92,352 | ▲ 10 | |
| Tennessee | $84,630 | 92 | $92,119 | ▼ 2 | |
| North Carolina | $86,460 | 94 | $91,661 | ▼ 4 | |
| Minnesota | $89,380 | 99 | $90,630 | ▼ 9 | |
| West Virginia | $80,970 | 90 | $90,472 | ▲ 7 | |
| Mississippi | $78,130 | 87 | $89,853 | ▲ 9 | |
| Kansas | $80,120 | 90 | $88,955 | ▲ 6 | |
| Hawaii | $97,560 | 110 | $88,730 | ▼ 21 | |
| Wyoming | $82,040 | 93 | $88,509 | ▲ 1 | |
| Idaho | $84,380 | 96 | $88,362 | ▼ 8 | |
| Wisconsin | $83,000 | 94 | $88,209 | ▼ 4 | |
| Maine | $82,660 | 97 | $85,173 | ▼ 4 | |
| North Dakota | $75,240 | 89 | $84,578 | ▲ 3 | |
| Vermont | $82,090 | 98 | $83,801 | ▼ 5 | |
| Montana | $78,740 | 95 | $83,195 | ▼ 1 | |
| Alabama | $73,660 | 89 | $82,929 | ▲ 1 | |
| New Hampshire | $83,040 | 104 | $79,720 | ▼ 11 | |
| Louisiana | $69,610 | 88 | $78,917 | — | |
| South Dakota | $65,680 | 89 | $74,143 | — |
How to read this
Nominal pay is the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) median wage for speech-language pathologists in each state. Real pay divides that by the state's cost of living (BEA Regional Price Parity, U.S. average = 100), so it reflects what the salary is actually worth locally. A state with high nominal pay but high costs can rank lower on real pay than a cheaper state — that's the COL shift column.
Methodology: nominal medians from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) (May 2025 release); cost of living from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities (all items, 2024). Real pay = nominal ÷ (RPP ÷ 100). Cite as “WageAtlas Real Pay Index.”
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