SOC 29-1127 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Speech-Language Pathologists — Lexington
Lexington-Fayette, KY · 5 metro areas compared
Median pay for this occupation in Lexington, KY is $87,470 a year, trailing the national median of $97,870 by 10.6%.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to grow much faster than average
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- +15.0%
- Openings per year
- 13,300
- Typical entry-level education
- Master's degree
- On-the-job training
- Internship/residency
Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.
Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Lexington-Fayette, KY.
Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.
Salary overview
Median pay for this occupation in Lexington, KY is $87,470 a year, trailing the national median of $97,870 by 10.6%. Half of workers earn between $75,420 and $103,230. Beyond that band, the tenth percentile sits at $65,570 and the ninetieth at $111,950.
The area has 360 jobs in this occupation, which works out to 1.3 of every thousand jobs. Louisville/Jefferson County leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $103,420. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 90th of 469 by median pay.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $65,570 | −33.0% |
| 25th | $75,420 | −22.9% |
| Median (50th) | $87,470 | −10.6% |
| 75th | $103,230 | +5.5% |
| 90th | $111,950 | +14.4% |
| Mean | $87,310 | −10.8% |
Other metro areas in Kentucky
| # | Metro area | Median | Jobs | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Louisville/Jefferson County | $103,420 | 710 | |
| 2 | Bowling Green | $82,870 | 140 | |
| 3 | Owensboro | $81,270 | 70 | |
| 4 | Elizabethtown | $79,380 | 50 | |
| 5 | Paducah | $73,900 | 70 |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Lexington run 7.1% below the national average, so the median of $87,470 goes as far as $94,155 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 3.8% below the national median in real terms.
Published median
$87,470as reported by BLSLocal price level
92.9US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$94,155US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $87,470 a year, 10.6% below the national median.
- Published pay spans $65,570 to $111,950 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 360 jobs in this occupation.
- The highest-paying metro area covered is Louisville/Jefferson County, at $103,420.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Speech-Language Pathologists in Lexington, KY?
The median annual wage is $87,470, or $42.05 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.
Is that higher than the national average?
The national median for this occupation is $97,870, so pay in Lexington, KY is 10.6% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.
What do the top earners make?
The top tenth of this occupation in Lexington, KY earns more than $111,950 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $65,570 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.
Which area nearby pays the most?
The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Louisville/Jefferson County, at $103,420 per year.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 360 jobs in this occupation in Lexington, KY. Self-employed workers are not included.
Source and methodology
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.
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