Speech-Language Pathologist
Health Science
Diagnose and treat speech, language, and swallowing disorders.
Why it matters here: MCPS and area clinics recruit SLPs year-round.
Labor Market — DMV Region
Sourced from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS releases (DMV metro and nationwide) plus MD, VA, and D.C. workforce agencies.
Local cost of living is why DMV pay often differs from the national median.
- DMV & state figures: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — OEWS wage & employment estimates and Employment Projections, with OEWS area pay relatives for the Washington–Arlington–Alexandria metro, Maryland, D.C., and Northern Virginia · View source
- Occupation profiles & skills: O*NET OnLine (U.S. Department of Labor) · onetonline.org
All salary figures are published estimates for groups of workers, not offers or guarantees for any individual role.
Education & Career Pathways
Multiple ways to get here — pick the one that fits your life.
Career Progression
How you can grow — with expected salary at each step.
- Entry-level Speech-Language PathologistLearning the role, supervised work, building core skills.$78,480
- Speech-Language Pathologist (experienced)Independent work, mentoring newer team members.$97,110
- Senior / Lead Speech-Language PathologistOwning projects, specialization, higher responsibility.$120,990
- Manager or specialist trackSupervising a team or moving into a high-demand specialty.$145,188
Skills Required
What you'll actually do — and how you'll be judged.
School therapy room or hospital bedside, weekday hours
Where you work
A small school therapy room with games and picture cards, or a hospital bedside doing swallow evaluations.
Hours and schedule
School SLPs follow the academic calendar; medical SLPs work weekday hospital hours with occasional weekend coverage.
Pace and pressure
Back-to-back short sessions with paperwork squeezed between; caseload size is the main pressure.
Who you work with
You collaborate constantly with teachers, special educators, nurses and parents.
Physical demands
Light — mostly seated, though you'll sit on the floor with young children a lot.
What people wear
Professional casual in schools, business casual or scrubs in medical settings.
Remote reality
Teletherapy is well established and a real part of the field, especially in schools.
Workplace culture: what's normal here
- IEP and care-plan meetings mean explaining clinical findings to families in plain language.
- Progress is measured in tiny increments and documented session by session.
- SLPs share materials generously; there's a strong culture of swapping activities.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook — Work Environment, with regional detail for the DMV.
Official data behind this career
Federal statistics for DMV Region, translated into plain language.
Washington–Arlington–Alexandria, DC–VA–MD–WV metro area
Source: U.S. Census Bureau — ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates (tables DP03, DP02, DP05)
- The DMV functions as one labor market: workers routinely cross state lines to get to work.
- The largest employment destinations are D.C., Fairfax County and Montgomery County.
Top places these workers go to work
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — BEA regional GDP and personal income, most recent published year
Private-sector payroll data from ADP. It is a supplemental near-real-time indicator and does not replace BLS government employment statistics.
Source: ADP National Employment Report — Most recent monthly ADP National Employment Report
- 1U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OOH, OEWS, Employment Projections, CES) — Primary source for occupation wages, outlook, projected openings, education and training.
- 2U.S. Census Bureau — American Community Survey — Primary source for income, educational attainment, labor force and demographic context by place.
- 3Census LEHD (LODES / OnTheMap) — Primary source for where workers live versus where they work, and local workforce flows.
- 4U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Primary source for regional GDP, industry contribution, compensation and personal income.
- 5ADP National Employment Report — Supplemental near-real-time private-sector employment and pay indicator. Not a replacement for BLS.
Figures describe groups of workers, not any one person. Where an official figure is not published for a category, this page says “Data unavailable for this category.” rather than estimating.
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