Hearing Aid Specialists

Median salary

$65,160

Average salary

$66,370

Employment

11,270

Projected growth

18.4% growth

Annual openings

1,000

Typical entry education

High school diploma or equivalent

What Hearing Aid Specialists Do

Select and fit hearing aids for customers. Administer and interpret tests of hearing. Assess hearing instrument efficacy. Take ear impressions and prepare, design, and modify ear molds.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: Moderate-term on-the-job training
Self-employed: 0.5%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 3 of 5

Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed

Experience: Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations.
Education: Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Job training: Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 4.8/5
Sales and Marketingimportance 4.2/5
Therapy and Counselingimportance 4.2/5
Medicine and Dentistryimportance 4.1/5
Computers and Electronicsimportance 4.0/5
Administrativeimportance 4.0/5
English Languageimportance 3.8/5
Administration and Managementimportance 3.7/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

Deal With External Customers or the Public in General4.9/5
E-Mail4.9/5
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled4.7/5
Frequency of Decision Making4.7/5
Contact With Others4.7/5
Telephone Conversations4.7/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

Dental Assistants89% skill match
Parts Salespersons89% skill match
Phlebotomists88% skill match
Animal Caretakers88% skill match
Veterinary Technologists and Technicians88% skill match
Dental Hygienists87% skill match
First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers87% skill match
Childcare Workers87% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

Service Orientationimportance 3.6/5
Instructingimportance 3.5/5
Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.3/5
Persuasionimportance 3.1/5
Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.1/5
Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.1/5
Coordinationimportance 3.0/5
Time Managementimportance 3.0/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Hot Technologies

Other Software Used

HIMSA Noah
Otometrics OTOsuite

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

Attention to Detail
Cooperation
Dependability
Empathy
Social Orientation
Sincerity
Integrity

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

SocialMedium
ConventionalMedium
InvestigativeMedium
RealisticMedium
ArtisticLow
EnterprisingLow

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.