SLP
Annual Salaries and
Hourly Wages
For additional information, please contact Jeanette Janota, Surveys & Analysis Team American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
Rockville, MD 20850 800-498-2071, ext. 8738
jjanota@asha.org
i
Contents
Executive Summary ...1
Salaries ...2
Salary Basis ...2
Excluded Groups ...3
Academic-Year Salaries ...3
Primary Employment Function ...3
Years of Experience ...4
Region of the Country ...5
State ...5
Population Density ...5
Calendar-Year Salaries ...6
Hourly Wages ...6
Contract Employees ...7
Salary Supplement ...8
Student Debt ...8
Survey Notes and Methodology ...9
Response Rate ...9
Survey Reports ...9
Suggested Citation ...9
Supplemental Sources...10
Additional Information ...10
Thank You ...10
Appendix ...11
Regions of the Country ...12
Table 1. Salary Basis ...13
Table 2. Facility ...13
Table 3. Median Annual Salaries by Salary Basis and Facility ...14
Table 4. Median Annual Academic-Year Salaries by Function and Facility ...15
ii Table 5. Median Annual Academic-Year Salaries by Region of the Country and
Facility ...16 Table 6. Median Annual Academic-Year Salaries by Population Density and Facility ...18
Figures
Figure 1. Annual Salary or Hourly Wage ...2 Figure 2. Employment Facility ...2 Figure 3. Median Academic-Year Salaries for Clinical Service Providers
by Type of Facility ...3 Figure 4. Median Academic-Year Salaries in Elementary Schools
by Years of Experience ...4 Figure 5. Median Hourly Wage by Region of the Country for Contracted SLPs ...7 Figure 6. Percentage With Student Debt by Years of Experience ...8 Table
Table 1. Median Academic-Year Salaries by State ...5
1
Executive Summary
In the spring of 2014, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) conducted a survey of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and educational audiologists in school settings. The survey was designed to provide information about school–based service delivery and to update and expand information gathered during previous Schools Surveys.
The results are presented in a series of reports. This salary and wage report is based on responses from SLPs in special day/residential schools, preschools, elementary schools, secondary schools, administrative offices, and combined school settings.
Overall Findings:
88% worked for an annual salary.
60% worked in elementary schools.
Salaries for working 9 or 10 months averaged $60,000 in elementary schools.
Median academic-year salaries for clinical service providers ranged from $60,000 in preschools, elementary schools, and combined school settings to $71,339 in day/residential schools.
Salaries increased with years of experience in the profession and years of experience in the schools.
California reported the highest median academic-year salary ($77,000);
North Carolina, the lowest ($47,627).
Suburban salaries tended to be higher than rural or urban salaries.
Salaries for working 11 or 12 months averaged $72,107.
The median hourly wage was $53.76, and the median number of hours worked weekly was 23.
The median hourly wage for contract employees was $55.00.
More SLPs received a supplement for having their CCCs than for any other reason.
For SLPs with student debt, the median amount was $20,000.
2
Salaries
Salary Basis
Based on the 1,694 SLPs who disclosed their salary basis, we estimate that 88%
of school-based SLPs work for an annual salary and 12% work for an hourly wage (see Figure 1 and Appendix Table 1). Of the latter group, 161 were contract employees.
88%
12%
Figure 1. Annual Salary or Hourly Wage
Annual salary Hourly Wage
n = 1,694
Salaries have traditionally been presented in ASHA reports as a function of various demographic characteristics, such as facilities, years of experience, and region of the country. More than half of the respondents worked in an elementary school (see Figure 2 and Appendix Table 2).
4%
12%
60%
12%
1%
2%
7% 2%
Figure 2. Employment Facility
Day/residential Preschool Elementary Secondary Student's home Administrative office Combined
Other
n = 1,686
3 Excluded
Groups
Academic- Year
Salaries
Primary Employment Function
Ninety-two percent of SLPs who worked for an annual salary worked for an academic year (i.e., 9 or 10 months). Because the numbers of respondents who worked for a calendar year or who worked for an hourly wage were small, analyzing those groups according to demographic characteristics would result in cells smaller than 25 individuals, the minimum reportable response size.
