2010 ASHA-Certified-Personnel-to-Population Ratios

The following documents are in PDF format and require the Adobe Acrobat® reader (Version 5.0 or greater) to be viewed and printed. This reader is free and may be downloaded from the Adobe Web site.

Table 1. Personnel-to-Population Ratios by State and Area of ASHA Certification, 2010 [PDF] 

Table 2. Personnel-to-Population Ratios by Geographic Region and Division and Area of ASHA Certification, 2010 [PDF] 

Frequently Asked Questions

What are personnel-to-population ratios?

They are a measurement of the number of a given class of personnel (e.g., ASHA-certified audiologists or speech-language pathologists) in relation to the overall population in a given geographic area (e.g., state, region, or country).

How are personnel-to-population ratios calculated?

Ratios are calculated by dividing the number of specified personnel in a given geographic area by the population of that area. The resulting number is then multiplied by 100,000 to arrive at the number of personnel per 100,000 people in the area. As an example, Florida had approximately 6,985 ASHA-certified speech-language pathologists and an estimated population of 18,537,969 people in 2010. Its personnel-to-population ratio is then calculated as (6,985/18,537,969) x 100,000 = 37.7. In other words, there were 37.7 speech-language pathologists for every 100,000 Floridians in 2010.

How are counts of ASHA-certified audiologists and speech-language pathologists determined?

ASHA uses membership data to compile annual counts of ASHA-certified audiologists and speech-language pathologists (see ASHA Counts for Year End 2010, Table 3: Affiliation by State and Certification Status).

What is the source of state population estimates?

The U.S. Census Bureau of the U.S. Department of Commerce estimates state populations on a periodic basis. These estimates are available on the Bureau's Web site. They are also included above in Table 1: Personnel-to-Population Ratios by State and Area of ASHA Certification, 2010.

What are the national personnel-to-population ratios for ASHA-certified audiologists and speech-language pathologists?

In 2010, nationwide, the number of ASHA-certified audiologists for every 100,000 residents was 4.1, ranging from 2.0 in Nevada to 7.6 in Colorado. The number of ASHA-certified speech-language pathologists for every 100,000 residents was 41.4, ranging from 21.8 in Nevada to 64.5 in New York.  

Have the national personnel-to-population ratios for audiologists and speech-language pathologists changed over time?

The 2010 nationwide ratio of 4.1 for audiologists was the same as in 2009 and 2008, and the nationwide ratio of 41.4 for speech-language pathologists was up from 39.7 in 2009 and 38.3 in 2008.

What are the regional personnel-to-population ratios for ASHA-certified audiologists and speech-language pathologists?

In 2010, the ratio for ASHA-certified audiologists ranged from 4.3 in the South and West to 5.1 in the Midwest. For ASHA-certified speech-language-pathologists, it ranged from 37.0 in the West to 55.0 in the Northeast (see Table 2 above).

Why are personnel-to-population ratios important?

By knowing the personnel-to-population ratio for a state or region we can then compare that state or region to other states, regions, or the national average. This information can be used to (a) affect policy changes to ensure that all populations are adequately served, (b) determine trends, (c) offer information for individuals considering relocation, and (d) potentially foster growth of the professions within a given state or region.

Still have questions?
Contact Gail Brook, Research Analyst and Technical Writer at gbrook@asha.org or data@asha.org.