Here are more than 100 statistics on physician pay, pulled from Doximity's 2023 "Physician Compensation Report" and Medscape's "Physician Compensation Report" for 2023.
Average physician compensation declined by 2.4 percent in 2022, compared to a 3.8 percent increase in 2021.
The 10 metropolitan areas with the highest average physician compensation:
- Charlotte, N.C.: $430,890
- St. Louis: $426,370
- Oklahoma City: $425,096
- San Jose, Calif.: $418,600
- Minneapolis: $411,677
- Sacramento, Calif.: $411,257
- Phoenix: $409,185
- Indianapolis: $408,199
- Salt Lake City: $408,044
- Atlanta: $407,863
The 10 metropolitan areas with the lowest average physician compensation:
- Washington, D.C.: $342,139
- Baltimore: $346,260
- Boston: $347,553
- San Antonio: $347,692
- Raleigh, N.C.: $351,732
- Providence, R.I.: $354,342
- Virginia Beach, Va.: $354,587
- Denver: $357,010
- Philadelphia: $358,443
- Birmingham, Ala.: $361,483
The specialties with the largest gender pay gap in 2023:
1. Oral and maxillofacial surgery
Average salary for men: $568,789
Average salary for women: $395,687
2. Urology
Average salary for men: $515,850
Average salary for women: $424,733
3. Ophthalmology
Average salary for men: $468,515
Average salary for women: $387,295
4. Allergy and immunology
Average salary for men: $329,634
Average salary for women: $268,938
5. Pediatric pulmonology
Average salary for men: $282,272
Average salary for women: $227,958
The average salary of physicians across 29 specialties, ranked from highest to lowest:
1. Plastic surgery: $619,000
2. Orthopedics: $573,000
3. Cardiology: $507,000
4. Urology: $506,000
5. Gastroenterology: $501,000
6. Otolaryngology: $485,000
7. Radiology: $483,000
8. Oncology: $463,000
9. Anesthesiology: $448,000
10. Dermatology: $443,000
11. Surgery (general): $412,000
12. Critical care: $406,000
13. Ophthalmology: $388,000
14. Pulmonary medicine: $378,000
15. Emergency medicine: $352,000
16. Pathology: $339,000
17. Obstetrics and gynecology: $337,000
18. Neurology: $313,000
19. Neprology: $312,000
20. Psychiatry: $309,000
21. Physical medicine and rehabilitation: $306,000
22. Allergy and immunology: $282,000
23. Rheumatology: $281,000
24. Internal medicine: $273,000
25. Diabetes and endocrinology: $267,000
26. Infectious diseases: $262,000
27. Family medicine: $255,000
28. Pediatrics: $251,000
29. Public health and preventive medicine: $249,000
The six specialties that saw a pay drop in 2023:
- Ophthalmology: 7 percent
- Emergency medicine: 6 percent
- Physical medicine and rehabilitation: 5 percent
- Nephrology: 5 percent
- Allergy and immunology: 5 percent
- Rheumatology: 3 percent
The 21 specialties that saw a pay jump in 2023:
- Oncology: 13 percent
- Gastroenterology: 11 percent
- Anesthesiology: 10 percent
- Radiology: 10 percent
- Critical care: 10 percent
- Urology: 10 percent
- Psychiatry: 8 percent
- Plastic surgery: 7 percent
- Pulmonary medicine: 7 percent
- Neurology: 4 percent
- Diabetes and endocrinology: 4 percent
- Internal medicine: 4 percent
- ENT: 4 percent
- Cardiology: 4 percent
- Orthopedics: 3 percent
- Pediatrics: 3 percent
- Public health and preventive medicine: 3 percent
- General surgery: 2 percent
- Pathology: 2 percent
- Dermatology: 1 percent
- Infectious diseases: 1 percent
Specialties that earn the highest incentive bonuses:
- Orthopedic surgeons: $134,000
- Cardiologists: $88,000
- Radiologists: $80,000
- General surgeons: $75,000
- Anesthesiologists: $68,000
- OB-GYNs: $57,000
- Emergency medicine physicians: $37,000
- Psychiatrists: $37,000
- Family medicine physicians: $34,000
- Internal medicine physicians: $33,000
- Pediatrics: $31,000
What employed and self-employed physicians make annually on average:
- Self-employed: $374,000
- Employed: $344,000
Physician compensation by race and ethnicity from lowest to highest:
- African American/Black: $311,000
- Latino/Hispanic: $338,000
- Asian American: $351,000
- Caucasian/White: $358,000