Speech Therapy Salaries in Louisiana - LA

Every year in Louisiana there are 11,013 premature births, accounting for roughly 16.6% of all births in the state. Interestingly, the premature birth rate in Louisiana increased from 14.5% in 1997 to 16.6% in 2007.  Statistically, nearly 30% of premature babies develop speech impairments by the age of two, and these children are likely to need speech therapy to help their language and communication skills develop appropriately. Essentially, means that potentially more than 3,300 children in Louisiana could be in need of the services of a speech language pathologist.

Now, consider that during 2007 there were only 740 qualified speech therapists throughout Louisiana; not nearly enough to cover the number of prematurely born children needing speech therapy. For this reason, the average speech therapist salary in Louisiana in 2009 was $69,540. However, the top 10% of professionals in this field reported making an average of $113,590 per year.

Now we need to look at this in conjunction with demand. The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects that employment opportunities for speech language pathologists will grow by at least 19% between now and 2018. However, with the incidence of premature births continuing to increase in Louisiana, it is possible that the career outlook may be substantially greater in this state.  

Annual income for speech therapists in Louisiana:

• Alexandria: $83,170
• Baton Rouge: $60,350
• Lafayette: $58,900
• New Orleans: $80,920
• Shreveport: $69,820
• Winnsboro nonmetropolitan area: $88,590

Annual salary figures provided by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics