Somewhere in Oregon, a single Pulmonology listing is offering $600,000 a year. Somewhere in Illinois, another listing tops out at $200,000. Both are looking for the same credential. Both are technically the same job. The Pulmonology market in mid-2026 is, in a word, bifurcated — a polite term for a dataset where the ceiling is more than three times the floor and the volume leader pays the least. Across 82 total listings spanning 29 states, the lungs of America are being valued with wildly inconsistent enthusiasm. The thesis is simple: in Pulmonology, geography and employment structure matter more than specialty itself.
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The Pulmonology Job Market at a Glance

Total listings: 82
Listings with disclosed salary: 31
Full salary range: $175,000 – $600,000
National average range: $328,645 – $361,935

The spread is the story. A $425,000 gap between floor and ceiling is not noise — it is a structural feature. Part-time roles anchor the bottom at roughly $175,000 to $200,000, while full-time positions stretch well into the high six figures depending on geography, scope, and how badly the hospital needs someone who understands a ventilator.

The average range itself ($328,645 – $361,935) is suspiciously tidy given the extremes pulling on either side. Translation: the mean is masking a market split between two very different jobs sharing one specialty label.

States represented: CA, MA, FL, IL, NY, WA, MO, CO, MN, NM, TN, WI, OR, IA, AZ, TX, IN, NC, LA, ND, OH, GA, NJ, AL, MS, ID, MI, VA, PA.
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How States Stack Up

Overperformers:

• Oregon — A single $600,000 listing makes Oregon the highest-paying state in the country (on a sample size of one, but still).
• Alabama — One listing at $480,000 quietly outpaces most coastal markets.
• California — $382,500 to $455,000 across four reported listings, the rare state delivering both volume and premium pay.
• Washington — One listing at $350,000 to $415,000, punching above its single-listing weight.

Near-average:

• New York — $350,000 to $363,750 across four listings, textbook benchmark territory.
• Florida — $350,000 to $400,000, competitive without drama.
• Missouri — $334,000 to $397,500, surprisingly close to the coasts.
• New Mexico — One listing at a flat $350,000.
• Colorado — $320,000 to $380,000, right on the median.
• Minnesota — $312,500 to $332,500, just below the cluster.

Underperformers:

• Massachusetts — $275,000 to $312,500 across four listings, dragged down by part-time prevalence.
• Illinois — $258,125 to $276,250, the lowest meaningful average in the dataset (and, somehow, the volume leader).

Volume leaders: Illinois (9), Massachusetts (7), Arizona (6, zero salary data), California (6), Georgia (5). Illinois leads on listings and trails on pay. Arizona leads on opacity.
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What This Means If You’re a Physician

If your priority is maximum compensation: Look west and south. The highest-paying full-time listing in the dataset is in Fresno, California, at $430,000 to $470,000 — a real, full-time, non-outlier offer. Oregon’s $600,000 listing is the headline number, but it’s a sample of one and worth scrutinizing for scope, call burden, or rural footprint before booking the moving truck. Alabama’s $480,000 also deserves a closer read.

If your priority is maximum optionality: California (6 listings), Illinois (9), and Massachusetts (7) offer the deepest pools — though Illinois and Massachusetts come with a high mix of part-time roles.

If your priority is balance: New York, Florida, Missouri, and Colorado cluster in the $320,000–$400,000 zone with reasonable volume and predictable expectations. Boring, in the best possible sense.
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What This Means If You’re a Recruiter

Salary transparency rate: 31 of 82 listings, or 37.8%. Roughly six in ten Pulmonology listings disclose nothing about pay. Arizona, with six listings and zero salary data, is the cleanest example of how to lose a candidate pipeline before the first call.

The volume-pay misalignment is loud. Illinois leads the country in listings and prints the lowest averages. Massachusetts is the same problem on a smaller scale. Recruiters in those markets will need to lead with something other than the number: schedule flexibility, academic affiliation, light call, partnership track, loan assistance — anything that competes with a Fresno offer 60% higher on base pay. Markets that suppress disclosure also suppress applications. That math doesn’t change.
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What’s Driving the Numbers

Full-time scope commands a clear premium. The $175,000–$200,000 part-time band and the $400,000+ full-time band are not the same market — they are two markets wearing the same specialty code. Any analysis that averages them produces a number that describes neither. Physicians and recruiters reading “average” figures should always ask which side of the line the role sits on.

Part-time roles are distorting the floor, especially in Illinois and Massachusetts. Both states host clusters of part-time positions that drag state averages 20–30% below national benchmarks. Strip them out and Illinois likely lands much closer to the New York–Missouri band. The averages, as published, mislead.

Underserved markets are pricing in scarcity. Oregon ($600,000), Alabama ($480,000), and Washington (up to $415,000) all post premium numbers on tiny sample sizes. The pattern is consistent across specialties: when supply thins, the offer sheet thickens.

The volume-pay relationship is inverted. Illinois (9 listings, lowest pay) and Oregon (2 listings, highest pay) are the cleanest expression of a market where abundance signals oversupply and scarcity signals leverage. High listing counts in Pulmonology are not a bullish signal for compensation — often the opposite.

The Bottom Line

Pulmonology in 2026 is a specialty with two job markets stapled together. One pays $175,000 for a part-time shift in a high-volume metro; the other pays $600,000 for a full-time role in a state most physicians can’t immediately locate on a map. California is the rare market that offers both depth and dollars. Illinois offers depth and discounts. Arizona offers neither — at least not in writing.

Pulmonology pays well for full lungs and full schedules; everything else is a rounding error.
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Salary data based on 31 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.