# Audiologists

US SOC code 29-1181. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/29-1181

Also called: Doctor of audiology, Au.D., Clinical audiologist, Hearing specialist, Hearing doctor.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **13,660** US audiologists, with median pay of **$95,780** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2012, the highest was **14,730**, in May 2024. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://www.audiology.org/looking-back-to-1946-precepting-and-historical-focus-on-audiology-programs/) of **100** from 1946, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for audiologists: Teleaudiology + real-ear measurement software, 2007 to 2022.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 11% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=29-1181&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **45.5%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Audiologists employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1944
- Latest US employment: 13,660 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [5]
- Latest US median pay: $95,780 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [7]
- Outlook: +11% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [21]

### All 21 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1946 | 100 (estimate) | n/a | Est., American Academy of Audiology [1] |
| 1988 | 6,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Hearing Health & Technology Matters [2] |
| 1999 | 12,950 | n/a | BLS OEWS 1999 [3] |
| 2004 | 9,810 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2004 [4] |
| 2006 | n/a | $57,120 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [6] |
| 2010 | 12,860 | $66,660 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [5] |
| 2011 | 12,490 | $68,390 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [5] |
| 2012 | 12,060 | $69,720 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [5] |
| 2013 | 11,550 | $71,170 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [5] |
| 2014 | 12,250 | $73,060 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [5] |
| 2015 | 12,070 | $74,890 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [5] |
| 2016 | 12,310 | $75,980 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [5] |
| 2017 | 12,020 | $75,920 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [5] |
| 2018 | 13,300 | $75,920 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [5] |
| 2019 | 13,590 | $77,600 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [5] |
| 2020 | 13,300 | $81,030 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [5] |
| 2021 | 13,240 | $78,950 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [5] |
| 2022 | 13,940 | $82,680 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [5] |
| 2023 | 13,880 | $87,740 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [5] |
| 2024 | 14,730 | $92,120 | BLS OEWS May 2024 (employment) [5]; BLS OEWS May 2024 (pay) [8] |
| 2025 | 13,660 | $95,780 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [5] |

## Sources (75)

### Employment series

1. [American Academy of Audiology — "Looking Back to 1946: Precepting and Historical Focus on Audiology Programs"](https://www.audiology.org/looking-back-to-1946-precepting-and-historical-focus-on-audiology-programs/), American Academy of Audiology
2. [Hearing Health & Technology Matters — "Early Clinical Audiology: The Legacy of Dr. Moe Bergman and the WWII Audiologists"](https://hearinghealthmatters.org/hearing-international/2014/dr-moe-bergman/), Hearing Health and Technology Matters
3. [BLS OES 1999 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes99nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
4. [BLS OEWS May 2004, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), SOC 29-1121 row](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
5. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Wage series

6. [BLS OEWS May 2006, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), SOC 29-1121 row](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
7. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
8. [BLS OOH — Audiologists: median annual wage $92,120 in May 2024; O\*NET 29-1181.00 confirms the same figure](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/audiologists.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Tool eras

