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Doctor salary by specialty (and family doctor pay by state)
Employee pay for physicians and surgeons from the BLS wage survey. BLS publishes specialty detail nationally and family medicine pay for most states.
Data vintage: BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates, compared with May 2024. Last checked 2026-10-27 by The CompareTheData team.
Data: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. Jump to sources · Methodology
Key takeaways
- All physicians and surgeons: mean $277,260, median $271,090, 754,760 employed.
- Highest-paid specialties: Pediatric Surgeons ($502,050), Cardiologists ($454,940) and Radiologists ($381,530).
- Lowest-paid of the listed specialties: Pediatricians, General ($212,110) and Family Medicine Physicians ($255,820).
- Family medicine physicians average $255,820; by state, the highest means are in Rhode Island ($365,960), Montana ($337,850) and Oklahoma ($329,940).
Doctor salary by specialty chart
Physician salary by specialty
Click a column heading to sort. Download this table (CSV).
| Rank | Specialty | Mean wage | Median wage | 10th percentile | Employment | Mean vs 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pediatric Surgeons | $502,050 | $559,030 | $215,410 | 1,190 | +11.4% |
| 2 | Cardiologists | $454,940 | $496,010 | $107,190 | 17,290 | +5.2% |
| 3 | Radiologists | $381,530 | $420,860 | $89,010 | 26,770 | +6.0% |
| 4 | Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric | $373,570 | $358,550 | $84,170 | 14,100 | +2.3% |
| 5 | Anesthesiologists | $360,570 | $391,490 | $101,460 | 38,760 | +7.1% |
| 6 | Dermatologists | $323,530 | $328,730 | $102,810 | 11,370 | −7.0% |
| 7 | Emergency Medicine Physicians | $317,480 | $335,550 | $103,610 | 32,880 | −1.0% |
| 8 | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric | $304,650 | $300,080 | $100,180 | 8,950 | +1.0% |
| 9 | Physicians, Pathologists | $285,420 | $312,400 | $92,540 | 11,110 | +7.3% |
| 10 | Obstetricians and Gynecologists | $279,040 | $292,910 | $94,680 | 21,260 | −0.7% |
| 11 | Psychiatrists | $269,940 | $281,870 | $84,060 | 27,980 | +0.3% |
| 12 | Neurologists | $267,630 | $248,560 | $83,370 | 10,590 | −6.5% |
| 13 | General Internal Medicine Physicians | $267,200 | $256,560 | $73,570 | 67,150 | +1.7% |
| 14 | Physicians, All Other | $262,040 | $265,930 | $69,170 | 342,720 | +3.4% |
| 15 | Family Medicine Physicians | $255,820 | $244,180 | $76,830 | 107,510 | −0.4% |
| 16 | Pediatricians, General | $212,110 | $210,040 | $91,470 | 39,390 | −4.6% |
Family medicine physician salary by state
Mean annual wage of family medicine physicians by state, May 2025. Pay does not track living costs closely: several largely rural states rank near the top, though state estimates for physicians rest on small samples.
| Rank | State | Mean wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rhode Island | $365,960 | 210 |
| 2 | Montana | $337,850 | 460 |
| 3 | Oklahoma | $329,940 | 2,170 |
| 4 | District of Columbia | $321,950 | 150 |
| 5 | Arizona | $310,630 | 2,620 |
| 6 | Idaho | $307,400 | 690 |
| 7 | Alaska | $307,210 | 760 |
| 8 | Pennsylvania | $298,410 | 4,190 |
| 9 | Utah | $297,110 | 550 |
| 10 | Wisconsin | $292,050 | 1,470 |
| 11 | New Jersey | $291,470 | 3,050 |
| 12 | Indiana | $285,950 | 1,410 |
| 13 | Tennessee | $284,650 | 2,260 |
| 14 | Georgia | $280,870 | 3,690 |
| 15 | Iowa | $279,120 | 1,140 |
| 16 | Maryland | $279,010 | 1,050 |
| 17 | Wyoming | $278,070 | 100 |
| 18 | Oregon | $275,320 | 1,490 |
| 19 | Washington | $274,210 | 1,270 |
| 20 | North Dakota | $272,470 | 260 |
| 21 | Minnesota | $272,380 | 1,820 |
| 22 | Massachusetts | $271,340 | 3,540 |
| 23 | Louisiana | $267,230 | 1,090 |
| 24 | Mississippi | $265,510 | 570 |
| 25 | Texas | $262,580 | 6,190 |
| 26 | West Virginia | $260,430 | 320 |
| 27 | Nebraska | $259,630 | 830 |
| 28 | South Dakota | $258,390 | 550 |
| 29 | Kentucky | $254,740 | 1,170 |
| 30 | California | $252,930 | — |
| 31 | Virginia | $252,590 | 2,930 |
| 32 | New Hampshire | $250,990 | 350 |
| 33 | Vermont | $249,620 | 240 |
| 34 | Colorado | $249,500 | 2,700 |
| 35 | South Carolina | $244,960 | 1,200 |
| 36 | Nevada | $242,460 | 340 |
| 37 | Maine | $239,970 | 730 |
| 38 | New Mexico | $238,170 | 650 |
| 39 | Kansas | $236,160 | 210 |
| 40 | Arkansas | $232,230 | 290 |
| 41 | Illinois | $229,370 | 1,960 |
| 42 | Ohio | $226,800 | 1,490 |
| 43 | Delaware | $226,230 | 640 |
| 44 | Hawaii | $222,540 | 260 |
| 45 | Florida | $222,290 | — |
| 46 | North Carolina | $220,360 | 1,520 |
| 47 | Michigan | $219,610 | 3,770 |
| 48 | Missouri | $214,250 | 3,740 |
| 49 | New York | $211,570 | 4,000 |
| 50 | Connecticut | $200,820 | 790 |
| 51 | Alabama | $169,720 | — |
How other clinicians compare
| Occupation | Mean wage | Median wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician Assistants | $141,280 | $135,880 | 162,150 |
| Nurse Practitioners | $137,300 | $132,300 | 323,040 |
| Nurse Anesthetists | $248,320 | $236,590 | 51,840 |
| Dentists, General | $191,350 | $170,950 | 124,390 |
| Pharmacists | $140,920 | $140,910 | 321,970 |
| Registered Nurses | $101,420 | $97,550 | 3,379,720 |
How to read these numbers
- OEWS counts employees only. Physicians who own their practice are excluded, and many specialists are self-employed, so true specialty earnings may be higher.
- Specialty estimates rest on small samples and can change sharply between releases; the 2024 comparison is indicative only.
- Residents and fellows are generally classified with the specialty they are training in, which can pull means down.
Common questions
How much do doctors make?
Physicians and surgeons earned a mean $277,260 a year in May 2025 (median $271,090).
What are the highest-paid doctors?
By BLS mean wage, pediatric surgeons ($502,050), cardiologists and radiologists.
How much do family doctors make?
$255,820 mean, $244,180 median.
Which state pays family doctors the most?
Rhode Island ($365,960 mean).
Sources
Figures computed by CompareTheData.com from the official files below; the raw downloads are archived with the build. Where D.C. is included it is ranked alongside the states.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 and May 2024. May 2025 estimates, downloaded Oct 27, 2026.