Therefore, most of the analyses in this report are limited to SLPs who worked for an academic year and were paid an annual salary.
Several groups are included where totals are reported, but data are not presented for them in a separate category because fewer than 25 of them provided the necessary information. This is the case, for example, for the 14 SLPs who worked in a student’s home, the 25 who worked in an “other” type of facility, and the 33 who held a doctoral degree. Although some of these groups are larger than 25, their results are not presented as separate groups when fewer than 25 of them answered a question.
Clinical fellows are excluded from the report because the respondents were sampled from ASHA-certified SLPs, and clinical fellows are not yet certified.
The overall academic year median salary was $61,000. The differences between types of facilities were not significant (see Appendix Table 3).
The overwhelming majority (91%) of SLPs who worked full-time for an academic year reported that they were employed as clinical service providers.
The median salaries for clinical service providers ranged from $60,000 in preschools, elementary schools, and combined school settings to $71,339 in special day or residential schools (see Figure 3 and Appendix Table 4).
$60,000
$67,000
$60,000
$60,000
$71,339
$55,000 $60,000 $65,000 $70,000 $75,000 Combined
Secondary Elementary Preschool Day/residential
Figure 3. Median Academic-Year Salaries for Clinical Service Providers by Type of Facility
n = 1,016
4 Years of
Experience
The median academic-year salary was $62,000 for special education teachers and
$64,520 for administrators, supervisors, and directors (see Appendix Table 4).
Academic-year salaries in elementary schools for both years of experience in the professions and years of experience in the schools are shown in Figure 4. Salaries tend to increase with experience but not in a straight line.
$50,000
$60,000
$70,000
$80,000
Figure 4. Median Academic Year Salaries in Elementary Schools by Years of Experience
Years in Professions Years in Schools
n = 700 (years in professions), n = 706 (years in schools)
Overall, the highest salaries were for SLPs with 28 or more years of experience in the professions ($73,000). By facility type, the highest median salaries by years of experience in the professions were:
$67,539 in preschools, for SLPs with 25 or more years,
$69,684 in combined school settings, for SLPs with 22 or more years,
$72,484 in elementary schools, for SLPs with 28 or more years,
$82,466 in secondary schools for SLPs with 25 or more years (not shown in any table).
When experience was limited to years only in the schools, the highest salaries were for SLPs with 28 or more years ($74,847). By facility type, the highest median salaries by years of experience in the schools were:
$54,000 in combined schools, for SLPs with 4 to 12 years,
$55,144 in preschools, for SLPs with 10 to 15 years,
$72,740 in secondary schools, for SLPs with 16 to 24 years,
$74,860 in elementary schools, for SLPs with 28 or more years.
5 Region of the
Country
State
Population Density
Overall median annual salaries were highest in the Northeast ($72,000) and lowest in the South ($53,000). Median salaries in elementary schools ($70,000) and secondary schools ($76,000) were highest in the Northeast; but for
preschools, they were highest in the Midwest ($60,000; see Appendix Table 5).
Fewer than third of the states had sufficient numbers of respondents to enable reporting of median academic-year salaries. Of that group, five states had median salaries greater than $70,000 (California, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, and Massachusetts), and one had a median below $50,000 (North Carolina; see Table 1).
Table 1. Median Academic-Year Salaries by State
California $77,000 Wisconsin $63,000
New Jersey $76,750 Ohio $58,500
New York
$74,000
Texas $56,000
Maryland Georgia $55,336
Massachusetts $70,500 Virginia $55,000
Illinois
$70,000
Missouri $53,500
Michigan Florida $52,200
Pennsylvania $68,500 North Carolina $47,627
n = 771
SLPs had higher average academic-year salaries in suburban areas than in other types of locales. The highest average academic-year salaries in both preschools ($64,000) and elementary schools ($65,000) were reported in suburban areas (see Appendix Table 6).
