Audiologists: Salary Overview
Audiologists diagnose and treat hearing and balance problems.
Their job duties typically include examining patients, assessing the results and diagnosing the problem, administering treatment plans, fitting and dispensing hearing aids, counseling patients and their families, evaluating patients regularly and monitoring their progress, and educating patients on how to prevent hearing loss.
Most audiologists work full time but some of them may also work overtime or during weekends and holidays in order to meet their patients’ needs.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the median annual wage for audiologists was $77,600 in May 2018 but salaries vary based on a wide range of factors, including the audiologist’s level of experience and his/her industry of employment.
The lowers 10% of them earned less than $54,010 while the highest 10% earned more than $120,750 a year.
Audiologist Salary by Industry
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, audiologists held 13,600 jobs in the US in 2018, 29% of them being employed in physician offices, and 27% in audiologist offices.
Hospitals employed 15% of audiologists while 10% of them worked in the field of educational services.
Audiologists employed by hospitals earned a median annual wage of $83,820 a year- this means that half of them earned less than this and half of them earned more.
The field of educational services offers an annual wage for audiologists of $81,190 while those who work in audiology offices earned around $75,520 a year.
The median annual wage for audiologists who work in physician offices was $75,490.
Some audiologists own their own practice.
According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s 2018 Audiology Survey, the median annual salary for private practice owners was $84,000.
Audiologist Salary by Year of Experience
The level of experience is an important factor in determining an audiologist’s salary.
According to a survey published by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) in 2018 audiologists with 1-3 years of experience earned a median wage of $72,000 a year while the median annual salary for those with over 28 years of experience was $90,000.
Audiologists with 10-12 years of experience in the field earned a median annual wage of $81,423, according to ASHA.
Audiologist Salary by Compensation Structure
Audiologists are typically paid a regular annual salary but they may also receive commissions on hearing aid sales, bonuses, and other benefits.
Some audiologists are paid on an hourly basis while others are paid primarily on commission.
According to payscale.com, audiologists can earn between $4,000-$30,000 a year in sales commissions, $499-$16,000 in bonuses, and $970-$18,000 in profit sharing.
According to ASHA’s 2018 Audiology Survey, for audiologists who work on an annual salary basis, the median commission on hearing aids and other products was 8% while those who work primarily on commission earned, on a median, 27% on sales.
The numbers published by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association show that audiologists who were paid primarily on commission earned a median commission of $82,872 a year.
These numbers vary based on a wide range of factors, including the employer and the audiologist’s level of experience.
This profession can be financially rewarding, especially for those who have several years of experience in the field.
The numbers published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that job prospects are also expected to be good for audiologists as the baby boom generation is aging and experiences a variety of hearing problems.
Employment for audiologists is projected to grow 16 percent from 2018 to 2028, much faster than the average for all occupations.
However, because this is a small job, this growth will mean only 2,200 new jobs added in the next years so competition for good jobs is expected to be strong, and having several years of experience may give you better job prospects.
* Based on information from the May 2021 salary report from the BLS. The figures represent accumulated data for all states of employment for Audiologists. BLS data represents averages and medians for workers at all levels of education and experience. This data doesn't represent starting salaries.
* Employment conditions in your area may vary.