Quick answer: The Gainesville metro employs about 240 speech-language pathologists (BLS OEWS, May 2025), and licensing is set at the state level, through your state speech-language pathology licensing board.
Compare speech-language pathology programs enrolling now:
Licensing is a state matter, not a city one. Speech-language pathologists are licensed by state boards, and school-based practice may additionally run through a state education agency credential. The national constants are a master’s degree from a CAA-accredited program, the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, a supervised clinical fellowship, and the Praxis examination.
See the Florida licensing and pay overview for the statewide picture, and confirm current requirements with your state speech-language pathology licensing board.
Schools in our database near this area, ranked by BOC Score. The list favors schools with a related program on record, but program availability and delivery format change, so confirm directly with any school that it currently offers the program you want.
This page lists 5 schools within 128 miles, closest group first, then ordered by BOC Score with the highest at the top. 5 of them carry a score.
Scores come from IPEDS (2024) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Earnings are for all graduates of a school, not one program, so treat them as a signal about the institution rather than about this subject. Sponsored listings are paid placements and are labelled as such; they are separate from this ranking and never change it. Read the full methodology.
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Speech-Language Pathologists in the Gainesville area earn a median $96,230 per year, below the national median of $97,870 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
| Metric | Gainesville metro | Florida | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual wage | $96,230 | $99,990 | $97,870 |
| 10th percentile | $78,740 | $69,970 | $62,900 |
| 25th percentile | $82,020 | $83,120 | $77,730 |
| 75th percentile | $100,900 | $105,460 | $114,570 |
| 90th percentile | $115,550 | $122,050 | $134,160 |
| Employment | 240 | 10,080 | 183,390 |
| Location quotient | 1.34 | - | 1.00 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Metro figures cover the Gainesville, FL metropolitan statistical area.
The Gainesville median of $96,230 is below the national median of $97,870, and below the Florida statewide median of $99,990 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
The metro’s location quotient of 1.34 means speech-language pathologists are more concentrated here than in the average U.S. labor market (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Higher concentration generally means more employers competing for the same people, and an easier job change later.
School systems employ the largest share of speech-language pathologists, so local demand tracks school-age population and district staffing alongside the health system.
| Metro area | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Miami | $101,590 | 2,930 |
| Tampa | $96,580 | 1,710 |
| Orlando | $97,900 | 1,100 |
| Jacksonville | $99,830 | 650 |
| North Port | $101,310 | 430 |
| Palm Bay | $60,000 | 310 |
| Port St. Lucie | $97,650 | 310 |
| Cape Coral | $99,940 | 250 |
Figures: BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Wage and employment figures describe the occupation as measured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, not the graduates of any particular program, and individual outcomes may vary. Licensing rules change; confirm current requirements with the responsible state board before enrolling.
The median annual wage for speech-language pathologists in the Gainesville, FL metro area is $96,230, below the national median of $97,870 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
The Gainesville, FL metro area employs about 240 speech-language pathologists (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Licensing is handled at state level rather than by city. Speech-language pathologists are licensed by state boards, and school-based practice may additionally run through a state education agency credential. The national constants are a master's degree from a CAA-accredited program, the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, a supervised clinical fellowship, and the Praxis examination. Confirm current requirements with your state speech-language pathology licensing board.
The academic portion of these programs is widely available online for working adults, while labs, clinical hours or supervised field work are completed in person. Check that the program's accreditation satisfies your state speech-language pathology licensing board.
The Gainesville metro median is $96,230 against a statewide median of $99,990 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Compare that gap with the difference in living costs before treating it as a raise.
About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.
