A Breast Surgeon in Spokane can earn $175,000 more per year than one in Cornwall, New York — for what is, ostensibly, the same job. Same specialty, same board certification, same OR lights. Different zip code, wildly different paycheck. The national dataset holds 20 active listings across 12 states, and only a quarter of them bother to disclose what they pay. The rest are asking physicians to swipe right on faith. The data shows a specialty that is regionally lucrative, structurally opaque, and geographically unfair in ways that reward those willing to move west.
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The Breast Surgery Job Market at a Glance

Total listings: 20
Listings with disclosed salary: 5
Full salary range: $375,000 – $550,000
National average range: $414,338 – $433,338

States represented: Washington, New York, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Connecticut, Tennessee, Arizona, Florida, Indiana, New Jersey, South Carolina.

The spread is $175,000 wide, which is not a rounding error — it is a down payment on a house. For a specialty this specific, that kind of variance suggests employers are pricing to their local market rather than a national benchmark.

Five disclosed salaries out of twenty is a 25% transparency rate. Which means 75% of the market is asking physicians to inquire within. That is a lot of phone calls to make before you know if the commute is worth it.

The average range itself is narrow ($414K–$433K), suggesting most disclosed offers cluster in the low-to-mid $400s, with Washington acting as the lone outlier pulling the ceiling up.
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How States Stack Up

Overperformers:

• Washington — The clear top of the market at $475,000–$550,000, and the only state clearing $500K in the disclosed data.
• Connecticut — A tidy $441,688 in the NYC Metro orbit, which comfortably beats the national average.

Near-average: Connecticut also serves as the de facto midpoint benchmark. There is no other state that qualifies as near-average, because there is no other state with disclosed data in the middle.

Underperformers:

• New York — Three disclosed listings averaging $385,000–$391,667, which is below the national average floor. Cornwall ($375,000), Glens Falls ($400,000), and Central NY ($380,000–$400,000) all sit south of the mean.

Undisclosed (proceed with curiosity): Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Tennessee, Arizona, Florida, Indiana, New Jersey, South Carolina.

Volume leaders: New York, Florida, and Indiana tie at three listings each. Washington and Connecticut follow with two. New York leads on volume and trails on pay — a combination that is almost never a coincidence.
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What This Means If You’re a Physician

If your priority is maximum compensation: Book the flight to Spokane. The highest-paying listing in the dataset is a Breast Surgery role in Spokane, WA, through CompHealth, at $475,000–$550,000. It is currently the only visible path to a $500K+ base in this specialty.

If your priority is maximum optionality: New York, Florida, and Indiana each carry three listings. New York’s disclosed pay is underwhelming, and Florida and Indiana have disclosed nothing at all — which means you will need to make calls to find out if the volume comes with the money.

If your priority is balance: Connecticut at $441,688 is the sensible middle. Reasonable pay, Northeast metro access, and none of the cost-of-living whiplash. Speaking of which — New York’s sub-average salaries in high-cost markets deserve a hard look before signing.
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What This Means If You’re a Recruiter

Salary transparency rate: 5 of 20 = 25%.

Three quarters of the market is asking Breast Surgeons to inquire within. In a specialty with roughly 20 national listings, that is not scarcity marketing — that is friction. Candidates comparison-shop, and every undisclosed listing is one they can skip in favor of the Spokane number they already have.

The volume-pay misalignment is loudest in New York, Florida, and Indiana. New York’s disclosed pay trails the national floor. Florida and Indiana have said nothing at all. Recruiters in those markets cannot lead with compensation — they will need to sell case mix, call schedule, leadership pathways, loan forgiveness, or lifestyle. Whatever the pitch is, it will need to arrive before the salary conversation, not after.
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What’s Driving the Numbers

Geography is doing most of the pricing work. A $175,000 spread between Spokane and Cornwall in the same specialty is not explained by cost of living, acuity, or productivity models. It is explained by regional labor supply. Washington is pricing in scarcity. New York is pricing in the fact that physicians want to live there anyway.

Transparency is a competitive weapon, and most employers are not using it. With only 25% of listings disclosing pay, the ones that do — CompHealth’s Spokane role in particular — dominate candidate attention. Silence in Florida and Indiana is not neutral; it is a signal that candidates will read, correctly or not, as below market.

Volume does not equal premium in this specialty. New York has the most disclosed data and the lowest disclosed salaries. Volume here reflects turnover and market saturation, not competitive bidding. High-volume states that pay below average are usually replacing physicians who left for a reason.

The small sample size is itself the story. Twenty listings, five with pay, one true outlier at the top. Breast Surgery is a narrow specialty with a narrow market, and single listings move state averages meaningfully. Physicians reading this should treat every number as a starting point for negotiation, not a ceiling.

The Bottom Line

Breast Surgery is a small, geographically fragmented market where a quarter of employers show their cards and the rest expect you to ask. Washington is paying like it wants surgeons badly. New York is paying like it knows surgeons want to be there. Connecticut is paying like a grown-up. Everywhere else, the salary is a phone call away — assuming you are willing to make it.

If you want to know what a Breast Surgeon is worth in America, the answer depends less on the surgery and more on the zip code.
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Salary data based on 5 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.