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Audiologist

$95,780
median / year
$64,610 – $133,120
what most earn per year (10th–90th percentile)

What the job actually is

Diagnose and treat hearing and balance problems, and fit hearing aids and other devices.

You may also see this posted as: Audiology Doctor (AUD), Clinical Audiologist, Educational Audiologist, Certificate of Clinical Competence in Audiology Licensed Audiologist (CCC-A Licensed Audiologist), Dispensing Audiologist, Forensic Audiologist.

Where you work

Clinics, hospitals, and schools.

The hours

Regular full-time weekday schedule

The day to day

What you'd actually spend time doing

  • Maintain patient records at all stages, including initial and subsequent evaluation and treatment activities.
  • Evaluate hearing and balance disorders to determine diagnoses and courses of treatment.
  • Fit, dispense, and repair assistive devices, such as hearing aids.
  • Administer hearing tests and examine patients to collect information on type and degree of impairment, using specialized instruments and electronic equipment.
  • Monitor patients' progress and provide ongoing observation of hearing or balance status.

Good fit if you like…

Investigative

solving problems, analyzing evidence, and figuring out how things work

Social

helping, teaching, caring for, or supporting other people

Realistic

working with tools, equipment, materials, or the physical world

O*NET job zone 5 of 5

Extensive preparation—often graduate education and significant experience—is common.

Work styles that matter most

Attention to DetailDependabilityEmpathyCooperation

Software that shows up in the work

Examples employers report—not a checklist you must already know.

Microsoft ExceleClinicalWorks EHR softwareEpic SystemsMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerPoint

By the numbers

May 2025 BLS wage & employment data · 2024–34 BLS employment projections.

Median pay
$95,780
per year
Hourly median
$46.05
per hour
What most earn
$64,610–$133,120
yearly, 10th to 90th percentile
Openings a year
~700
projected, 2024–34
Outlook to 2034
+9.5%
Much faster than average
Working in the U.S.
13,660
people, nationwide

Openings a year counts new jobs plus the ones that open when people retire or move on — a truer picture of your odds than growth alone.

“Median” means half earn more and half earn less. Your city, employer, and years on the job move it a lot — that is what the 10th-to-90th range shows.

BLS estimates 4.4% of workers in this occupation are self-employed.

What it pays in your state

Statewide medians are a better starting point than the national number. Your city and experience still matter.

BLS state wage tables

How you get in

Typical starting education

Doctoral / professional degree

Training path: Doctoral degree + license.

Related work experience: None.

On-the-job training: None.

License or certification

Audiologists need a doctoral degree and a state license to practice.

Check the path where you live

Licensing rules and available programs change by state. These federal tools take you to the current official listings.

What it takes

Hearing testingPatient counselingDevice fittingClinical judgment

The honest take

A doctoral path with a steadier outlook as an aging population needs more hearing care.

Standard Occupational Classification 29-1181. Pay and employment from the BLS May 2025 OEWS survey; outlook and openings from the 2024–34 employment projections; job context from the Occupational Outlook Handbook; tasks, interests, work styles, software examples, and job zone from O*NET 30.3. See something off? Tell us.