Understanding Gender Pay Differences in Audiology (2024 Salary Survey Results)

Last year, I collected close to 900 responses from audiology professionals across the U.S. and Canada, including audiologists, hearing instrument specialists, and audiology assistants. For this post, I’m focusing specifically on U.S.-based audiologists to take a closer look at compensation patterns and how they compare by gender.

The goal here is simple: present the data clearly and make it easy to follow.

Who Responded (U.S. Audiologists Only)

• Total respondents (U.S. audiologists):

  • 678 females

  • 40 males

Education Breakdown

• PhD holders:

  • 7 females

  • 4 males

• Master’s degree:

  • 9 females

• Doctor of Audiology (Au.D.):

  • All remaining respondents

Practice Ownership

• Private practice owners:

  • 20 females

  • 4 males

Work Status

• Part-time:

  • 38 females

  • 0 males

2024 Salary Overview (Including Commission & Bonus)

Overall National Averages

• Male average: $148,087

• Female average: $105,282

Median Salaries

• Male median: $117,500

• Female median: $97,000

Base Salaries (No Bonus/Commission)

• Male average base salary: $120,109

• Female average base salary: $91,626

At a glance, there is a noticeable difference in both average and median earnings.

Adjusting the Data

To better understand what might be influencing these differences, I looked at a few adjusted scenarios.

1. Removing Practice Owners

Practice owners often have higher earning potential, so removing them helps isolate employed clinicians.

• Male average: $103,500

• Female average: $102,431

➡️ The gap nearly disappears here.

2. Removing Owners, Part-Time Workers, and PhDs

This creates a more uniform comparison group:

• Full-time

• Non-owners

• Same general degree level (primarily Au.D.)

• Male average: $117,505

• Female average: $103,951

➡️ A gap still exists, but it is smaller than in the overall dataset.

3. Entry-Level Salaries

To further explore where differences may emerge, I looked specifically at entry-level audiologists in the U.S. (226 total responses), using total compensation (salary + commission + bonus). This data set again included all audiologists - owners, PhD and part-time were not removed.

• Overall average (all genders): $93,597

• Female average (211 responses): $93,568

• Male average (11 responses): $94,501

➡️ At the entry level, compensation is nearly identical across genders. The data suggests that differences in average earnings are minimal early in careers and may develop later on.

Canadian Responses (2024)

While the main focus above is on U.S. audiologists, there were also Canadian responses worth noting. These figures represent total compensation including salary, commission, and bonus.

• Total respondents:

  • 76 females

  • 12 males

Averages

• Female average: $110,962

• Male average: $116,167

The difference between male and female averages in this group is smaller compared to the U.S. dataset.

2023 Survey Comparison

The 2023 survey included both U.S. and Canadian responses combined.

Respondents

• 701 females

• 47 males

Overall Salaries (Including Commission & Bonus)

• Female average: $97,799

• Female median: $94,000

• Male average: $142,251

• Male median: $110,000

Full-Time Employees Only (Excluding Part-Time & Self-Employed)

• Female average: $98,638 (648 responses)

• Female median: $95,000

• Male average: $128,089 (43 responses)

• Male median: $107,000
  
  

Comparing 2023 to 2024

A few patterns stand out when looking across both years:

• Consistent sample imbalance:
  Female respondents significantly outnumber male respondents in both years. This is in line with the demographics of our profession.

• Higher reported averages for males:
  In both 2023 and 2024, male respondents reported higher average and median compensation.

• Impact of role differences:
  When adjusting for ownership, part-time work, and advanced degrees in 2024, the gap narrows but is still present.

• Stability in female earnings:
  Female averages increased from ~$97K in 2023 to ~$105K in 2024 (U.S.-focused), suggesting gradual upward movement.

• Male averages remain higher overall:
  Though still higher, the difference becomes much smaller under more controlled comparisons.

Final Thoughts

This dataset highlights how compensation can vary depending on factors like ownership, work status, and education level. Looking at adjusted comparisons helps provide additional context beyond the top-line averages.

As always, interpreting salary data is nuanced, and breaking it down like this helps make the picture a bit clearer.

If you’d like to explore other cuts of the data or dig deeper into specific segments, there’s more to come.