Here are five statistics to know about physician and lawyer compensation:
1. Primary care physicians earned an average of $260,000 in 2022, with specialists earning an average of $368,000, according to the Medscape report.
2. Here are the 10 highest-earning average annual physician specialties by compensation, according to Medscape's "Physician Compensation Report 2022":
- Plastic surgery: $576,000
- Orthopedics and orthopedic surgery: $557,000
- Cardiology: $490,000
- Otolaryngology: $469,000
- Urology: $461,000
- Gastroenterology: $453,000
- Dermatology: $438,000
- Radiology: $437,000
- Ophthalmology: $417,000
- Oncology: $411,000
3. According to U.S. News & World Report, lawyers made a median salary of $127,990 in 2021. The best-paid 25 percent of lawyers made $194,580, and the lowest-paid 25 percent made $81,620.
4. Nationally, lawyers on average make $148,030 a year, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The five legal industries that pay lawyers the most, according to the agency's data, are information services; scientific research and development services; computer and peripheral equipment manufacturing; aerospace product and parts manufacturing; and engine, turbine and power transmission equipment manufacturing
5. Physician pay decreased for four specialties from 2021 to 2022 — interventional cardiology, hematology, radiology and pediatrics — and increased for eight specialties — OB-GYN, anesthesiology, noninvasive cardiology, neurology, gastroenterology, orthopedic surgery, urology and internal medicine.