Ohio is offering Surgery physicians up to $545,000 annually. This is not a typo, nor is it a fellowship-trained subspecialist position with equity. It is simply what the market will bear when you are willing to cut people open in the Midwest. The Surgery job market currently features 153 listings spanning 37 states, with 13 positions disclosing compensation. The data reveals a market where geography matters more than volume, transparency remains scarce, and the top end of the pay band stretches well into the half-million-dollar range.
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The Surgery Job Market at a Glance
Total listings: 153
Listings with salary data: 13
Full salary range: $250,000 to $545,000
National average range: $332,923 to $399,615
The $295,000 gap between floor and ceiling tells the story of a specialty where compensation is shaped less by credential and more by location, institutional desperation, and willingness to practice in markets others avoid. The national average captures the middle, but the extremes are where the market gets interesting. A surgeon in South Dakota might start at $250,000, while a peer in Ohio commands $545,000 for functionally identical work (assuming both patients require incisions). States represented: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.
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How States Stack Up
Overperformers:
Ohio leads the nation with an average range of $373,000 to $545,000, a figure so high it suggests either extraordinary need or extraordinary negotiating leverage. Illinois follows at $360,000 to $408,333 across three listings, pairing strong compensation with meaningful job volume (six total listings). New Jersey averages $362,500 to $387,500 across two listings, offering consistency and competitive pay in a high-cost region.
Near-average performers:
California averages $350,000 to $400,000, which is respectable but unremarkable given the state’s cost of living and tax structure. New York comes in at $325,000 to $400,000 across two listings, a range that feels adequate until you remember what a mortgage costs in the Hudson Valley.
Underperformers:
South Dakota bottoms out at $250,000 to $400,000, with a floor that sits $82,923 below the national average low. Vermont, Minnesota, and Connecticut each report identical ranges of $300,000 to $350,000, a figure that might have been competitive in 2015 (it was not competitive in 2015).
Volume leaders:
New Mexico dominates job volume with 23 listings, followed by Wisconsin (13), North Carolina (11), Oregon (8), Tennessee (8), Arizona (7), and Iowa (7). None of these states disclosed salary data, which means the highest-volume markets are also the least transparent. Illinois, with six listings and full salary disclosure, is the rare exception where volume and transparency coexist.
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What This Means If You’re a Physician
If your priority is maximum compensation: Ohio is the clear winner, with one listing offering up to $545,000. The single highest-paying position in the dataset is located in Rhinebeck, New York, offering $350,000 to $450,000, but Ohio’s upper bound exceeds even that by $95,000. If you are willing to practice in the Midwest, the market will reward you accordingly.
If your priority is maximum optionality: New Mexico offers 23 listings, Wisconsin 13, and North Carolina 11. None disclosed salary data, which means you will need to negotiate in the dark or wait for the recruiter to blink first. Illinois offers a middle path: six listings, three with disclosed salary, and compensation that averages $360,000 to $408,333.
If your priority is balance: California and New York offer proximity to major metros, reasonable job availability, and compensation that hovers near the national average. The trade-off is cost of living. A $400,000 salary in California does not spend the same way it does in Ohio (or South Dakota, though at $250,000, South Dakota is not spending much at all).
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What This Means If You’re a Recruiter
Salary transparency rate: 8.5% (13 listings with disclosed compensation divided by 153 total listings). This is not transparency. This is opacity with a handful of exceptions. For candidates evaluating offers, the lack of data means they will rely on word-of-mouth, prior compensation, and leverage rather than market benchmarks. Recruiters in high-volume, low-transparency states like New Mexico, Wisconsin, and North Carolina will need to lead with lifestyle, partnership track, or case mix rather than compensation, because the latter remains a black box. Illinois is the counterexample: six listings, three with salary data, and compensation that exceeds the national average. Transparency does not appear to suppress pay. The volume-pay relationship is inconsistent. New Mexico has the most listings but no salary data. Ohio has one listing and the highest disclosed salary in the country. Volume does not predict compensation, and compensation does not predict volume.
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What’s Driving the Numbers
Scarcity commands a premium, but only when disclosed. Ohio’s $545,000 ceiling and South Dakota’s $250,000 floor are both responses to supply-demand imbalances, but only Ohio chose to advertise it. Underserved markets price in scarcity when they have to. When they do not, they rely on mission, geography, or hope.
High-volume states are not high-transparency states. New Mexico, Wisconsin, and North Carolina combine for 47 listings and zero disclosed salaries. This suggests either a regional compensation norm that does not require advertising, or a deliberate strategy to negotiate case-by-case. Either way, candidates in these markets will need to ask directly.
Geography drives more variation than scope or subspecialty. The $295,000 spread between the national floor and ceiling is not explained by fellowship training, leadership roles, or case complexity. It is explained by Ohio versus South Dakota, Rhinebeck versus Danville, and the willingness of institutions to pay for proximity or scarcity.
Part-time and locum roles do not appear to distort the floor. The lowest disclosed salary is $250,000 in South Dakota, but the dataset indicates most positions are full-time or locum tenens with annualized figures. The floor is low because the market allows it, not because the role is fractional.
The Bottom Line
The Surgery job market is geographically fragmented, selectively transparent, and capable of producing half-million-dollar offers in states where the cost of living is a rounding error. Physicians with leverage and flexibility will find exceptional compensation in Ohio, Illinois, and New Jersey. Those prioritizing volume and variety will navigate New Mexico, Wisconsin, and North Carolina without the benefit of posted salary ranges. The market rewards those who know what they are worth and are willing to go where the money is.
There is a quarter-million-dollar difference between the top and bottom of this market, and the only thing separating them is a willingness to practice in Ohio.
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Salary data based on 13 listings with disclosed compensation. Figures may reflect part-time or specialized roles. This report is informational and should not replace professional judgment or financial planning.
