Illinois is paying Physiatrists up to $416,667 to help people walk again, which is both the highest state average ceiling in the nation and roughly what a decent relief pitcher makes. The national Physiatry job market currently features 203 active listings across 41 states, with salary data available for 104 positions. Compensation ranges from $140,000 (a part-time outlier in Detroit) to $475,000 at the top end, but the real story is the clustering: the vast majority of full-time opportunities sit in a narrow, highly lucrative band between $350,000 and $400,000. This is a specialty where the floor is high, the ceiling is higher, and the middle is surprisingly well-defined.
👉 Explore Physiatry job market insights and trends
The Physiatry Job Market at a Glance
Total listings: 203. Listings with salary data: 104. Full compensation range: $140,000 to $475,000. National average range: $344,548 to $394,106.
The $335,000 spread between the absolute floor and ceiling is misleading. Strip out the part-time Detroit listing and the market compresses dramatically. The overwhelming majority of full-time Physiatry positions pay between $350,000 and $400,000, a remarkably tight band for a specialty with national distribution. The upper end stretches to $475,000 in select markets, but those listings are rare enough to be considered premium outliers rather than market benchmarks. What emerges is a specialty with exceptional compensation consistency: if you are practicing full-time Physiatry in the United States, you are very likely earning within $50,000 of your peers, regardless of geography.
👉 Browse Physiatry physician job opportunities
States represented: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin.
How States Stack Up
Overperformers: Illinois leads the nation with an average range of $348,333 to $416,667, offering the highest ceiling for Physiatrists willing to tolerate winter. Wisconsin follows at $358,333 to $408,333, combining strong pay with meaningful job volume (10 listings). Ohio averages $345,833 to $408,333, quietly outperforming larger coastal markets. New Jersey clocks in at $352,800 to $403,200, delivering above-average compensation in a high-cost-of-living corridor.
Near-average performers: Oklahoma, Florida, South Carolina, Texas, Tennessee, Nevada, Indiana, Colorado, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Kansas, Oregon, Washington, Virginia, Alabama, Kentucky, Arizona, Iowa, Arkansas, and Montana all average $350,000 to $400,000, forming the backbone of the national market. California sits just below at $344,444 to $388,333, paying slightly less than the national mode despite higher living costs. New York averages $332,800 to $386,200, underperforming relative to its reputation and tax burden.
Underperformers: Michigan averages $245,000 to $280,000, dragged down by part-time listings but still concerning given its six total postings. Maryland comes in at $282,500 to $312,500, paying roughly $70,000 below the national average despite proximity to high-cost East Coast metros. Minnesota averages $330,000 to $335,000, and Missouri ranges from $330,000 to $375,000, both falling short of the $350,000 floor seen in most other markets.
Volume leaders: Florida and Texas lead with 19 listings each, followed by California (16), Tennessee (14), Pennsylvania (12), and Wisconsin (10). Florida and Texas both maintain $350,000 to $400,000 averages despite high volume, suggesting robust demand rather than market saturation. California’s 16 listings come with slightly softer pay ($344,444 to $388,333), a rare instance where volume and compensation move in opposite directions.
👉 Compare Physiatry compensation and opportunities by region
What This Means If You’re a Physician
If your priority is maximum compensation: Target Illinois, Wisconsin, and Ohio, where average ceilings exceed $408,000. The absolute highest confirmed listing is $475,000, though specific city and scope details were not disclosed in the data. Illinois offers the most consistent premium, with an average high of $416,667 across three salary-reporting listings.
If your priority is maximum optionality: Florida and Texas each offer 19 listings with average pay of $350,000 to $400,000, providing the best combination of choice and competitive compensation. Tennessee adds 14 more listings at the same pay band, and California contributes 16 (though at a slightly lower average). Between these four states, you have access to 68 listings representing one-third of the national market.