9. [Hearing Review — "Lessons from the Past: Two Influential Articles in the Early History of Audiology" (WWII audiometer technology and aural rehabilitation programs)](https://hearingreview.com/hearing-loss/hearing-loss-prevention/industrial-military/lessons-past-two-influential-articles-early-history-audiology), Hearing Review
10. [Hearing Health and Technology Matters — "Early Clinical Audiology: The Legacy of Dr. Moe Bergman and the WWII Audiologists"](https://hearinghealthmatters.org/hearing-international/2014/dr-moe-bergman/), Hearing Health and Technology Matters
11. [IEEE Pulse / EMBS — "Hearing Aid History: From Ear Trumpets to Digital Technology" (transistor hearing aid history: Sonotone/Maico 1952, 97% transistor by 1954)](https://www.embs.org/pulse/articles/hearing-aid-history-from-ear-trumpets-to-digital-technology/), IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society
12. [PMC4111501 — "A Historical Perspective on Digital Hearing Aids: How Digital Technology Has Changed Modern Hearing Aids" (transistor era through digital transition)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4111501/), NCBI / PMC
13. [Envoy Medical — "The History of the Cochlear Implant" (FDA 1984 approval of House Cochlear Implant as first device to replace a human sense)](https://www.envoymedical.com/blog/professionals/the-history-of-the-cochlear-implant), Envoy Medical
14. [ASHA — "Cochlear Implants" Practice Portal (audiologist's role in candidacy, mapping, and ongoing programming)](https://www.asha.org/Practice-Portal/Professional-Issues/Cochlear-Implants/), American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
15. [Audiologist.org — Au.D. History (Baylor University first Au.D. degrees 1996; Au.D. replaces M.S. as entry-level by 2007)](https://www.audiologist.org/about/leadership/aud-history), Academy of Doctors of Audiology
16. [Natus Sensory (formerly 3Shape) — Otoscan 3D Digital Ear Scanning: laser probe, under 3 min per ear, 33-50% remake rate reduction vs. traditional wet impressions](https://natussensory.com/products/otoscan/), Natus Sensory
17. [AnywhereAudiology.com — Remote programming and teleaudiology: audiologists push updated settings via smartphone app; 60% of hearing care projected to involve teleaudiology by 2025](https://anywhereaudiology.com/blog/remote-programming-makes-hearing-aids-better/), Anywhere Audiology
18. [Phonak.com (professionals) — DEEPSONIC AI chip: 53x processing, 22M sound samples, 10.2 dB SNR improvement, EasyGuard reduces service appointments up to 38%](https://www.phonak.com/en-us/professionals/new-at-phonak), Phonak
19. [PMC11000794 (2024) — "Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids Challenge the Core Values of Traditional Audiology": FDA OTC category active October 2022; RCT non-inferiority for mild-to-moderate loss](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11000794/), NCBI / PMC
20. [Hearing Review — "OTC Hearing Aid Rule: The Impact Now and Into the Future" (OTC sales ~1% of total in Q1 2023)](https://hearingreview.com/inside-hearing/otc-hearing-aid-rule-the-impact-now-and-into-the-future), Hearing Review

### Forecasts and exposure studies

21. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 29-1181 Audiologists (2025: 14.2 thousand; 2035: 15.7 thousand; +11.0%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=29-1181&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
22. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 29-1181.00, human-rated β 0.455)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

23. [HAHC / Geneva Hearing — "A Short Biography of Raymond Carhart, the Father of Audiology" (Deshon General Hospital program, 1944)](https://www.hahc.net/hearing-loss-articles/short-biography-raymond-carhart-father-audiology/), HAHC Hearing
24. [AAA — "Looking Back to 1946: Precepting and Historical Focus on Audiology Programs" (Carhart Northwestern course + Davis coining of "audiology")](https://www.audiology.org/looking-back-to-1946-precepting-and-historical-focus-on-audiology-programs/), American Academy of Audiology
25. [Envoy Medical — "The History of the Cochlear Implant" (William House and John Doyle first CI, 1961, Los Angeles)](https://www.envoymedical.com/blog/professionals/the-history-of-the-cochlear-implant), Envoy Medical
26. [Hearing Health and Technology Matters — "Globalization of the Au.D. Degree" (AAA founding 1988, James Jerger, 32 founding audiologists)](https://hearinghealthmatters.org/hearing-international/2013/globalization-of-the-doctor-of-audiology-degree/), Hearing Health and Technology Matters
27. [Audiologist.org — Au.D. History: Baylor University first Au.D. degrees awarded 1996; James Jerger; path from ASHA 1986 Task Force recommendation to clinical reality](https://www.audiologist.org/about/leadership/aud-history), Academy of Doctors of Audiology
28. [Doctor of Audiology — Wikipedia: "As of 2007, in the United States the AuD has replaced Masters-level audiology programs as the entry-level degree for clinical providers"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_of_Audiology), Wikipedia
29. [NIDCD / NIH — "Over-the-Counter (OTC) Hearing Aids": FDA established OTC hearing aid category effective October 17, 2022 for adults 18+ with mild to moderate hearing loss](https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/over-counter-hearing-aids), National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders / NIH

