Missouri is paying pediatricians an average of $482,500 to $495,000 annually. The state has exactly two salary listings. Meanwhile, California — with 115 job postings and 61 disclosed salaries — averages $237,475 to $283,937. The Pediatrics market currently lists 592 active positions nationwide, with compensation data available for 154 of them. What the data reveals is a specialty where scarcity commands extraordinary premiums, volume offers stability, and nearly three-quarters of employers remain silent on what they’re willing to pay.
👉 Explore Pediatrics job market insights and trends

The Pediatrics Job Market at a Glance

Total listings: 592. Listings with salary data: 154. Full salary range: $140,000 to $500,000. Average salary range: $228,329 to $270,647.

The $360,000 spread between floor and ceiling reflects a market fragmented by geography, practice type, and employer desperation. The national average sits comfortably in the low-to-mid $200,000s, but outliers pull hard in both directions. A $500,000 ceiling suggests either highly specialized roles, leadership positions, or markets where recruiting pediatricians requires financial shock and awe. The $140,000 floor likely represents part-time work, underserved community health centers, or positions structured around loan repayment rather than base salary. Most positions cluster between $170,000 and $320,000, a range wide enough to make geography and negotiation leverage matter considerably.

States represented:

• California
• Texas
• New York
• Florida
• Illinois
• Pennsylvania
• North Carolina
• Georgia
• Washington
• Ohio
• Massachusetts
• New Jersey
• Oregon
• New Hampshire
• Wisconsin
• Minnesota
• North Dakota
• South Dakota
• Missouri
• Oklahoma
• Arkansas
• Louisiana
• Mississippi
• Alabama
• Tennessee
• Kentucky
• Indiana
• Michigan
• West Virginia
• Virginia
• Maryland
• Connecticut
• Rhode Island
• Vermont
• Maine
• New Mexico
• Arizona
• Nevada
• Utah
• Colorado
• Wyoming
• Idaho
• Montana
• Alaska
• Hawaii
• Kansas

👉 Browse Pediatrics physician job opportunities

How States Stack Up

Overperformers: Missouri ($482,500 to $495,000) leads the nation by a staggering margin, though two data points make this less a trend than a signal flare. North Dakota ($292,000 to $292,000) offers the second-highest average with three listings, suggesting consistent premium pay in an underserved market. Maine ($287,500 to $312,500) rounds out the top tier with two listings, rewarding those willing to trade volume for coastal New England and top-decile compensation. Oklahoma ($278,750 to $278,750) delivers strong pay across four listings, making it the most data-rich of the high-compensation states. Wisconsin ($270,400 to $280,800) cracks the top five despite a single listing, placing it well above the national average.

Near-average performers: California ($237,475 to $283,937) sits just above the national average across 61 salary listings, offering the rare combination of high pay and high volume. Washington ($228,793 to $272,854) mirrors the national benchmark almost exactly across seven listings. Illinois ($221,235 to $265,706) provides 17 data points clustered near the mean, making it one of the most transparent and predictable markets. Colorado ($223,446 to $274,810) aligns with national norms in its lone salary listing. Ohio ($212,778 to $253,333) trends slightly below average across nine listings, but remains competitive. New York ($209,546 to $266,226) underperforms on the low end despite 15 salary listings and 38 total postings, a volume-pay mismatch that will require recruiters to lead with location and prestige. Connecticut ($216,250 to $258,750) hovers near average with four listings.

Underperformers: Massachusetts ($201,800 to $229,850) pays below the national average across 10 listings, a troubling figure given the state’s cost of living and academic medical center density. New Jersey ($187,857 to $199,286) posts the second-lowest average across seven listings, making it one of the weakest compensation markets with meaningful data. Nevada ($190,000 to $236,667) underperforms across three listings despite no state income tax. Kansas ($195,000 to $274,000) shows a wide range across two listings, but the floor is concerningly low. Hawaii ($176,500 to $253,000) ranks near the bottom across two listings, a compensation structure that evaporates quickly when adjusted for island cost of living. Florida ($175,000 to $250,000) posts the lowest average starting salary among states with disclosed data, based on two listings. Minnesota ($150,000 to $280,000) contains the single lowest floor in the dataset, though the range suggests part-time or tiered structures.

