Salary data · California

Speech-language pathologist salary in California

Speech-language pathologists in California earn a mean of $118,600 a year and a median of $118,970, 20.8% above the national mean of $98,170. That ranks 1st of the 51 states with a published estimate.

Talk to a recruiter about California roles See open roles →

$118,600

Mean annual wage

about $57 an hour

$118,970

Median annual wage

1st of 51

State rank

by mean wage

16,930

SLPs employed

BLS estimate

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025 estimates. These are estimates for speech-language pathologists already employed in California, not offers; the hourly figure divides the annual mean by 2,080 hours. Setting, specialty and caseload move an individual offer well above or below them. Updated October 22, 2026.

By metro

Speech-language pathologist pay by metro in California

Metro estimates from the same survey, highest mean first. Each city links to its full therapy workforce page.

Metro	Mean	Median	Employed
San Francisco	$130,240	$130,850	1,760
Sacramento	$121,110	$126,360	1,030
San Diego	$116,040	$119,690	1,590
Los Angeles	$115,640	$109,740	4,800
Riverside	$112,320	$118,560	2,120

Source: BLS OEWS metropolitan estimates. Suppressed cells show n/a.

The market

How many speech-language pathologists work in California

13,784 speech-language pathologists hold an active individual NPI with a practice address in California, 35.0 per 100,000 residents, and 3,267 new ones enrolled in the last twelve months. A high wage with few clinicians per capita usually means employers are competing for people; a low one in a crowded market means the opposite.

Source: NPPES monthly file, October 2026 (CMS, public domain), as of October 2026.

Licensed in another state?

California is not a member of the ASLP-IC: audiologists and speech-language pathologists licensed in another state need a full California license before starting.

How the ASLP-IC works →How to get a California license, step by step →

Open roles

SLP openings in California

No public SLP listing in California right now. Most of our searches are confidential and never posted, so tell us what you want and we will match you quietly.

Other roles in California

Compare

Thinking about a SLP move in California?

Send a resume and a few lines on the setting, schedule and pay you want. A licensed clinician reads every one, and it stays confidential.

Start a confidential conversation