All things considered, speech pathologists get to help people improve their communication skills through speech. In the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand a speech pathologist salary is very similar at $60,018, C$61,828 ($46,405), AU$60,468 ($45,889), and NZ$60,000 ($45,434). However, in South Africa, the salary is R207,333 ($15,591).
This speech pathologist career and salary guide will go over the salary range in seven countries. Any impact that education and industry have on the salary is covered as well as the working schedule, benefits, and job outlook.
How Much Does a Speech Pathologist Make per Year by Country?
| Speech Pathologist Salary | US | Canada | UK | Australia | New Zealand | India | South Africa |
| Hourly Pay | $40.10 | C$42.24 ($31.70) | E14.46* ($15.39) | AU$33.36 ($25.32) | NZ$35.00* ($26.56) | Rs 156.25* ($2.42) | R99.67* ($7.50) |
| Annual Pay | $60,018 | C$61,828 ($46,405) | E30,086 ($32,016) | AU$60,468 ($45,889) | NZ$60,000 ($45,534) | Rs 300,000 ($4,655) | R207,333 ($15,591) |
An (*) indicates that the hourly rate was not available and was extrapolated from the annual salary.
Speech Pathologist Salary Influencing Factors
Speech pathologists are sometimes referred to as speech therapists or speech-language pathologists. Payscale has salary information for all countries described in this article except India. The pay information from India is from an article on Hindustantimes dated 2010.
1. Location
How Much Does a Speech Pathologist Make in the US?
| Speech Pathologist Salary US | Per Year | Per Hour |
| Minimum | $41,875 | $30.00 |
| Maximum | $85,376 | $58.08 |
| Bonus/Tip | No additional pay | No additional pay |
| Overtime | No additional pay | $24.57 to $74.03 |
| Total Pay | $46,695 to $102,872 | |
How Much Does a Speech Pathologist Make in Canada?
| Speech Pathologist Salary Canada | Per Year | Per Hour |
| Minimum | C$59,000 | C$37.93 |
| Maximum | C$69,000 | C$51.06 |
| Bonus/Tip | No additional pay | No additional pay |
| Overtime | No additional pay | No additional pay |
| Total Pay | C$58,420 to C$103,659 | |
How Much Does a Speech Pathologist Make in UK?
| Speech Pathologist Salary UK | Per Year | Per Hour |
| Minimum | E25,000 | 1,01* |
| Maximum | E38,000 | 1,26* |
| Bonus/Tip | No additional pay | No additional pay |
| Overtime | No additional pay | No additional pay |
| Total Pay | E25,000 to E38,000 | |
How Much Does a Speech Pathologist Make in Australia?
| Speech Pathologist Salary Australia | Per Year | Per Hour |
| Minimum | AU$48,126 |
|
| Maximum | AU$78,959 |
|
| Bonus/Tip | AU$3,500 | No additional pay |
| Overtime | No additional Pay |
|
| Total Pay | AU$49,017 to AU$86,160 | |
How Much Does a Speech Pathologist Make in New Zealand?
| SP Salary New Zealand | Per Year | Per Hour |
| Minimum | NZ$49,000 |
|
| Maximum | NZ$70,000 |
|
| Bonus/Tip | No additional pay | No additional pay |
| Overtime | No additional pay | No additional pay |
| Total Pay | NZ$49,000 to NZ$70,000 | |
How Much Does a Speech Pathologist Make in India?
| Speech Pathologist Salary India | Per Year | Per Hour |
| Minimum | Rs 240,000 | Rs 125.00 |
| Maximum | Rs 360,000 | Rs 187.50 |
| Bonus/Tip | No additional pay | No additional pay |
| Overtime | No additional pay | No additional pay |
| Total Pay | Rs 240,000 to Rs 360,000 | |
How Much Does a Speech Pathologist Make in South Africa?
| SP Salary South Africa | Per Year | Per Hour |
| Minimum | R98,633 |
|
| Maximum | R247,301 |
|
| Bonus/Tip | R13,000 | No additional pay |
| Overtime | No additional pay | No additional pay |
| Total Pay | R100,000 to R540,000 | |
2. Experience
In Australia, pay for speech pathologists increases from around AU$60,000 for new pathologists to AU$80,000 for experienced ones. In the United States, pay increases consistently throughout their career. Entry-level speech pathologists have an income 14 percent below the median, the mid-career salary is exactly at the median, and late-career pathologists earn 19 percent above the median.
The most frequent employee from Australia, Canada, South Africa, and the United States had 1 to 4 years of experience. In New Zealand, there was an even number of speech pathologists who had 1 to 4 years and 10 to 19 years of experience at 38 percent.
3. Industry
In the United States, the most common place of employment for speech pathologists is in educational services such as schools or behavioral support centers. They can also work in combined rehabilitation offices and nursing homes. The industries with the highest pay for speech pathologists comprise a very slim percentage of the workforce at approximately 0.93 percent. The mean wage for a speech pathologist in a school is $69,890 while in a physician’s office it is $100,380 dollars.
The maturation of speech pathology is different depending on the country. For example, in India, this is a very nascent field, and as such the potential and challenges are both large. There is a very small number of speech pathologists and few education institutes offer a degree in speech pathology. They fall under the larger umbrella of the Rehabilitation Council of India.
Schedule & Working Hours
Speech pathologists who work in schools will follow the school schedule. However, they will frequently have to work over the summer for students who qualify for summer speech services.
Most speech-language pathologists work full-time. However, it is a field where part-time employment is possible. A typical day for a speech pathologist is completing paperwork, seeing clients, researching the latest assessment techniques, and branding yourself to the field.
Speech pathologists experience tremendous internal reward from their profession. They get to help people communicate and build relationships.
Bonuses & Benefits
The specific benefits in India are that there is a huge gap between supply and demand. As a result, job opportunities are plentiful. It is also an emerging field in India and there are several places where the speech pathologist can bring a service to people who were previously unaware of it.
They get to work in a variety of settings and can switch their career by changing where they work. Conducting speech therapy with a child in school is significantly different than helping someone who has experienced a stroke. However, speech pathologists experience tremendous internal reward from their profession. They get to help people communicate and build relationships.
The table below shows the healthcare benefits for speech pathologists by country. Many of these benefits are not available because speech pathology is an emerging profession. These are indicated by a (–).
| Country | United States | Canada | United Kingdom | Australia | New Zealand | India | South Africa |
| Medical | 71 | 67 | — | 7 | — | — | 17 |
| Dental | 59 | 67 | — | 2 | — | — | 17 |
| Vision | 48 | 50 | — | 2 | — | — | 0 |
| None | 27 | 33 | — | 93 | — | — | 83 |
Career Outlook
All things considered, the career outlook for speech pathologists is positive worldwide. In the United States, they will see a projected growth of 21 percent through the year 2024. For instance, they will be in demand for aging people who will experience health problems, as well as a focused interest on speech disorders in children.
Speech-language pathologists do not typically advance in the career. As a matter of fact, there is a high level of education required to be a speech pathologist. However, they can specialize and work with a focused population who have speech disorders.
This is a female dominated profession. 89 percent of the workforce in Australia is female while in the United States it is 94 percent and in South Africa, it is 83 percent.
Conclusion
All in all, speech pathologists have a nice salary and very positive career growth. They have to pursue an advanced degree in order to practice. If you like working in a healthcare field but do not necessarily want to practice medicine, then pursuing a speech pathologist career is a great choice. Due to its educational purposes, another option for you to consider would be that of a teacher.
