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Speech-Language Pathologists

Healthcare Practitioners and Technical · SOC 29-1127

0.0% AI Exposure — Low
$97,870
Median Annual Salary
Bright ↗
O*NET Outlook
13,500
Proj. Annual Openings
183,390
Employment (OEWS 2025)
+2.9%/yr
Empl. growth (2019–2025)
100/100
AI Resiliency Score

AI exposure from the Anthropic Economic Index (2025); salary from BLS; skills from O*NET. See /sources.

Decision card

Career Evidence Passport

SOC 29-1127 evidence across exposure, wages, projections, postings, certified LCAs, skills, and transitions.

Proxy / seed data labeledDescriptive-only
SOC exposure
0.0%
Low · Anthropic AEI
Automation friction
63/100
High friction; broad SOC seed ORS job-requirements coverage.
Wages
$97,870
H-1B offered wage $91,666; LCAs are filings.
Projected openings
13,500
BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change +15.0%.
Observed/proxy demand
424
FY2025 certified LCAs; 30,278 postings in 2025.

Skill evidence

Reading ComprehensionActive ListeningCritical ThinkingSocial PerceptivenessWriting

Transition context

  • H-1B values are certified Labor Condition Applications, not visa approvals.
  • Job postings are seed-static / seed-derived; treat as provider-ready proxy coverage until observed provider data is wired in.
  • Transition matches are directional skill-overlap context, not placement guarantees.
  • This release is a FutureGrid broad-SOC seed derived from public BLS ORS requirement concepts and categories, not direct occupation-level ORS survey estimates. It describes job requirements, not worker ability, AI capability, or displacement probability. Automation friction is a FutureGrid derived score and should be read alongside exposure, demand, wage, and projection signals.

AI Exposure Analysis

AI Exposure0.0%
AI Resiliency100/100
Exposure BandLow
Sector Avg. Exposure5.4%

Across AI measures

Multiple exposure lenses for this occupation.

45.3%
Consensus
Actual adoption · Anthropic0%
AI capability · OpenAI45.1%
AI ability · AIOE90.9%
Automation baseline (2013) · Frey & Osborne0.6%

AI could do ~45.1% of this role but only ~0% is currently done with AI — a large capability-vs-adoption gap.

Top Skills

1.Reading Comprehension
2.Active Listening
3.Critical Thinking
4.Social Perceptiveness
5.Writing

H-1B Visa Sponsorship Demand

View full H-1B trends →

Certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications naming this occupation, FY2016–FY2025. A descriptive high-skill labor-demand signal — employer filings, not visa approvals or individual outcomes. Note: one LCA can cover multiple worker positions.

3,627
Decade Total (Certified LCAs)
424
FY2025 Volume
0% of all H-1B filings in FY2025
$91,666
Median Offered Wage (Latest Year)
#95 of 776
Rank by Total Volume
H-1B filing volume, FY2016–FY2025

O*NET occupation profile

What this work involves

Assess and treat persons with speech, language, voice, and fluency disorders. May select alternative communication systems and teach their use. May perform research related to speech and language problems.

Common titles: Bilingual Speech-Language Pathologist (Bilingual SLP), Pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist (Pediatric SLP), Speech and Language Clinician, Speech and Language Specialist, Speech and Language Teacher, Speech and Language Therapist

Representative Tasks

  • •Evaluate hearing or speech and language test results, barium swallow results, or medical or background information to diagnose and plan treatment for speech, language, fluency, voice, or swallowing disorders.
  • •Write reports and maintain proper documentation of information, such as client Medicaid or billing records or caseload activities, including the initial evaluation, treatment, progress, and discharge of clients.
  • •Monitor patients' progress and adjust treatments accordingly.
  • •Develop or implement treatment plans for problems such as stuttering, delayed language, swallowing disorders, or inappropriate pitch or harsh voice problems, based on own assessments and recommendations of physicians, psychologists, or social workers.
  • •Administer hearing or speech and language evaluations, tests, or examinations to patients to collect information on type and degree of impairments, using written or oral tests or special instruments.

Detailed Work Activities

  • •Prepare reports summarizing patient diagnostic or care activities.
  • •Analyze patient data to determine patient needs or treatment goals.
  • •Maintain medical facility records.
  • •Develop treatment plans that use non-medical therapies.
  • •Monitor patient progress or responses to treatments.

Tools & Technologies

eClinicalWorks EHR software · hotMicrosoft Excel · hotAdobe AuditionApple Logic ProAvaaz Innovations Computerized Speech Research Environment CSREBiofeedback softwareBungalow Software Aphasia TutorLanguage analysis softwareMicro Video Voice Speech Training SystemSignal analysis software

Employment Projections & AI Exposure

15
Occupations Shown
2.6%
Avg AI Exposure
14
Bright Outlook
Horizontal bar chart showing occupations with the highest projected annual openings. Each bar length represents annual projected openings. Color uses a gradient from violet (lower) to cyan (higher). Summary statistics are shown above the chart.

Employment & Wage Trend

BLS OEWS, 2019–2025

Occupation Employment & Wage TrendMulti-year BLS OEWS history for SOC 29-1127: 2019 — employment: 154,360, median wage: $79,120; 2020 — employment: 148,450, median wage: $80,480; 2021 — employment: 147,470, median wage: $79,060; 2022 — employment: 162,760, median wage: $84,140; 2023 — employment: 172,100, median wage: $89,290; 2025 — employment: 183,390, median wage: $97,870.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). See /sources.

Sector Comparison

MetricThis CareerSector Average
AI Exposure0.0%5.4%
OutlookBright ↗62% Bright
Median Salary$97,870N/A
AI Resiliency100/100N/A