Here are more than 100 statistics on physician pay, pulled from Physician Thrive's 2023 compensation report and Medscape's "Physician Compensation Report 2023."
The 10 states with the highest median physician salaries
- Kentucky: $364,000
- Tennessee: $364,000
- Alabama: $358,000
- Missouri: $357,000
- Oregon: $352,000
- Indiana: $350,000
- North Carolina: $348,000
- Connecticut: $346,000
- Texas: $332,000
- Florida: $330,000
The 21 specialties that saw pay increases
- Oncology: 13% increase
- Gastroenterology: 11%
- Anesthesiology: 10%
- Radiology: 10%
- Critical care: 10%
- Urology: 10%
- Psychiatry: 8%
- Plastic surgery: 7%
- Pulmonary medicine: 7%
- Neurology: 4%
- Diabetes and endocrinology: 4%
- Internal medicine: 4%
- ENT: 4%
- Cardiology: 4%
- Orthopedics: 3%
- Pediatrics: 3%
- Public health and preventive medicine: 3%
- General surgery: 2%
- Pathology: 2%
- Dermatology: 1%
- Infectious diseases: 1%
Average physician compensation in the U.S. and 10 additional countries
- U.S.: $352,000
- Canada: $273,000
- Germany: $160,000
- United Kingdom: $122,000
- France: $93,000
- Italy: $64,000
- Spain: $60,000
- Brazil: $48,000
- Portugal: $44,000
- Argentina: $21,000
- Mexico: $19,000
Mean salary by region in the U.S.
- Midwest: $710,250
- South: $686,000
- West: $664,000
- East: $610,000
Highest-paying metropolitan areas
- Charlotte, N.C.: $462,760
- St. Louis: $452,219
- Buffalo, N.Y.: $426,440
- Jacksonville, Fla.: $425,706
- Orlando, Fla.: $425,634
- Minneapolis: $425,059
- Milwaukee: $422,735
- Phoenix: $419,359
- Dallas: $415,487
- Los Angeles: $414,925
Lowest-paying metropolitan areas
- Baltimore: $330,917
- Providence, R.I.: $346,092
- San Antonio: $355,439
- Washington, D.C.: $356,633
- Boston: $363,545
- Portland, Ore.: $363,890
- Denver: $364,927
- Philadelphia: $373,765
- Birmingham, Ala.: $375,074
- Detroit: $376,007
The average incentive bonuses for 17 physician specialties
- Orthopedics: $126,000
- Ophthalmology: $100,000
- Cardiology: $85,000
- Gastroenterology: $74,000
- Urology: $73,000
- Anesthesiology: $68,000
- Radiology: $66,000
- Pathology: $54,000
- Emergency medicine: $51,000
- OB-GYN: $49,000
- Physical medicine: $48,000
- General surgery: $46,000
- Psychiatry: $33,000
- Family medicine: $30,000
- Internal medicine: $29,000
- Neurology: $29,000
- Pediatrics: $28,000
Seven specialties where a majority believe they are fairly compensated
- Public health and preventative medicine: 72 percent feel they are fairly compensated
- Oncology: 67 percent
- Plastic surgery: 66 percent
- Psychiatry: 65 percent
- Radiology: 63 percent
- Otolaryngology: 63 percent
- Pulmonary medicine: 61 percent
Six specialties where a majority do not believe they are fairly compensated
- OB-GYN: 49 percent believe they are fairly compensated
- Internal medicine: 49 percent
- Physical medicine: 49 percent
- Pediatrics: 47 percent
- Diabetes and endocrinology: 46 percent
- Nephrology: 42 percent
The specialties with the smallest gender pay gaps
- Pediatric rheumatology: Women earn 7.8 percent less than men
- Pediatric infectious disease: 10.1 percent less
- Pediatric hematology/oncology: 11.3 percent less
- Hematology: 12.1 percent less
- Pediatric cardiology: 12.5 percent less
The specialties with the largest gender pay gaps
- Oral/maxillofacial surgery: Women earn 22.8 percent less than men
- Allergy and immunology: 21.1 percent less
- Otolaryngology: 20.1 percent less
- Pediatric nephrology: 20 percent less
- Thoracic surgery: 19.5 percent less
Where physicians are getting hired most
- Hospitals: 34 percent
- Medical groups: 18 percent
- Academic medical centers: 34 percent
- Federally qualified health centers: 8 percent
- Solo, partnership and concierge practices: 1 percent