Somewhere in Spokane, a hospital is willing to pay a breast surgeon up to $550,000 a year. Somewhere in New Jersey, another is offering $200,000 for what is, ostensibly, the same job. That is a $350,000 gap for the same specialty, the same credentials, and presumably the same operating room lighting. The current Breast Surgery market shows 25 active listings across 16 states, with disclosed compensation on only 6 of them. The thesis is straightforward: this is a small, geographically scattered market where the few employers willing to put a number on paper are mostly putting up a generous one — with one glaring exception.
👉 Explore Breast Surgery job market insights and trends

The Breast Surgery Job Market at a Glance

Total listings: 25
Listings with salary data: 6
Full salary range: $200,000 to $550,000
National average range: $374,448 to $398,615

The spread is enormous relative to the sample. Six data points are doing the work of an entire national benchmark, and one of them ($200,000 in New Jersey) is single-handedly dragging the floor down by nearly $175,000. Strip that outlier out and the market clusters tightly in the high-$300s to mid-$400s, with a Washington ceiling that pushes past half a million.

The geography is wide but thin. States represented: New York, Washington, Maine, Louisiana, Indiana, Tennessee, West Virginia, Connecticut, Kentucky, Arizona, New Jersey, Florida, New Hampshire, Virginia, South Carolina, and Pennsylvania. Sixteen states, twenty-five jobs, and a transparency rate that leaves most of the country guessing.
👉 Browse Breast Surgery physician job opportunities

How States Stack Up

Overperformers:

• Washington — A single Spokane listing ranges from $475,000 to $550,000, and that one data point is enough to crown the state.
• Connecticut — One listing at $441,688, which sounds suspiciously like someone ran a comp survey and accepted the result without rounding.
• New York — Three salary-reporting listings averaging $376,667 to $400,000, the only state offering both volume and disclosure.

Near-average:

• New York again qualifies here, sitting almost exactly on the national low benchmark.
• Connecticut clears the average comfortably but remains the only Northeastern bright spot.

Underperformers:

• New Jersey — $200,000 flat, in a state where that figure barely covers a mortgage and a property tax bill (the cost-of-living math is unkind).

Volume leaders: New York, Washington, Indiana, and Florida tie at 3 listings each. New York and Washington pay well. Indiana and Florida disclose nothing, so candidates are flying blind in two of the four busiest markets.
👉 Compare Breast Surgery compensation and opportunities by region

What This Means If You’re a Physician

If your priority is maximum compensation: Spokane, Washington. The top listing pays $475,000 to $550,000 annually, and Spokane is not exactly Manhattan on cost of living. The math here is favorable in both directions.

If your priority is maximum optionality: Pick from New York, Washington, Indiana, or Florida — each with 3 listings. New York is the only one of the four offering both volume and salary transparency, which counts for something.

If your priority is balance: New York. Three listings, three disclosed salaries, an average range of $376,667 to $400,000, and a market deep enough to negotiate against. Steady, predictable, defensible.

The compensation gap to scrutinize: New Jersey’s $200,000 listing in one of the most expensive states in the country. Ask what’s actually in the contract before assuming it’s a typo.
👉 Search Breast Surgery jobs by location and compensation

What This Means If You’re a Recruiter

Salary transparency rate: 6 of 25 listings, or 24%. Three out of every four Breast Surgery postings list no compensation at all.

That number has consequences. Candidates in a small, specialized field compare notes quickly, and an opaque listing competing against Spokane’s $550,000 ceiling is a listing that does not get opened twice. Indiana and Florida are tied for volume leadership and have disclosed nothing — meaning the two states with the most hiring activity are also the hardest for candidates to evaluate.

Recruiters in non-disclosing markets will need to lead with something other than a dollar figure: case mix, surgical autonomy, partnership track, geographic lifestyle, or a tumor board that does not meet at 6 a.m. The compensation conversation will happen eventually. Make sure the candidate is still on the call when it does.
👉 Post Breast Surgery positions on PhysEmp

What’s Driving the Numbers

Scope and geography command the premium, not seniority. The top of the market is a single Spokane listing, not an academic chair in a coastal metro. Breast Surgery pays best where supply is thinnest, and the Pacific Northwest is currently writing the largest checks.

The $200,000 New Jersey outlier may not be a full-time role. The data does not specify, but a number that far below the cluster usually signals part-time hours, a hospital-employed model with heavy benefits, or a niche scope. Treat it as a floor distortion rather than a market signal.

Underserved markets are pricing in scarcity. Spokane and a single Connecticut listing both clear $440,000 — these are not the markets one associates with peak physician compensation, which is precisely why the compensation is peaking there.

The volume-pay relationship holds where it can be measured. New York and Washington lead on both listings and salary. Indiana and Florida tie on volume but disclose nothing, leaving the relationship untested in half the high-volume markets.

The Bottom Line

Breast Surgery is a small, regionally uneven market where the disclosed numbers are mostly strong, the undisclosed numbers are anyone’s guess, and the floor is being held down by a single New Jersey listing that deserves a closer reading of the fine print. Washington pays the most, New York offers the most balance, and the Midwest and Southeast are running on faith and phone calls.

In Breast Surgery, the best offers are in the places you would not have guessed, and the worst offer is in the place you would have.

👉 Browse all Breast Surgery physician jobs
👉 Upload your CV to get matched with opportunities
👉 Set alerts for new Breast Surgery roles

Salary data based on 6 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.