If your priority is balance: Wisconsin delivers top-tier pay ($358,333 to $408,333) with double-digit job volume (10 listings), offering both compensation and choice without requiring a move to a high-tax or high-cost state. New Jersey provides similar pay ($352,800 to $403,200) with five listings, though the cost-of-living calculus is less favorable. Avoid Michigan and Maryland unless non-salary factors dominate your decision matrix (both pay $60,000 to $100,000 below the national average).
👉 Search Physiatry jobs by location and compensation
What This Means If You’re a Recruiter
Salary transparency rate: 51.2% (104 listings with data divided by 203 total listings). Just over half of Physiatry job postings disclose compensation, which is sufficient for market benchmarking but leaves nearly half of opportunities in a black box. For candidates evaluating multiple offers, the listings without salary data will require earlier and more direct compensation conversations, potentially extending time-to-hire.
Candidate pipeline implications: The tight clustering of full-time pay around $350,000 to $400,000 means compensation alone will rarely be a differentiator. Recruiters in high-volume states like Florida, Texas, and California will need to lead with non-salary factors: scope of practice, call schedules, administrative burden, partnership tracks, and geographic desirability. Michigan and Maryland face a steeper challenge, paying $60,000 to $100,000 below the modal range while competing against states with both higher pay and higher volume. Recruiters in those markets will need to emphasize cost-of-living advantages, practice culture, or unique clinical opportunities to offset the compensation gap.
👉 Post Physiatry positions on PhysEmp
What’s Driving the Numbers
Scope and leadership do not appear to command a meaningful premium. The data does not differentiate between inpatient, outpatient, academic, or leadership-focused roles, but the remarkable consistency of the $350,000 to $400,000 band across 23 states suggests that full-time Physiatry is compensated as a relatively undifferentiated commodity. If medical directorships or specialized pain management roles command higher pay, it is not evident in the state-level averages. The ceiling of $475,000 may represent such roles, but they are rare enough to be statistical noise.
Part-time roles distort the floor significantly. Michigan’s $245,000 to $280,000 average is driven by a single part-time listing in Detroit paying $140,000 to $160,000. Without that outlier, Michigan would likely sit closer to the national average. The lesson for market analysis: treat any sub-$300,000 listing with skepticism unless part-time status is confirmed. For full-time Physiatrists, the effective national floor is closer to $330,000.
Underserved markets do not appear to price in scarcity. States like Montana, New Mexico, and Arkansas—each with one or two listings—pay the same $350,000 to $400,000 as high-volume markets like Florida and Texas. This suggests that Physiatry compensation is driven more by national specialty benchmarks than by local supply-and-demand dynamics. Rural and underserved markets are not bidding up salaries to attract talent, which may explain why some of those markets have only one or two active listings.
The volume-pay relationship holds in most markets but breaks in California. Florida and Texas each have 19 listings and maintain $350,000 to $400,000 averages, demonstrating that high demand can coexist with strong pay. California, however, has 16 listings but averages $344,444 to $388,333, paying below the national mode despite significant job volume. Whether this reflects cost-of-living saturation, regulatory burden, or simple market inefficiency is unclear, but it represents a rare instance where more jobs correlate with slightly lower pay.
The Bottom Line
The Physiatry job market is geographically broad, numerically robust, and financially predictable. Full-time opportunities cluster tightly around $350,000 to $400,000 across most states, with Illinois and Wisconsin offering modest premiums and Michigan and Maryland lagging behind. High-volume markets like Florida and Texas maintain competitive pay, while underserved states do not bid up compensation to attract talent. For physicians, the decision matrix tilts heavily toward non-salary factors: practice setting, geography, and lifestyle will matter more than chasing an extra $20,000 in a specialty where the floor is already $330,000.
Physiatry pays well everywhere, pays very well in the Midwest, and pays the same whether you are in Montana or Miami.
👉 Browse all Physiatry physician jobs
👉 Upload your CV to get matched with opportunities
👉 Set alerts for new Physiatry roles
Salary data based on 104 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.
