Physician Salaries: What Doctors Earn by Specialty

Physicians consistently sit at the top of any wage ranking. BLS OEWS data captures physician wages across specialties — though the survey methodology means some very high earners hit the top-code threshold and are reported as "$>208,000" rather than a precise figure.

Family Medicine Physicians

Family medicine physicians are the most geographically distributed specialty. Their wages reflect both the demand for primary care and the lower procedure-based revenue compared to surgical specialties — but they still rank among the top earners in nearly every state.

The BLS Top-Code Issue

BLS OEWS suppresses wages at or above $100/hr ($208,000 annually) to protect confidentiality. For physician specialties — surgeons, anesthesiologists, psychiatrists — this means the published median and percentile figures often hit the cap. The real earnings in these specialties are higher than the published data shows.

Geographic Variation

Physician wages vary by state partly due to reimbursement rates, cost of living adjustments, and rural vs. urban demand. States with physician shortages in rural areas sometimes show higher median wages as practices compete for talent. Explore physician data by state starting with the locations browser.

Related Healthcare Roles

For a full picture of the healthcare earnings ladder, compare physician wages to those of physician assistants, physical therapists, and registered nurses.