Average Doctor Salaries by Specialty

The average salary of a doctor can be an important consideration when you are deciding what field you want to specialize in or whether you want to pursue a medical degree. There are many factors to weigh when considering specialities, and knowing about how much money you might make can help with financial planning, giving you a good estimate of when you can expect to pay off your medical school loans.

According to the Medscape Physician Compensation Report, in 2021, Primary Care Physicians in the United States earned on average $260,000, while Specialists earned $368,000.

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Here are the top medical specialties, ranked by average income:

1. Plastic Surgery: $576,000
2. Orthopedics: $557,000
3. Cardiology: $490,000
4. Otolaryngology: $469,000
5. Urology: $461,000
6. Gastroenterology: $453,000
7. Dermatology: $438,000
8. Radiology: $437,000
9. Ophthalmology: $417,000
10. Oncology: $411,000
11. Anesthesiology: $405,000
12. Surgery, General: $402,000
13. Emergency Medicine: $373,000
14. Critical Care: $369,000
15. Pulmonary Medicine: $353,000
16. Ob/Gyn: $336,000
17. Pathology: $334,000
18. Nephrology: $329,000
19. Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation: $322,000
20. Neurology: $301,000
21. Allergy and Immunology: $298,000
22. Rheumatology: $289,000
23. Psychiatry: $287,000
24. Internal Medicine: $264,000
25. Infectious Diseases: $260,000
26. Diabetes and Endocrinology: $257,000
27. Family Medicine: $255,000
28. Pediatrics: $244,000
29. Public Health and Preventative Medicine: $243,000

Source: MedScape Physician Compensation Report, 2022

According to MedScape, Cardiology and Orthopedics have been among the top five-earning specialities in their annual report every year for the past five years. Pediatrics, Family Medicine, and Diabetes & Endocrinology have been among the bottom five.

Here are the states ranked by income for physicians:

1. Kentucky: $364,000
2. Tennessee: $364,000
3. Alabama: $358,000
4. Missouri: $357,000
5. Oregon: $352,000
6. Indiana: $350,000
7. North Carolina: $348,000
8. Connecticut: $346,000
9. Texas: $346,000
10. Florida: $346,000

Source: MedScape Physician Compensation Report, 2022

The numbers above represent state-wide averages. Average salaries for doctors in metropolitan areas tend to be higher. Here are the top 25 metro areas in which physicians are paid the highest average annual salary:

1. Milwaukee: $395,363 
2. New Orleans: $384,651 
3. Riverside, Calif.: $371,296 
4. Minneapolis: $369,889 
5. Charlotte, N.C.: $368,205 
6. Dallas: $362,472 
7. Atlanta: $362,267 
8. Los Angeles: $356,390 
9. Cincinnati: $354,129 
10. Hartford, Conn.: $352,129 
11. Salt Lake City: $351,300 
12. Bridgeport, Conn.: $348,089 
13. Orlando, Fla.: $347,711
14. San Diego: $347,154
15. Phoenix: $347,065 
16. Seattle: $346,721 
17. Louisville, Ky.: $346,206 
18. Sacramento, Calif.: $345,168 
19. Indianapolis: $339,411 
20. Jacksonville, Fla.: $338,790 
21. San Francisco: $338,407 
22. Nashville, Tenn.: $337,914 
23. Kansas City, Mo.: $336,568 
24. Miami: $336,336 
25. New York City: $333,604

Source: Doximity 2019 Physician Compensation Report

Paralleling a national trend across all fields, there exists a national gender pay gap in medicine. The Doximity 2019 Physician Compensation Report reported on the incomes of doctors in U.S. metro areas, finding that male physicians earned an average of $1.25 for every $1 female physicians earned in 2018.

Medscape reported a similar trend nationwide, finding that male Specialists earned 33% more than female Specialists, and that Male PCPs earned 25% more. The gap appears to be narrowing each year, however. According to Doximity, compensation for male physicians has stagnated, but increased for women by two percent over last year.

Although you likely won’t choose a specialty until you are well into medical school, you can take advantage of shadowing opportunities to not only gain clinical experience for your application to medical school, but also to learn more about the specialties you are interested in and get a feeling for the day-to-day life of various physicians. 

It’s important to note, too, that the specialties listed above do not constitute an exhaustive list. The AAMC provides a full list on their website. The number of specialties and potential careers can be overwhelming at first. But know that as you continue on your journey to med school and residency, you’ll learn more about all of the various opportunities for a career in medicine, and will likely zero-in on the type of doctor you want to be.

Assessing how you will pay for medical school can feel daunting, but it does not have to be if you plan properly.