### Predecessors & successors

30. [ENT and Audiology News — "Pathways for becoming an audiologist in the USA Part 1: the early years" (audiology emerged from speech pathology; early practitioners held speech pathology credentials)](https://www.entandaudiologynews.com/development/trainee-matters/post/pathways-for-becoming-an-audiologist-in-the-usa-part-1-the-early-years), ENT and Audiology News
31. [AAA — "Looking Back to 1946: Precepting and Historical Focus on Audiology Programs" (WWII military aural rehab as professional origin)](https://www.audiology.org/looking-back-to-1946-precepting-and-historical-focus-on-audiology-programs/), American Academy of Audiology
32. [BLS OOH — Hearing Aid Specialists (29-2092): predecessor dispensing occupation; some practitioners upgraded credentials to Au.D. following 2007 degree standardization](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/audiologists.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
33. [BLS OOH — Speech-Language Pathologists: +17% growth 2024-2034; shares EHDI pipeline and pediatric scope with audiology; transition requires M.S. in Communication Sciences and CCC-SLP](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/speech-language-pathologists.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
34. [BLS OOH — Medical and Health Services Managers: +29% growth 2024-2034; experienced audiologists with practice ownership or multi-site management experience transition naturally into this role](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/medical-and-health-services-managers.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
35. [O\*NET 15-1211.01 — Health Informatics Specialists: audiologists with NOAH database expertise and AI hearing aid platform familiarity are positioned for clinical informatics roles as hearing care data integrates with EHR systems](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/15-1211.01), O\*NET / BLS

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 — Audiologists (29-1181.00): tasks, technology skills, education requirements, wages, employment data](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/29-1181.00), accessed 2026-05-24
- [BLS OOH — Audiologists 2024-2034: 15,800 employed; +9% growth (much faster than average); ~700 annual openings; median $92,120/yr](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/audiologists.htm), accessed 2026-05-24
- [AAA 2026 Industry Leaders Panel (Hearing Review) — AI enables shift from reactive to predictive care; workforce shortage (not AI) is audiology's primary risk; hearing aids evolving into "everything devices"](https://hearingreview.com/inside-hearing/industry-news/aaa-2026-panel-industry-leaders-forecast-the-future-of-hearing-care), accessed 2026-05-24
- [PMC11000794 (2024) — Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids Challenge the Core Values of Traditional Audiology: OTC regulations deprioritize subjective benefit (1st → 14th) and professional duties (2nd → 8th)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11000794/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science): occupational LLM exposure framework](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-24
- [PMC10102918 (2023) RCT — OTC self-fitting hearing aid (Lexie B2/Bose) found statistically non-inferior to audiologist-fitted device for mild-to-moderate hearing loss on speech recognition and self-reported outcomes](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10102918/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Lexie Hearing in-app hearing test + self-fitting — B2 Plus OTC at $999/pair; in-app fitting test customizes for individual hearing loss; distributed in 12,000 US stores (2023)](https://hearingreview.com/hearing-products/hearing-aids/otc/lexie-hearings-new-otc-hearing-aid-includes-in-app-hearing-test), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Auditdata Manage — AI-automated note-taking; NOAH Bridge cloud integration syncs fitting data across devices; vision of fully automated documentation + predictive clinical insights (Hearing Review 2025)](https://www.auditdata.com/insights/blog/the-future-of-audiology-2024-and-beyond/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Hearing Review — How Auditdata brings order to large-scale hearing care organizations with AI-supported audiology software: workflow standardization + AI documentation across multi-site clinics](https://hearingreview.com/practice-building/practice-management/how-auditdata-brings-order-to-large-scale-hearing-care-organizations-with-ai-supported-audiology-software), accessed 2026-05-24
- [HearingAidSystems.com — Signia AX vs. ReSound Nexia: ReSound Assist allows remote fine-tuning by audiologists; reduces need for repeated in-office visits](https://hearingaidsystems.com/blog/signia-ix-vs-resound-nexia), accessed 2026-05-24
- [AnywhereAudiology.com — Remote programming: audiologists create new settings based on patient feedback and send to smartphone app; 60% of hearing care projected to involve teleaudiology by 2025](https://anywhereaudiology.com/blog/remote-programming-makes-hearing-aids-better/), accessed 2026-05-24

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.