6
Calendar- Year
Salaries
Hourly Wages
Only 8% of the respondents to this survey who received an annual wage were paid for working a calendar year (i.e., 11 or 12 months). Their median salary was
$72,107 (see Appendix Table 3). There are insufficient numbers of respondents to describe differences by demographic characteristics as extensively as was the case for academic-year salaries. The following are the exceptions:
Median salaries for a calendar year averaged $71,000 elementary schools (see Appendix Table 3).
Clinical service providers who worked for a calendar year reported a median salary of $70,000 (n = 68). (Data for this bullet point and the two that follow do not appear in any table.)
Administrators/supervisors/directors who worked for a calendar year reported a median salary of $75,000 (n = 27).
Median salaries were $75,000 (n = 34) in metropolitan/urban areas and
$71,267 (n = 48) in suburban areas for SLPs who worked for a calendar year.
Of the SLPs who completed the survey, 12% received an hourly wage (see Appendix Table 1). Their median hourly wage was $53.76, and the median number of weekly hours worked was 23 (none of the data in the bullets below are reported in the appendix).
The median hourly wage was $57.00 (n = 99) for SLPs who worked up through 23 hours a week and $47.61 (n = 92) for those working more hours.
The median hourly wage was $48.00 in preschools (n = 44), $55.00 in elementary schools (n = 94) and $46.81 in secondary schools (n = 27).
SLPs who worked up through 23 hours a week reported a median hourly wage of $57.00 in elementary schools (n = 38); those who worked more than 23 hours earned $48.45 an hour (n = 45).
Clinical service providers reported an average wage of $54.04 (n = 196).
When they were divided into two groups, those who worked up through 23 hours per week received $57.01 (n = 87), and those working more hours earned $47.22 (n = 83).
SLPs who worked in the Midwest reported a median hourly wage of
$44.76 (n = 28), compared with $50.00 in the South (n = 81), $57.03 in the Northeast (n = 61), and $60.00 in the West (n = 46).
SLPs earned a median wage of $52.93 in urban areas (n = 77), $53.88 in suburban areas (n = 79), and $55 in rural areas (n = 50).
7
Contract Employees
Of the SLPs who completed the survey, 11% were contract employees, and of that number 93%, or 161 individuals, received an hourly wage. Their median hourly salary was $55.00. (Data for the bullets below do not appear in any table.)
The median wage was $47.54 for contract employees in secondary schools (n = 26), $55.00 in elementary schools (n = 70), $60.00 in preschools (n = 30).
Clinical service providers who were contract employees received an average hourly wage of $55.00 (n = 145).
Median hourly wages for contracted SLPs varied by region of the country where they worked. There were too few (n = 18) contracted SLPs in the Midwest to present their data (see Figure 5).
$60.00
$50.00
$63.00
$0.00 $20.00 $40.00 $60.00 $80.00
West South Northeast
Figure 5. Median Hourly Wage by Region of the Country for Contracted SLPs
n = 141
Contracted SLPs reported an average hourly wage of $55.00 in
city/urban (n = 58) and rural areas (n = 38) and $57.00 in suburban areas (n = 60).
8
Salary
Supplement
Student Debt
SLPs were asked whether they received a salary supplement, stipend, bonus, or other type of salary upgrade and, if they did, the reason (not shown in any table).
More SLPs received a supplement for having their Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) than for any of the other four reasons listed on the survey (24%). This was highest in administrative offices (40%) and lowest in special day or residential schools (20%), preschools (21%), and secondary schools (21%; p = .038).
The second most common reason for receiving a supplement was for extra work, such as Medicaid billing or supervision (12%). This was highest in administrative offices (29%) and lowest in special day or residential schools (8%; p = .029).
Approximately 5% received a recruitment/retention bonus, 3% received a bonus as a result of value-added assessment, and 2% received a bonus for providing bilingual services.
Overall, 27% of the SLPs said that they had unpaid student debt. The type of facility (p = .135) where they worked, employment function (p = .435), and region of the country (p = .189) made a no difference in their response.
