Physician Job Market Analysis Report: Primary Care Physician

(PhysEmp Market Intelligence | physemp.com)

THE HOOK

The highest-paying primary care physician job in America right now is in Colorado, offering up to $345,000 annually. The lowest is in Tennessee at $199,400. That $145,600 spread tells you everything you need to know about the state of geographic arbitrage in primary care. The national market currently features 162 active listings across 26 states and territories, with salary data disclosed in 114 of them. The data reveals a market where volume and compensation rarely align, and where choosing the wrong state can cost you six figures over the life of a contract.

THE NATIONAL SNAPSHOT

Total listings: 162. Listings with salary data: 114. Full salary range: $199,400 to $395,000. National average range: $265,132 to $305,936.

The $195,600 spread between floor and ceiling reflects the reality that primary care compensation is less about specialty scarcity and more about employer type, geography, and practice model. Most positions cluster in the $255,000 to $298,500 band, suggesting that the true market rate for bread-and-butter primary care sits closer to the lower end of the average than the upper. The $395,000 ceiling is an outlier, not a benchmark. The $265,132 average low is the number worth memorizing.

The market spans 26 states and territories: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wyoming.

STATE BY STATE

OVERPERFORMERS

Colorado: $335,000 to $345,000 average across just 1 salary listing (3 total listings) — the highest floor in the nation, but statistically thin. California: $298,000 to $339,000 average across 5 salary listings (11 total) — premium pay with meaningful volume, a rare combination. Guam: $315,000 to $330,000 average from a single listing — high pay, low sample size, and you live on Guam. Arizona: $279,120 to $336,760 average across 5 salary listings (11 total) — strong upper bound and double-digit listing count. Mississippi: $273,333 to $321,833 average across 3 salary listings — quietly outperforming most of the South.

NEAR-AVERAGE PERFORMERS

Nevada: $275,000 to $309,214 average across 7 salary listings — solid mid-tier compensation in a no-income-tax state. Kentucky: $267,900 to $302,130 average across 2 salary listings — tracks national norms with limited volume. Georgia: $267,533 to $311,389 average across 9 salary listings (11 total) — stable, predictable, unremarkable. Virginia: $266,500 to $312,625 average across 8 salary listings (11 total) — another high-volume benchmark state. North Carolina: $264,167 to $310,167 average across 6 salary listings (9 total) — nearly identical to the national average low. Texas: $263,219 to $308,472 average across 16 salary listings (20 total) — the second-highest volume state, paying slightly below average. South Carolina: $263,200 to $302,950 average across 10 salary listings (13 total) — middle-of-the-pack pay with respectable volume. Indiana: $267,500 to $299,250 average across 2 salary listings — limited data, average outcome. Ohio: $260,000 to $280,000 average from 1 salary listing (2 total) — compressed range, low confidence.

UNDERPERFORMERS

Florida: $256,917 to $294,471 average across 24 salary listings (27 total) — the highest-volume state in the nation, paying below the national average on both ends. Missouri: $255,000 to $298,500 average across 4 salary listings — underwhelming for the Midwest. Louisiana: $255,000 to $298,500 average across 3 salary listings — identical to Missouri, equally underwhelming. New York: $243,333 to $243,333 average across 3 salary listings — the most compressed and lowest-paying range in the dataset, a stunning underperformance. Tennessee: $241,100 to $298,450 average across 4 salary listings — home to the single lowest listing in the country at $199,400.

VOLUME LEADERS

Florida dominates with 27 total listings, followed by Texas with 20, South Carolina with 13, and a four-way tie among Virginia, Georgia, Arizona, and California with 11 each. Florida and Texas lead on volume but lag on pay. California and Arizona offer both volume and above-average compensation, making them the most efficient markets for job seekers.

FOR PHYSICIANS

If your priority is maximum compensation: Target Colorado, California, or Guam. The single highest-paying listing in the dataset is in Las Vegas, Nevada, offering $335,000 to $342,000 annually for a full-time primary care role. Colorado offers the highest average floor at $335,000, but with only one salary listing, you are betting on a single data point. California provides a safer play with $298,000 to $339,000 across five listings and meaningful job volume.

If your priority is maximum optionality: Go to Florida or Texas. Florida offers 27 listings and Texas offers 20, but both pay below the national average. You will have more interviews and more leverage, but you will likely earn $10,000 to $15,000 less annually than peers in Arizona or California unless you negotiate aggressively.

If your priority is balance: Arizona and California are the only states offering both double-digit listing counts and above-average pay. Arizona averages $279,120 to $336,760 with 11 total listings. California averages $298,000 to $339,000 with the same volume. Both states also feature lower cost-of-living metros (Tucson, Inland Empire) where a $300,000 salary stretches further than it does in Miami or Austin.

FOR RECRUITERS AND HEALTHCARE EXECUTIVES

Salary transparency rate: 70.4% (114 listings with disclosed compensation out of 162 total). That is a strong disclosure rate by primary care standards, and it creates a well-informed candidate pipeline. Physicians know what the market pays, and they will anchor to the $265,000 to $306,000 average range when evaluating offers.

The volume-pay misalignment in Florida and Texas creates a structural recruiting challenge. Both states offer the most opportunities but pay below the national average. Recruiters in these markets will need to lead with lifestyle, cost of living, tax advantages, and practice autonomy rather than base compensation. Conversely, Colorado and California recruiters can lead with salary and close faster, but they face thinner pipelines.

New York’s $243,333 average is a red flag. With only three salary listings and a compressed range, the state is either underpricing primary care or hiding compensation in bonus structures not captured in base salary data. Either way, candidate interest will be low unless total comp is clarified upfront.

MARKET FORCES

High volume does not predict high pay. Florida and Texas dominate the market by listing count but trail the national average on compensation. This suggests that primary care demand in these states is being met by high physician supply, employer market power, or a preference for lower-cost practice models. Physicians moving to these states should expect to trade job availability for salary ceiling.

Geography commands a larger premium than scope or leadership. The $145,600 gap between Tennessee’s floor and Colorado’s ceiling is not explained by clinical scope, panel size, or administrative responsibility. It is explained by state-level labor market dynamics, cost of living, and employer willingness to pay. Primary care physicians have more pricing power in states with physician shortages, higher costs of living, or competitive health systems.

Part-time roles do not distort the floor. The lowest listing in the dataset is a full-time role in Tennessee at $199,400, not a part-time or per-diem arrangement. Meanwhile, a part-time role in Florida listed at $145 to $150 per hour annualizes to $301,600 to $312,000, which would place it above the national average. Part-time work in primary care can be as lucrative as full-time work, depending on the market.

Underserved markets do not consistently price in scarcity. States like Louisiana, Missouri, and Tennessee — traditionally considered underserved — pay below the national average. Mississippi is the exception, averaging $273,333 to $321,833. This suggests that scarcity alone does not drive compensation unless it is paired with health system investment, state-level incentives, or competitive employer behavior.

THE BOTTOM LINE

The primary care physician job market is geographically fragmented, volume-rich, and salary-compressed. Physicians can earn $345,000 in Colorado or $199,400 in Tennessee for functionally identical work, and the states with the most jobs often pay the least. The market rewards those who optimize for location, not just opportunity count.

Primary care pays well, but only if you choose the right ZIP code.

Salary data based on 114 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.