Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP, Speech Therapist) salary in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
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The median annual wage for Speech-Language Pathologists in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN was $98,490 in BLS OEWS May 2025. The middle half of workers earned between $77,960 and $109,640.
What does the published range tell you about an offer?
BLS reports wages for Speech-Language Pathologists (SOC 29-1127) in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. The published annual P25 to P75 band is $77,960 to $109,640. Its width is $31,680, calculated from those two observations. These are wages for the mapped occupation, not a separate survey of Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP, Speech Therapist). Percentiles are not seniority levels. They do not identify a starting rate, a senior rate or what a particular candidate will accept.
Which duties should you settle before setting pay?
For therapy hiring, distinguish inpatient work, outpatient visits, home visits and school assignments. Ask about the caseload, documentation and supervision expected. State licensing, travel between sites and the working calendar belong in the hiring brief; the published occupation does not isolate those terms.
How does this area compare with the national observation?
The annual median for Speech-Language Pathologists (SOC 29-1127) is $98,490 here and $97,870 nationally. The area median is $620 above the national figure. This subtraction is not a cost-of-living adjustment or a relocation allowance.
What do the nearby comparison markets show?
Kankakee, IL reports an annual median of $77,210 for Speech-Language Pathologists. The absolute gap is $21,280. Niles, MI reports an annual median of $83,370 for Speech-Language Pathologists. The absolute gap is $15,120. Each linked table retains its own area. These are occupation comparisons, not exact-title offers.
What can the industry rows tell you?
Home Health Care Services (NAICS 621600) has a national annual median of $117,370 for Speech-Language Pathologists. Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) (NAICS 623100) has a national annual median of $111,680 for Speech-Language Pathologists. National industry comparisons are not local title estimates. A hospital and an outpatient practice can assign different work even when the SOC is the same.
What changed between the two releases?
Speech-Language Pathologists (SOC 29-1127) in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN had an annual median of $83,990 in BLS OEWS May 2024; the BLS OEWS May 2025 median is $98,490. The absolute difference is $14,500. These are separate survey snapshots, not a forecast or a raise to apply to your budget.
Is this base salary or total compensation?
Neither. OEWS includes commissions and production bonuses as well as base rates. It excludes overtime, shift differentials, on-call pay, nonproduction bonuses and employer benefits. Keep sign-on and retention payments separate when they are nonproduction bonuses. Travel per-diem reimbursements and contractor receipts are not a published employee salary. Do not add production pay twice.
What else should you ask about this pay table?
Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP, Speech Therapist) maps to Speech-Language Pathologists (SOC 29-1127). The published occupation matches Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP, Speech Therapist). BLS wages are not a specific employer offer. The annual median in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN is $98,490. Similar titles can share this same SOC and therefore the same figures; that is not evidence that their duties or offers are identical.
Does BLS observe Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP, Speech Therapist) separately?
Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP, Speech Therapist) maps to Speech-Language Pathologists (SOC 29-1127). The published occupation matches Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP, Speech Therapist). BLS wages are not a specific employer offer. The annual median in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN is $98,490. Similar titles can share this same SOC and therefore the same figures; that is not evidence that their duties or offers are identical.
Can you turn the percentile band into junior and senior pay?
The published annual P25 to P75 band is $77,960 to $109,640. Its width is $31,680, calculated from those two observations. BLS percentiles describe the wage distribution, not years of experience. We do not assign an interpolated percentile, seniority premium or pay forecast.
What should you put in the hiring brief?
For therapy hiring, distinguish inpatient work, outpatient visits, home visits and school assignments. Ask about the caseload, documentation and supervision expected. State licensing, travel between sites and the working calendar belong in the hiring brief; the published occupation does not isolate those terms. Tell us which tasks and scheduling terms you can change before using this wage comparison in a search.
What if a wage is missing or marked “or more”?
A missing cell stays unavailable. “Or more” appears only when the actual source marks that cell as top-coded; it is a lower bound, not an exact wage. Exact published numbers remain exact even when above a historical top-code amount. Tools label any fallback to a state or national row.
The SLP comparison for Chicago, IL uses 2024 Census reference points. Rural comparisons use unweighted county centers from fetched 2024 BLS definitions, or a disclosed state reference point if the group cannot be matched. These are not nearest-to-your-facility claims. Read the geography and wage definitions.
BLS occupation: Speech-Language Pathologists.
The published occupation matches Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP, Speech Therapist). BLS wages are not a specific employer offer.
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN versus the nation
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median is $620 (0.6%) above the national median of $97,870.
