PhysEmp Market Intelligence | physemp.com
The Hook
Cleveland, Ohio is simultaneously home to the lowest-paying endocrinology listing in the country ($175,000–$225,000) and one of the highest-paying ($300,000–$350,000).
Same specialty. Same city. A $175,000 compensation swing.
Welcome to the hormone economy, where the market apparently cannot agree on what a thyroid is worth.
Across 96 active listings spanning more than 30 states, endocrinology is quietly active, geographically diverse, and statistically chaotic. The story is straightforward: this is a stable, mid-six-figure specialty where the biggest compensation opportunities often emerge in places candidates rarely place at the top of their wish lists.
The National Snapshot
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Total Listings | 96 |
| Listings With Salary Data | 30 |
| Full Salary Range | $175,000 – $350,000 |
| National Average Range | $259,941 – $290,666 |
The compensation spread is meaningful but not extraordinary by physician standards.
The lower end sits close to primary-care-adjacent compensation, while the upper end approaches levels more commonly associated with procedural specialties.
Endocrinology occupies a unique middle ground. It is neither a procedural powerhouse nor a traditional primary care field. Instead, it is a cognitive specialty that the market currently values at roughly $275,000 annually, with meaningful upside in the right geographic markets.
States Represented
California, New York, Ohio, Florida, Massachusetts, Colorado, Maryland, Illinois, Missouri, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, Alabama, West Virginia, Indiana, Connecticut, Arizona, New Hampshire, Michigan, Tennessee, Maine, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Texas, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Carolina, North Dakota, Idaho, and New Jersey.
State-by-State Analysis
Overperformers
Vermont
A single listing at a flat $300,000, with no compensation range and no negotiation theater.
Missouri
Reports $250,000–$350,000, tying for the highest salary ceiling in the dataset from a single Saint Joseph listing.
Illinois
Posts an average range of $275,000–$310,708, delivering one of the strongest floor-and-ceiling combinations in the country.
Maryland
Averages a flat $285,000, comfortably above the national midpoint.
Colorado
Reports $267,000–$297,000 on a single disclosed listing that quietly outperforms many larger markets.
Near the National Average
New York
Average range: $256,818–$283,182 across 11 salary-disclosed listings.
The benchmark market, for better or worse.
California
Average range: $254,205–$297,476 across six salary-disclosed listings.
A slightly higher ceiling than New York with a slightly lower floor.
Underperformers
Massachusetts
Averages $251,000–$251,000.
The market has spoken—and it shrugged.
Ohio
Average range: $251,667–$285,000 despite hosting one of the highest-paying individual listings nationally.
Florida
Average range: $257,500–$275,000.
A surprisingly modest ceiling for a state with nine active openings.
Volume Leaders
| State | Listings |
|---|---|
| New York | 25 |
| California | 10 |
| Florida | 9 |
| Texas | 6 |
Texas disclosed salary information on exactly zero of its six listings.
New York and Florida lead the market in opportunity volume while offering compensation that sits near or below national averages—a recurring irony in physician recruiting.
What This Means for Physicians
If Your Priority Is Maximum Compensation
The highest individual listing in the dataset is $325,000 in Salinas, California.
Several additional opportunities reach the $300,000–$350,000 tier, including positions in:
- Cleveland, Ohio
- White Plains, New York
- Saint Joseph, Missouri
The headline salary matters, but so does the geography behind it.
Salinas is not an inexpensive place to live.
Saint Joseph, Missouri, is considerably more forgiving.
The pre-tax number is only part of the equation. Endocrinologists, of all specialists, understand the importance of looking beyond surface-level metrics.
If Your Priority Is Maximum Optionality
The largest markets by opportunity count are:
- New York (25)
- California (10)
- Florida (9)
Compensation may be average, but choice is not.
If Your Priority Is Balance
Illinois and Colorado quietly offer attractive compensation relative to cost of living, while maintaining respectable market depth.
Maryland earns consideration as a dark-horse option for physicians seeking above-average compensation without extreme market competition.
What This Means for Recruiters and Healthcare Executives
The Transparency Problem
Only 30 of 96 listings disclosed compensation.
That translates to a salary transparency rate of 31.25%.
Nearly two-thirds of endocrinology employers are asking candidates to apply without providing a salary range.
In a specialty facing finite physician supply and growing demand driven by diabetes, obesity, and chronic endocrine disorders, that lack of transparency functions as a self-imposed recruiting disadvantage.
Volume Does Not Guarantee Competitiveness
New York, Florida, and Texas dominate listing volume.
Yet these same markets either:
- Pay near the national average
- Underperform relative to peers
- Decline to disclose compensation entirely
Recruiters in these regions must compete using other differentiators, including:
- Academic affiliation
- Subspecialty opportunities
- Call structure
- Panel size
- Relocation assistance
- Lifestyle benefits
Candidates with multiple options are increasingly reluctant to pursue high-cost-of-living opportunities with undisclosed compensation.
Market Forces
Scarcity Is Pricing Itself In
The three strongest-performing markets in the dataset—Vermont, Missouri, and Illinois—have one, one, and three salary-disclosed listings respectively.
Endocrinology shortages in smaller markets appear to be exerting predictable upward pressure on compensation.
The Volume-Pay Relationship Is Broken
New York posts 25 openings and pays approximately the national average.
Missouri posts one opening and reaches the national salary ceiling.
For candidates, listing volume should not be mistaken for compensation strength.
Transparency Is an Underused Competitive Advantage
Fewer than one-third of employers disclose compensation.
Organizations that do—particularly those advertising salaries above $285,000—are effectively competing against silence.
That is often a favorable position to occupy.
The Floor Is Probably Artificially Low
The $175,000 Cleveland listing sits in the same market as opportunities reaching $350,000.
That discrepancy strongly suggests the presence of:
- Part-time positions
- Academic appointments
- Highly benefited roles
- Nontraditional compensation structures
The practical full-time market floor likely sits closer to $250,000 than the published minimum.
The Bottom Line
Endocrinology remains a stable, geographically dispersed, mid-six-figure specialty.
Most compensation clusters around $275,000 annually, but the most attractive opportunities frequently emerge outside the largest physician markets.
The highest-volume states generally offer average compensation.
Smaller and less competitive markets often offer the strongest pay.
And two-thirds of employers continue losing candidate attention to a salary field they chose not to complete.
The thyroid does not care where you practice.
Your bank account does.
Salary data based on 30 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.
