Speech-Language Pathologists

Top scored Future-proof High pay & lowrisk
Minimal Risk
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Occupation snapshot

What does this snowflake show?
The Snowflake is a visual summary of the five badges: Automation Risk (calculated), Risk (polled), Growth, Wages and Volume. It gives you an instant snapshot of an occupations profile. The colour of the Snowflake relates to its size. The better the occupation scores in relation to others, the larger and greener the Snowflake becomes.
JOB SCORE
8.6/10
What's this?
Job Score (higher is better):

We rate jobs using four factors. These are:

- Chance of being automated
- Job growth
- Wages
- Volume of available positions

These are some key things to think about when job hunting.

Risk & user votes

Calculated automation risk

12% (Minimal Risk)

Minimal Risk (0-20%): This occupation appears difficult to replace end-to-end with current or near-future automation, including AI software and robotics. Roles in this range usually depend on human judgement, creativity, care, leadership, specialist expertise, or adapting to messy real-world situations. AI and machines may still change parts of the work, but the occupation is likely to remain a distinct human role.

More information on what this score is, and how it is calculated is available here.

Human strengths important in this job

These are human abilities and work contexts that are important in this occupation. They may help explain why parts of the role are harder to replace end-to-end, but they are not the only inputs into the automation score.

Social perceptiveness

Very important
Why this matters
Noticing others’ emotions and reactions in the moment and adjusting what you say or do based on why they’re responding that way.
Jobs that also use this strength

Working directly with the public

Very important
Why this matters
The job involves face-to-face interaction with customers, clients, or guests—answering questions, handling requests, and managing service situations in real time. Roles with frequent public interaction are harder to replace end-to-end because they rely on trust, communication, and adapting to unpredictable human needs.
Jobs that also use this strength

Decision-making and problem solving

Very important
Why this matters
Analyze information, weigh tradeoffs, and choose the best solution—especially when situations are ambiguous, high-stakes, or have real-world consequences.
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Developing objectives and strategies

Very important
Why this matters
Sets long-term goals and chooses strategies and actions to reach them, weighing tradeoffs and adapting plans as conditions change.
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Education and training expertise

Very important
Why this matters
Designing and delivering instruction—adapting lessons to different learners and measuring whether training actually works.
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Show 5 more strengths

Assisting and caring for others

Quite important
Why this matters
Provide hands-on help, emotional support, or personal care to people—work that depends on empathy, trust, and responding to individual needs in the moment.
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Thinking creatively

Quite important
Why this matters
Coming up with original ideas and designs—creating new concepts, products, systems, or artistic work. This kind of open-ended invention and taste-based judgment is harder to automate end-to-end than routine, rule-based tasks.
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Coordinating others’ work

Quite important
Why this matters
Bringing people together, assigning tasks, and keeping a group aligned so work gets done.
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Active learning

Quite important
Why this matters
Keeps learning from new information and applying it to make better decisions now and in the future, especially when situations change.
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Operations analysis

Quite important
Why this matters
Figure out what people need and what a product must do, then translate those requirements into a workable design.
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What users think

Based on 272 votes

21% chance of full automation within the next two decades

Our visitors have voted there's a low chance this occupation will be automated. This assessment is further supported by the calculated automation risk level, which estimates 12% chance of automation.

What do you think the risk of automation is?

What is the likelihood that Speech-Language Pathologists will be replaced by robots or artificial intelligence within the next 20 years?

Sentiment

Based on user votes over time

View sentiment trend

How opinions have changed over time

Pay & outlook

Wages

High paid relative to other professions

In 2024, the median annual wage for Speech-Language Pathologists was $95,410 ($46 per hour).

The median annual wage for Speech-Language Pathologists was 92.7% higher than the national median annual wage, which stood at $49,500.

View wage trend

Wages over time

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Growth

Very fast growth relative to other professions

The number of 'Speech-Language Pathologists' job openings is expected to rise 15.0% by 2034

View employment trend

Total employment, and estimated job openings

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the period between 2023 and 2033
Updated projections are due 09-2025.

Volume

Greater range of job opportunities compared to other professions

As of 2024 there were 178,790 people employed as 'Speech-Language Pathologists' within the United States.

This represents around 0.12% of the employed workforce across the country

Put another way, around 1 in 862 people are employed as 'Speech-Language Pathologists'.

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What people are saying (8)

Leave a comment
Deeva
01 Jun 2026 02:19
So strange that people have been eating this high for AI takeover. The people skills needed automatically disqualify AI. Some job tasks may be streamlined (e.g. digital assessment, therapy apps), but therapy jobs are client facing. AI is not taking over any time soon.
Gia (Moderate)
23 May 2026 10:45
Certaines IA existent et sont pertinentes pour le diagnostic. Il semblerait également que des IA sont de plus en plus performantes sur les plans du langage oral et du langage écrit : 2 domaines de prédilection de l'orthophonie. "Some AI systems exist and are relevant for diagnosis. It also appears that AI systems are becoming increasingly effective in the areas of spoken and written language: two key areas of speech therapy."
janedoe (Low)
10 Jun 2024 17:14
requires differential diagnosis and individualized treatment and behavior management
Keertana (No chance)
03 Mar 2023 10:41
This is profession that requires human touch, compassion and understanding.No matter how hard a robot tries, it can never replace a human therapist. Speech therapy is a therapy used to enable better communication amongst humans and only a human therapist can accomplish that .
a person (No chance)
09 Feb 2023 03:21
Each patient needs specific care curated to them, there is so much emotional intelligence involved that a robot cannot replicate :)
Robin (No chance)
20 Oct 2022 23:49
Robots are not ready to differentiate instruction with a wide variety of presentations of problems amongst folk of various ages and stages.
A Grad Student Who Knows Nothing But is Surprised at How Many Voted We Can Be Automated (No chance)
24 Nov 2021 03:08
Our field is more than just a speech teacher. We work with the foundations of functional and cognitive communication with all ages. We have to know the brain, it's structures, and how they can affect speech, language, and communication. Patients in our care have the right to have a way to communicate with others whether they have severe language disorders or aphasia (aka. the lack of functional language). Nothing automated can replace the skill or the strategies we provide, nor anything that the rest of the medical/healthcare team can provide.
no name
25 Oct 2020 17:48
I spent a significant time as a child around Speech Pathologists. Robots cannot compare in terms of high levels of emotional IQ, trying out things in new ways/on the spot thinking, and working with kids.
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Job description

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.

O*NET-SOC code: 29-1127.00