Volume leaders: California dominates with 115 listings. Texas follows with 33 (zero salary disclosures). New York posts 38 (15 with salary data). Illinois and Pennsylvania tie at 22 and 25 listings respectively (Illinois discloses, Pennsylvania does not). Florida lists 21 positions with minimal transparency. Oregon contributes 17 listings with zero salary data. Wisconsin and North Dakota each post double-digit volume, but Wisconsin discloses only one salary while North Dakota provides three. High-volume states without salary data — Texas, Pennsylvania, Oregon, North Carolina, Georgia, New Mexico — represent a transparency void that will force candidates to engage blind or walk away.
👉 Compare Pediatrics compensation and opportunities by region

What This Means If You’re a Physician

If your priority is maximum compensation: Target Missouri, North Dakota, and Maine, but understand you’re chasing outlier data in low-volume markets. The highest-paying confirmed listing is in Fontana, California, offering $295,000 to $335,000 annually — a figure that pairs top-tier pay with access to the nation’s deepest job market. Missouri’s $495,000 ceiling is the national peak, but two listings do not make a labor market.

If your priority is maximum optionality: California offers 115 listings and above-average pay, making it the only state where you can be selective and well-compensated simultaneously. New York and Illinois provide volume and transparency, though New York’s floor skews low. Texas posts 33 opportunities but discloses nothing, forcing you to negotiate in the dark.

If your priority is balance: Washington, Illinois, and Ohio deliver near-national-average pay with reasonable job volume and cost-of-living alignment. Colorado’s single listing sits at the national mean. Avoid New Jersey and Massachusetts unless you’re comfortable with below-average starting salaries in above-average cost-of-living states (you should not be). Hawaii’s $176,500 floor is a cost-of-living disaster. Florida’s $175,000 average low is the weakest in the dataset and should be treated accordingly.
👉 Search Pediatrics jobs by location and compensation

What This Means If You’re a Recruiter

Salary transparency rate: 26.0% (154 listings with data divided by 592 total listings). Nearly three-quarters of Pediatrics employers are competing for talent without stating what they pay. In a specialty where Missouri is offering nearly half a million dollars and Florida is starting at $175,000, silence is a strategic liability. Candidates with leverage will skip over non-disclosing listings entirely, and those who engage will enter negotiations with asymmetric information and justified skepticism.

The volume-pay misalignment is severe in multiple high-activity states. Texas posts 33 listings with zero transparency. Pennsylvania contributes 22 with none. New York discloses in only 15 of 38 listings and pays below average when it does. These are pipeline problems. If you’re recruiting in a non-disclosing high-volume state, you’ll need to lead with mission, location, work-life balance, or loan repayment — because you’ve already ceded the compensation conversation to California, North Dakota, and Missouri.
👉 Post Pediatrics positions on PhysEmp

What’s Driving the Numbers

Scarcity pricing dominates the top end: Missouri, North Dakota, and Maine occupy the top three compensation slots despite combining for only seven total salary listings. This is not coincidence. Pediatricians are undersupplied in rural and less densely populated states, and employers are pricing in the cost of recruitment failure. A $495,000 offer in Missouri is not generosity — it’s the market clearing price when alternatives are limited and patient panels are waiting. Scarcity commands premiums that volume markets cannot or will not match.

Volume does not correlate with pay: California posts 115 listings and pays above average. Texas posts 33 and discloses nothing. New York posts 38 and pays below average. The traditional assumption — that high-volume markets suppress wages through competition — does not hold cleanly in Pediatrics. California’s scale allows it to pay well and still fill roles. New York’s volume has not translated into competitive compensation, likely due to prestige substitution and an oversupply of academic medical centers willing to underpay. Volume creates optionality for candidates, but it does not guarantee strong offers.

Cost of living and compensation are misaligned in key markets: Massachusetts averages $201,800 to $229,850. New Jersey averages $187,857 to $199,286. Hawaii averages $176,500 to $253,000. These are expensive places to live, and none of them are paying accordingly. Employers in high-cost states appear to be relying on non-financial factors — prestige, proximity to family, lifestyle preference — to justify below-market offers. That strategy works until pediatricians run the numbers and realize they’ll earn more and spend less in Wisconsin, Oklahoma, or Washington.

Transparency is a competitive weapon being left on the table: Only 26% of listings disclose salary. In a market where the ceiling is $500,000 and the floor is $140,000, that silence is costly. Candidates with options will gravitate toward employers who state their terms up front. Non-disclosing listings will pull from a smaller, less informed, or more desperate candidate pool. If you’re offering $280,000 in a transparent market, say so. If you’re offering $180,000 in New Jersey, your silence is rational but your pipeline will suffer.

The Bottom Line

The Pediatrics job market rewards those willing to follow the data rather than the reputation. Missouri and North Dakota pay more than Massachusetts and New Jersey. California offers both volume and strong compensation. Texas and Pennsylvania offer volume and nothing else you can evaluate without engaging directly. The $360,000 spread between the national floor and ceiling is not noise — it’s a map. Some markets are pricing in scarcity, some are pricing in desperation, and some are pricing in the assumption that pediatricians will accept less because they love the work.

There is a lot of opportunity to care for children in this country, and the pay for doing so varies wildly depending on where you’re willing to do it.

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

Salary data based on 154 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.