Best States for Speech-Language Pathologists in 2026: California Leads, Texas Is Largest Market

Across the top 10 LaborCove states for speech-language pathologists in 2026, the data show that no single metric dominates the rankings. California ranks first overall with a high Geography Score, relatively high median pay, and one of the largest employment counts in the top 10, while Texas achieves the largest employment count but a lower median salary and Geography Score than California. Several states in the top 10 combine median salaries above the national figure with smaller employment counts, such as Colorado, Washington, and Massachusetts. Others, including Illinois and Ohio, have employment counts in the mid‑range of this group and median salaries within a relatively narrow band around the national median. The national projected growth rate of 15.0% provides context for the occupation overall, but the rankings here are based on current state-level differences in the supplied metrics, not on state-level growth projections.

Before comparing states, it helps to anchor the discussion in the national figures for speech-language pathologists. National median annual salary stands at $97,870, and national employment is 183,390. National employment for this occupation is projected to grow by 15.0%. This projection describes the occupation’s expected change across the United States as a whole and is not a state‑level or metro‑level forecast. Against that backdrop, several of the top‑ranked states show median salaries above the national median, while others are closer to the national figure. The employment counts reported for each state represent that state’s share of the 183,390 total national jobs supplied in this data, and they vary widely among the top 10 states.

California holds the #1 LaborCove Geography Score among the supplied states, with a score of 84.00. Its median salary for speech-language pathologists is $118,970, and its employment count is 16,930. Texas ranks #2 with a Geography Score of 71.97. It has the largest employment count in the top 10, at 19,120, and a median salary of $99,910. Comparing the two, Texas has a larger employment count than California (19,120 vs. 16,930), while California has a higher median salary than Texas ($118,970 vs. $99,910) and a higher Geography Score (84.00 vs. 71.97). Both states have median salaries above the national median of $97,870.

New York ranks #3 with a Geography Score of 68.29, a median salary of $100,610, and employment of 15,310. New Jersey ranks #5 with a Geography Score of 54.21, a median salary of $101,560, and employment of 6,840. Massachusetts holds the #7 rank with a Geography Score of 52.87. It has a median salary of $101,310 and employment of 5,290. New York has a larger employment count than both New Jersey and Massachusetts (15,310 vs. 6,840 and 5,290, respectively). New Jersey’s median salary of $101,560 is slightly higher than both New York’s $100,610 and Massachusetts’s $101,310, even though New York ranks higher overall in the LaborCove results. All three states have median salaries above the national median of $97,870.

Colorado ranks #4 with a LaborCove Geography Score of 55.95, a median salary of $110,750, and employment of 4,420. Washington ranks #8 with a Geography Score of 51.29, a median salary of $105,550, and employment of 3,570. Both Colorado and Washington have median salaries above the national median of $97,870, and above the median salary in Texas. Colorado’s median salary of $110,750 is higher than Washington’s $105,550. On employment, Colorado’s count of 4,420 is larger than Washington’s 3,570, but both states have smaller employment counts than California, Texas, and New York within this top‑10 group. Their Geography Scores also sit below California’s 84.00 and Texas’s 71.97, despite their relatively high median salaries.

Florida holds the #6 rank with a Geography Score of 54.03, a median salary of $99,990, and employment of 10,080. Illinois ranks #9 with a Geography Score of 50.01, a median salary of $95,080, and employment of 9,040. Ohio completes the top 10 at #10, with a Geography Score of 47.92, a median salary of $93,300, and employment of 7,270. Florida’s employment count of 10,080 is larger than both Illinois’s 9,040 and Ohio’s 7,270. Florida’s median salary of $99,990 is also higher than the median salaries in both Illinois and Ohio. Illinois and Ohio both have median salaries below the national median of $97,870, while Florida’s median salary is above that national benchmark. Within this mid‑ranked group, Geography Scores, salaries, and employment counts move together only in some cases, underscoring that the Geography Score reflects a combination of factors rather than salary or employment alone.

LaborCove builds these rankings using authoritative labor‑market data and our proprietary LaborCove Geography Score. For each state, we incorporate metrics including median annual salary and employment counts for speech-language pathologists, then calculate a Geography Score that supports comparative analysis across locations. The Geography Score reflects our internal methodology and is not intended to predict an individual’s likelihood of finding employment or future hiring behavior in any location. National projected employment growth of 15.0% for speech-language pathologists is used only as national context and is not applied to individual states. Readers should interpret these rankings alongside their own priorities, such as personal circumstances and non‑labor‑market considerations that are not captured in this data. The figures here describe relative salary levels, employment counts, and Geography Scores, not cost of living, taxes, or licensing requirements.