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
- P10 to P90 published range
- P25 to P75 middle range
- P50 median
| Point | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $62,470 |
| 25th percentile | $77,960 |
| Median | $98,490 |
| 75th percentile | $109,640 |
| 90th percentile | $124,400 |
| Mean (average) | $95,200 |
United States
- P10 to P90 published range
- P25 to P75 middle range
- P50 median
| Point | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $62,900 |
| 25th percentile | $77,730 |
| Median | $97,870 |
| 75th percentile | $114,570 |
| 90th percentile | $134,160 |
| Mean (average) | $98,170 |
For Speech-Language Pathologists in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, BLS reports a median of $98,490; the middle half of workers earned between $77,960 and $109,640 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
- P10 to P90 published range
- P25 to P75 middle range
- P50 median
| Point | Hourly wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $30.04 |
| 25th percentile | $37.48 |
| Median | $47.35 |
| 75th percentile | $52.71 |
| 90th percentile | $59.81 |
| Mean (average) | $45.77 |
United States
- P10 to P90 published range
- P25 to P75 middle range
- P50 median
| Point | Hourly wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $30.24 |
| 25th percentile | $37.37 |
| Median | $47.05 |
| 75th percentile | $55.08 |
| 90th percentile | $64.50 |
| Mean (average) | $47.20 |
For Speech-Language Pathologists in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, BLS reports a median of $47.35; the middle half of workers earned between $37.48 and $52.71 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
What BLS wages include and exclude
OEWS includes commissions and production bonuses. It excludes overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and employer benefits. It is neither pure base salary nor total compensation.
Included
- Base rates
- Commissions
- Cost-of-living allowances
- Deadheading pay
- Guaranteed pay
- Hazard pay
- Incentive pay
- Longevity pay
- Over-the-road pay (Mileage)
- Piece rates
- Portal-to-portal rates
- Production bonuses
- Tips
Excluded
- Attendance bonuses
- Back pay
- Clothing allowances
- Discount
- Draw
- Holiday bonus
- Holiday premium pay
- Jury duty pay
- Meal and lodging payments
- Merchandise discounts
- Non-production bonuses
- On-call pay
- Overtime pay
- Perquisites
- Profit-sharing payments
- Relocation allowances
- Severance pay
- Shift differentials
- Stock bonuses
- Tool/equipment allowances
- Tuition repayment
- Uniform allowance
- Weekend premium pay
- Year-end bonuses
Employment: 7,150 jobs. Location quotient: 1.34.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, BLS OEWS May 2025. SOC 29-1127 Speech-Language Pathologists, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. Published 2026-05-15. BLS release tables (find this SOC and area). Release notes. Methodology and retrieval dates. CSV
How has published pay changed since the last BLS release?
These are separate BLS estimates, not a wage growth forecast. Survey coverage and area boundaries can change. The table places the published median for Speech-Language Pathologists in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN from BLS OEWS May 2024 next to BLS OEWS May 2025. A top-coded value is a floor, not an exact median.
| Pay basis | BLS OEWS May 2024 | BLS OEWS May 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| annual | $83,990 | $98,490 |
| hourly | $40.38 | $47.35 |
Prior release: 2024-05, published 2025-04-02. Current release: 2025-05, published 2026-05-15. A top-coded value is a floor, not an exact median.
What does this pay include, and what does it leave out?
OEWS counts base rates, guaranteed pay, commissions and production bonuses. It describes employee wages, not pure base salary or total compensation. Employer benefits and self-employed earnings are outside these wage estimates. Compare the regular pay for the duties you need covered.
A BLS occupation can include different settings, shifts and levels; it does not price your exact schedule.
Overtime, shift differentials and on-call pay are excluded. If this job has a call rota or extra shifts, spell out those payments rather than treating the BLS median as the whole package.
Meal and lodging payments and relocation allowances are excluded. A travel per diem for those costs is not part of this wage. Keep it separate from the pay comparison.
Non-production bonuses are excluded. A sign-on or retention payment that is not tied to production should be discussed separately. BLS does not publish an amount to add for that payment.
BLS pay definitions. These notes do not add an estimated bonus or premium.
How does clinical pay compare with management pay here?
These duties map to different BLS occupations. A manager's median is not a promised raise for a clinician. Read the mapping on each page. Each link below opens a related occupation with its own SOC code, published percentiles and source line. Compare the duties before comparing medians, because a title change can mean a different occupation.
Nearby metros
- Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP, Speech Therapist) in Bloomington, IL
- Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP, Speech Therapist) in Champaign-Urbana, IL
- Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP, Speech Therapist) in Decatur, IL
- Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP, Speech Therapist) in Kankakee, IL
- Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP, Speech Therapist) in Peoria, IL
- Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP, Speech Therapist) in Rockford, IL
- Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP, Speech Therapist) in Springfield, IL