SLPs in rural areas (33%) were more likely to have student debt than those who worked in cities (26%) or suburbs (25%; p = .016; not shown in any table).
Not surprisingly, the number of years of experience they had in the professions influenced their response. The more experience they had, the less likely they were to have student debt (p = .000; see Figure 6).
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%
1-5 6-10 11-15 16-20 21-25 26-30 31 or more
Figure 6. Percentage With Student Debt by Years Experience
n = 1,683
The median amount of student debt for the 450 SLPs who said they owed some money was $20,000. Differences by facility were not significant.
9
Survey Notes and Methodology
Response Rate
Survey Reports
Suggested Citation
Since 2004, ASHA has fielded the Schools Survey in even-numbered years to gather information of interest to the professions. Members, volunteer leaders, and staff rely on data from the Survey to better understand the priorities and needs of SLPs and educational audiologists.
Results from the 2014 Schools Survey are presented in a series of reports for SLPs:
SLP Caseload Characteristics
SLP Annual Salaries and Hourly Wages
SLP Workforce and Work Conditions
Survey Summary Report—SLPs
Survey Methodology, Respondent Demographics, and Glossary, SLPs
Results from the educational audiologists are presented in a separate report:
Survey Summary Report—Educational Audiologists.
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (2014). 2014 Schools Survey report: SLP annual salaries and hourly wages. Available from
www.asha.org/research/memberdata/schoolssurvey/.
The survey was mailed in February 2014 to a random sample of 4,000 ASHA-certified SLPs and 500 ASHA-certified audiologists employed in school settings in the United States. Second and third mailings followed, at approximately 3- or 4-week intervals, to individuals who had not responded to earlier mailings.
Of the total sample, 14 had bad addresses, 59 had retired, and 145 were ineligible for other reasons, which left 4,282 possible respondents. The actual number of respondents was 1,969, which represents a 46.0% response rate.
Of the original 4,000 SLPs in the sample, 11 had bad mailing addresses, 53 had retired, and 135 were ineligible for other reasons, which left 3,801 possible respondents. The actual number of respondents was 1,786, a 47.0%
response rate among SLPs. The results presented in this report are based on responses from the 1,786 SLPs.
10
Supplemental Sources
Additional Information
Thank You
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (n.d.). Advocacy resource guide for the salary supplement initiative. Available from
www.asha.org/advocacy/state/issues/salarysuppguide.htm.
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (n.d.). Advocating for higher salaries and extra benefits from your local school district. Available from www.asha.org/advocacy/state/advocacy-schools.htm.
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (n.d.). Budget cuts:
Maintaining speech-language pathology and audiology services in schools. Available from www.asha.org/SLP/schools/budget-cuts- schools/.
Salary data may also be available from other sources, such as state associations, state departments of education or labor, and school districts. Suggested sites include:
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational outlook handbook, 2012-13 edition, Speech-Language Pathologists.
Available from www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/speech-language- pathologists.htm.
Council of Academic Programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders. (February, 2014). 2012-2013 Salary Survey of graduate programs. Available from
www.capcsd.org/survey/2013/2013%20Salary%20Survey%20Narrat ive.pdf.
For additional information regarding the 2014 Schools Survey, please contact Deborah Dixon, director of ASHA’s School Services, at 800-498-2071, ext. 5690 or ddixon@asha.org. To learn more about how the Association is working on behalf of school-based ASHA-certified members, visit ASHA’s Schools webpages at www.asha.org/slp/schools/.
ASHA would like to thank the SLPs who completed the 2014 Schools Survey.
Reports like this one are only possible because people like you participate.
Is this information valuable to you? If so, please accept invitations to participate in other ASHA-sponsored surveys and focus groups. You are the experts, and we rely on you to provide data to share with your fellow members.
ASHA surveys benefit you.
