Economics of Audiology Wages: Benchmarking a Doctoral Health Profession Within U.S. Healthcare

Audiology requires doctoral-level education, yet its earnings trajectory has remained comparatively modest within U.S. healthcare. This article examines historical trends in audiology wages using national Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) data, benchmarking absolute wage levels, growth trajectories, and degree-based comparisons against 33 other healthcare...

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No actionable change for clinical practice; findings are relevant to salary negotiation, workforce advocacy, and professional association policy rather than patient care.

Documenting the wage gap between audiology and comparable doctoral health professions strengthens the evidence base for advocacy efforts targeting reimbursement reform and pay equity.

1. 01Audiology wages were benchmarked against other U.S. doctoral-level healthcare professions.
2. 02Historical wage trends reveal earnings that may not reflect AuD-level educational investment.
3. 03Pay gaps relative to peer professions could contribute to workforce recruitment and retention challenges.
4. 04Analysis is relevant to professional advocacy and healthcare policy discussions.
5. 05No clinical or patient-care recommendations are made.

PMID

42840896

DOI

10.1055/s-0046-1825788.

Journal

Seminars in Hearing

Publication type

research_article

Evidence level

4

Population

Audiologists and comparator doctoral health profession workers in the U.S. healthcare labor market

Intervention

Analysis of historical audiology wage data benchmarked against peer doctoral professions

Comparator

Other U.S. doctoral-level health professions