PhysEmp Market Intelligence | physemp.com
The Hook
In Rochester, New York, a hospital is willing to pay an anesthesiologist $800,000 per year to keep patients unconscious.
In Manhattan, roughly 350 miles south, another listing offers $300,000 for what is, presumably, the same fundamental task.
Same state. Same specialty. A $500,000 compensation gap.
Welcome to the anesthesia job market, where 353 active listings span more than 40 states and the pricing logic occasionally resembles a yard sale. The data tells a clear story: demand is robust, geography is destiny, and the spread between the best and worst offers is wide enough to drive a surgical suite through.
The National Snapshot
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Total Listings | 353 |
| Listings With Salary Data | 48 |
| Full Salary Range | $300,000 – $800,000 |
| Average Salary Range | $489,771 – $557,907 |
Forty-eight disclosed salaries out of 353 listings is not a generous sample.
It is, however, what the market gave us.
Most positions cluster between $400,000 and $550,000, placing anesthesiology comfortably within the highest-earning physician specialties. The outliers—on both ends of the spectrum—are where things become especially interesting.
States Represented
California, New York, Texas, Illinois, Virginia, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Florida, New Jersey, Nebraska, Iowa, North Carolina, Oregon, Hawaii, Louisiana, New Hampshire, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maryland, Ohio, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Alabama, Missouri, Colorado, Michigan, Arizona, New Mexico, North Dakota, Tennessee, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Washington, West Virginia, Alaska, Delaware, Minnesota, Kansas, South Dakota, and Arkansas.
State-by-State Analysis
Overperformers
Missouri
Leads the country with a single reported listing averaging $750,000–$750,000. A sample size of one—but a loud one.
California
Posts an average range of $675,000–$750,000 across two reported listings. Impressive anywhere, and especially notable in the nation’s highest-cost state.
Louisiana
Averages $600,000–$700,000 on a disclosed listing, suggesting Baton Rouge is willing to pay Bay Area money.
Washington
Matches Louisiana at $600,000–$700,000, also from a single reported listing.
Massachusetts
Averages $527,500–$562,500, firmly in premium territory.
Colorado
Posts an average range of $509,667–$576,667. Mountain views apparently included.
Near the National Average
New Jersey
Average range: $473,333–$545,833
Illinois
Average range: $482,143–$518,571
A tightly compressed salary band and a very Midwestern level of predictability.
Hawaii
Average range: $475,000–$550,000
The compensation looks attractive until you begin pricing groceries in Honolulu.
Ohio
Average range: $475,000–$547,279
A useful benchmark market.
Underperformers
Connecticut
Average range: $441,667–$516,667
The lowest disclosed compensation band in the dataset.
Maryland
Average range: $450,000–$491,667
The only state where the average upper bound fails to clear $500,000.
New York
Average range: $455,667–$543,333 across 15 disclosed listings.
New York simultaneously contains the highest-paying and lowest-paying positions in the dataset. Variance is doing heavy lifting here.
Volume Leaders
| State | Listings |
|---|---|
| California | 35 |
| New York | 33 |
| Texas | 27 |
| Illinois | 17 |
| Virginia | 16 |
| Georgia | 13 |
| Pennsylvania | 13 |
Notably, Texas and Virginia disclosed zero salaries despite ranking among the highest-volume markets. That silence is a data point in itself.
What This Means for Physicians
If Your Priority Is Maximum Compensation
Look at Rochester, New York.
A single full-time anesthesiology position tops the national list at $800,000 annually.
Missouri, California, Louisiana, and Washington round out the highest-paying tier, although most of these figures are based on limited samples.
The $500,000 gap between Rochester’s high-end offer and Manhattan’s $300,000 listing should encourage physicians to examine job details carefully. One of those numbers is almost certainly reflecting circumstances the other is not.
If Your Priority Is Maximum Optionality
California offers a rare combination:
- Highest listing volume (35)
- Elite compensation levels
- Meaningful salary transparency
New York (33 listings) and Texas (27 listings) follow closely in volume, although Texas provides virtually no compensation visibility.
If Your Priority Is Balance
Several markets combine strong compensation with relative stability:
- New Jersey
- Illinois
- Ohio
- Hawaii
All offer competitive earnings without the extreme variability seen elsewhere.
Hawaii, however, deserves a cost-of-living calculator before it earns a place on the shortlist.
What This Means for Recruiters and Healthcare Executives
The Transparency Problem
Only 48 of 353 listings disclosed compensation.
That translates to a salary transparency rate of just 13.6%.
When 86% of postings withhold salary information, candidates begin filtering opportunities before conversations ever happen.
The physicians with the most options often wait for transparent employers. The rest move toward listings that provide actual numbers.
Texas (27 listings, zero disclosures) and Virginia (16 listings, zero disclosures) provide the clearest examples of volume undermined by opacity.
Recruiters operating in these markets cannot lead with compensation if they refuse to publish it.
Instead, they must compete on:
- Call structure
- Case mix
- Partnership track
- Stipends and subsidies
- Lifestyle considerations
- Schedule flexibility
California, meanwhile, is doing both volume and disclosure—and increasingly capturing candidate attention because of it.
Market Forces Shaping Compensation
Scope and Seniority Command Premiums
The data is too sparse to prove this conclusively, but the highest-paying positions appear consistent with leadership, supervisory, or high-acuity roles.
The premium is implied rather than directly measurable.
The Floor Is Probably Distorted
A $300,000 Manhattan listing sits far below the broader market.
Given prevailing compensation trends, that figure likely reflects one of the following:
- Part-time employment
- Academic practice
- Fellowship-adjacent work
- An unusually structured position
- A mispriced listing
Treat the floor with caution.
Scarcity Is Driving Aggressive Offers
Louisiana and Washington both report compensation ranges of $600,000–$700,000.
While each figure comes from a limited sample, the pattern is notable.
When a region has too few anesthesiologists and too many operating rooms, compensation tends to rise quickly.
Volume Does Not Necessarily Equal Transparency
California stands apart as the only major market where:
- High listing volume
- High compensation
- Salary transparency
all coexist.
Texas offers volume without disclosure.
Virginia offers volume without disclosure.
New York offers volume with enormous compensation variability.
California remains the most legible market in the dataset—and arguably the most competitive.
The Bottom Line
The anesthesia job market in 2026 is lucrative, fragmented, and quietly chaotic.
Compensation is strong almost everywhere it is disclosed—which is almost nowhere.
States willing to publish salaries are generally offering attractive pay packages. States that conceal compensation are increasingly asking candidates to make career decisions with incomplete information.
California appears to have recognized this reality.
Most other markets have not.
Anesthesiologists are paid handsomely to keep people from feeling things; the rest of the market, evidently, would prefer physicians not feel the price tag either.
Salary data based on 48 listings with disclosed compensation. Figures may reflect part-time, academic, leadership, or specialized roles. This report is for informational purposes only and should not replace professional judgment, contract review, or financial planning.
