The base salary for orthopedic surgeons dropped 13 percent in the past year, according to the Merritt Hawkins 2021 Review of Physician and Advanced Practitioner Recruiting Incentives, released Aug. 9.
The average salary for orthopedic surgeons dropped from $626,000 in 2019-20 to $546,000 in 2020-21. This year, orthopedic surgeons on the low end of the salary spectrum received $300,000, compared with $425,000 in 2019-20.
On the high end, orthopedic surgeons did better in 2020-21 than the previous year. The high end of the pay spectrum extended to $1 million annual base salary in the most recent year, compared with $850,000 in 2019-20.
Orthopedic surgeons were the 13th most recruited specialist, including physicians and advanced practitioners.