11
Appendix:
State Listings
12
Regions of theCountry
Northeast
Middle Atlantic o New Jersey o New York o Pennsylvania
New England
o Connecticut o Maine
o Massachusetts o New Hampshire o Rhode Island o Vermont South
East South Central o Alabama o Kentucky o Mississippi o Tennessee
South Atlantic o Delaware
o District of Columbia o Florida
o Georgia o Maryland o North Carolina o South Carolina o Virginia o West Virginia
West South Central o Arkansas o Louisiana o Oklahoma o Texas
Midwest
East North Central o Illinois o o Indiana oo Michigan o Ohio oo Wisconsin
West North Central o Iowa
o Kansas o Minnesota o Missouri o Nebraska o North Dakota o South Dakota West
Mountain o Arizona o Colorado o Idaho o Montana o Nevada o New Mexico o Utah
o Wyoming
Pacific o Alaska o California o Hawaii o Oregon o Washington
13
Table 1. Salary Basis
Q. 21 In your primary job, are you paid on an annual basis or an hourly basis? Select on response only.
Analyses limited to respondents who met the following criterion:
CCC-SLP
Response Frequency Valid Percentage
Annual salary 1,488 87.8
Hourly rate 207 12.2
Total 1,694
Table 2. Facility
Q. 19 Although you may work in several types of facilities, select the one type of building that best describes where you work all or most of the time. For individuals who work in private practice or Early Intervention, select the type of building in which you deliver most of your services. Only one answer can be accepted. (Percentages)
Analyses limited to respondents who met the following criteria:
CCC-SLP
Employed full-time or part-time
Response (n = 1,686)
Special day/residential school 4.3
Pre-elementary (preschool) 12.4
Elementary school 59.8
Secondary school (middle school, junior high, senior high) 12.1
Student’s home 0.8
Administrative office 2.4
Combination from the above list 6.8
Other, specify 1.5
14
Table 3. Median Annual Salaries by Salary Basis and Facility
22. Your annual income from your job includes salary and payment for extra duties/responsibilities. If you are paid on an annual salary basis, what is your annual income for your main job, before all deductions?
Analyses limited to respondents who met the following criteria:
CCC-SLP
Employed full-time
Annual salary of at least $1
Response
Facility Type Special Day/
Residential Preschool Elementary Secondary Admin. Office Combination
All Facility Types Worked 9-10 months (academic year)
(n = 29) (n = 118) (n = 744) (n = 140) (n = 14) (n = 74) (n = 1,134)
25th percentile $58,000 $48,000 $50,000 $55,000
(n < 25)
$51,852 $50,999
50th percentile (Median) $71,791 $60,000 $60,000 $67,000 $57,000 $61,000
75th percentile $85,000 $70,000 $72,796 $79,282 $72,596 $74,000
Mean $71,788 $66,151 $62,873 $68,843 $63,435 $64,186
Standard deviation $15,958 $66,844 $16,741 $17,072 $17,829 $26,815
Mode $85,000 $70,000 $50,000 $72,000 $56,000 $50,000
Statistical significance: F (5, 1113) = 1.8, p = .105
Worked 11-12 months (calendar year)
(n = 13) (n = 18) (n = 29) (n = 5) (n = 15) (n = 11) (n = 98)
25th percentile
(n < 25) (n < 25)
$60,000
(n < 25) (n < 25) (n < 25)
$60,000
50th percentile (Median) $71,000 $72,107
75th percentile $81,244 $81,000
Mean $71,117 $74,640
Standard deviation $14,262 $21,698
Mode $82,000 $75,000
Statistical significance: F (5, 85) = 3.6, p = .006
15
Table 4. Median Annual Academic-Year Salaries by Function
22. Your annual income from your job includes salary and payment for extra duties/responsibilities. If you are paid on an annual salary basis, what is your annual income for your main job, before all deductions?
