Updated monthly | Based on active physician job listings | 30+ specialties tracked
Most physician salary data is stale by the time you read it. Annual surveys collect responses once a year, average out the outliers, and publish findings six months later. By then, the market has moved.
This page is different. Every figure here comes from active physician job listings posted on PhysEmp — what employers are advertising right now, not what they told a researcher they paid last year. When the market shifts, this page shifts with it.
New specialty reports are published monthly. Bookmark this page to track how physician compensation evolves across the job market.
Physicians ready to act on what they're seeing can
The table below reflects national average salary ranges drawn from listings where employers have disclosed compensation. Click any specialty to read the full report — including state-by-state breakdowns, highest and lowest paying markets, and notable listings at both ends of the range.
| Specialty | Full Report |
|---|---|
| Cardiology | Cardiology Physician Salary Report |
| Neurosurgery | Report coming soon |
| Orthopedic Surgery | Report coming soon |
| Radiology | Report coming soon |
| Anesthesiology | Anesthesiology Physician Salary Report |
| Gastroenterology | Report coming soon |
| Dermatology | Report coming soon |
| Plastic Surgery | Report coming soon |
| Urology | Report coming soon |
| Ophthalmology | Report coming soon |
| Pulmonology | Report coming soon |
| Oncology | Report coming soon |
| Emergency Medicine | Report coming soon |
| Nephrology | Report coming soon |
| Hospitalist | Report coming soon |
| Rheumatology | Report coming soon |
| Endocrinology | Report coming soon |
| Hematology | Report coming soon |
| Infectious Disease | Report coming soon |
| Neurology | Report coming soon |
| OB/GYN | Report coming soon |
| General Surgery | Report coming soon |
| Internal Medicine | Report coming soon |
| Psychiatry | Report coming soon |
| Pediatrics | Report coming soon |
| Family Medicine | Report coming soon |
| Geriatrics | Report coming soon |
| Urgent Care | Report coming soon |
| Palliative Care | Report coming soon |
| Sports Medicine | Report coming soon |
Salary ranges reflect national averages from listings where employers disclosed compensation. Not all listings include salary data. Individual opportunities vary by location, employer type, and practice model.
Surgical and procedural specialties consistently top the PhysEmp compensation data. Neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery, cardiology, and radiology regularly lead nationally. Primary care — family medicine, pediatrics, geriatrics — clusters toward the lower end of the range.
That said, specialty averages are a starting point, not a verdict. Geography creates enormous variation. A hospitalist in a high-demand rural market may out-earn a cardiologist in a saturated metro. Practice model matters equally: private practice, hospital employment, locum tenens, and academic positions produce very different compensation outcomes within the same specialty — sometimes separated by six figures.
The most useful comparison is always specialty + location + practice type. PhysEmp AI can match physicians to specific opportunities based on all three.
For any specialty, compensation can span $100,000 or more depending on state. Markets with physician shortages — rural areas, fast-growing Sun Belt regions, and underserved communities — routinely offer compensation premiums to attract and retain physicians. High cost-of-living states like California and New York post competitive absolute salaries, but physicians in Midwest and Southern markets often achieve greater purchasing power on comparable or lower nominal incomes.
Patterns that show up consistently in PhysEmp data:
Each specialty report includes a full state-by-state salary breakdown. Physicians can also search jobs by location to compare what employers are advertising in specific states and cities right now.
Residents approaching the end of training who understand the compensation landscape before sitting across from a recruiter are playing an entirely different game than those who don't. The difference between a well-negotiated first contract and a poorly negotiated one routinely exceeds $50,000 annually — and the terms of a first contract often shape career trajectory for years.
A few things worth knowing before you negotiate:
Job listing figures represent base compensation. Signing bonuses, productivity bonuses, relocation allowances, loan repayment programs, and benefits packages can add significantly to total compensation — and are often negotiable even when base salary isn't.
Specialty choice is the single largest driver of lifetime physician earnings.
But it's far from the only one. Location, employer type, ownership structure, and call requirements all shape what a physician actually deposits every month. PhysEmp's salary reports give residents a transparent, current view of market conditions before they walk into those conversations.
Residents can also explore DocCommons (Coming Soon!)
a mentorship platform connecting residents with experienced physicians who've navigated these decisions firsthand.
Understanding what competing employers are actively advertising — by specialty and by state — is foundational to setting compensation packages that attract the right candidates without leaving money on the table in either direction.
PhysEmp has worked with thousands of hospitals, health systems, and physician search firms since 1994. The platform carries 20,000+ active listings at any given time, covering every specialty and state.
Organizations looking to post physician jobs, access the PhysEmp candidate database, or discuss advertising opportunities can
The PhysEmp Physician Salary Report tracks physician compensation using real job listings — not surveys, not estimates. Every figure is drawn from what employers are actively advertising, making it one of the most current compensation resources available to physicians, residents, and healthcare recruiters.
PhysEmp has been connecting physicians with job opportunities since 1994. Thirty years of market context. 20,000+ active listings at any given time. A broad, current cross-section of the national physician job market.
Each specialty report covers:
New specialties are published monthly. The full series is available in the
Salary Reports by Specialty
Market Intelligence
Data is derived from physician job listings posted on PhysEmp.com and reflects compensation ranges disclosed by employers. PhysEmp is not responsible for the accuracy of figures provided by individual employers. Updated monthly. For the most current data on any specialty, refer to the individual specialty report linked in the table above.
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