Analyses limited to respondents who met the following criteria:
CCC-SLP
Employed full-time
Worked for an academic year (9–10 months)
Annual salary of at least $1
Function Special Day/ Residential Preschool Elementary Secondary School
n Salary n Salary n Salary n Salary
Clinical service provider 25 $71,339 109 $60,000 700 $60,000 121 $67,000
Special education teacher 1
n < 25
6
n < 25
26 $58,223 13
n < 25
Consultant 1 0 3
n < 25
1 Administrator/supervisor/
director 2 1 8 0
Other 0 1 5 3
Administrative Office Combined All Facility Types
n Salary n Salary n Salary
Clinical service provider 2
n < 25
61 $60,000 1,032 $60,927
Special education teacher 0 1
n < 25
48 $62,000
Consultant 1 1 8 n < 25
Administrator/supervisor/
director 9 5 26 $64,520
Other 1 6 16 n < 25
16
Table 5. Median Annual Academic-Year Salaries by Region of the Country
22. Your annual income from your job includes salary and payment for extra duties/responsibilities. If you are paid on an annual salary basis, what is your annual income for your main job, before all deductions?
Analyses limited to respondents who met the following criteria:
CCC-SLP
Employed full-time
Worked for an academic year (9–10 months)
Annual salary of at least $1
Region Special Day/ Residential Preschool Elementary Secondary School
n Salary n Salary n Salary n Salary
Northeast 14
n < 25
18
n < 25
193 $70,000 50 $76,000
Middle Atlantic 13 9 47 $69,117 19 n < 25
New England 2 9 146 $70,800 30 $75,186
Midwest 6 50 $60,000 185 $62,000 38 $67,000
E. N. Central 3 32 $62,000 119 $65,000 30 $68,564
W. N. Central 3 18 n < 25 66 $54,651 8 n < 25
South 5 30 $51.963 252 $52,000 35 $53,949
E. S. Central 0 5
n < 25
44 $50,000 3
n < 25
S. Atlantic 2 19 135 $53,000 18
W. S. Central 3 7 73 $53,319 15
West 5 19 114 $66,909 17
Mountain 2 8 40 $52,921 7
Pacific 3 11 74 $72,611 10
(Table 5 continues on next page.)
17
Table 5 (cont’d). Median Annual Academic-Year Salaries by Region of the Country
22. Your annual income from your job includes salary and payment for extra duties/responsibilities. If you are paid on an annual salary basis, what is your annual income for your main job, before all deductions?
Analyses limited to respondents who met the following criteria:
CCC-SLP
Employed full-time
Worked for an academic year (9–10 months)
Annual salary of at least $1
Region Administrative Office Combined All Facility Types
n Salary n Salary n Salary
Northeast 2
n < 25
17
n < 25
296 $72,000
Middle Atlantic 0 13 213 $73,000
New England 2 4 83 $71,000
Midwest 1 13 296 $61,000
E. N. Central 0 9 195 $65,000
W. N. Central 1 4 101 $55,000
South 11 34 $55,000 371 $53,000
E. S. Central 1 5
n < 25
57 $50,000
S. Atlantic 1 15 192 $53,710
W. S. Central 1 14 122 $53,000
West 1 11 170 $67,088
Mountain 1 4 62 $55,000
Pacific 0 7 108 $71,009
18
Table 6. Median Annual Academic-Year Salaries by Population Density
22. Your annual income from your job includes salary and payment for extra duties/responsibilities. If you are paid on an annual salary basis, what is your annual income for your main job, before all deductions?
Analyses limited to respondents who met the following criteria:
CCC-SLP
Employed full-time
Worked for an academic year (9–10 months)
Annual salary of at least $1
Population Density Special Day/ Residential Preschool Elementary Secondary School
n Salary n Salary n Salary n Salary
City/urban 9
n < 25
34 $60,573 206 $60,571 47 $68,000
Suburban 19 55 $64,000 333 $65,000 76 $70,000
Rural 0 27 $53,323 192 $52,465 13 n < 25
Administrative Office Combined All Facility Types
n Salary n Salary n Salary
City/urban 6
n < 25
12 n < 25 318 $61,410
Suburban 6 40 $61,551 539 $65,000
Rural 1 22 n < 25 257 $54,077
10/7/14