Physician Salary FAQ (2026)

Cardiologists report a median of $620K, with the middle half between $516K–$715K, from 180 approved reports by attending physicians on SalaryDr. The specialty page breaks it down by state, experience and practice setting.

General surgeons report a median of $513K, with the middle half between $450K–$610K, from 141 approved reports by attending physicians on SalaryDr. The specialty page breaks it down by state, experience and practice setting.

Anesthesiologists report a median of $528K, with the middle half between $465K–$600K, from 166 approved reports by attending physicians on SalaryDr. The specialty page breaks it down by state, experience and practice setting.

Dermatologists report a median of $620K, with the middle half between $498K–$700K, from 88 approved reports by attending physicians on SalaryDr. The specialty page breaks it down by state, experience and practice setting.

Orthopedic surgeons report a median of $770K, with the middle half between $653K–$850K, from 125 approved reports by attending physicians on SalaryDr. The specialty page breaks it down by state, experience and practice setting.

Radiologists report a median of $558K, with the middle half between $500K–$600K, from 117 approved reports by attending physicians on SalaryDr. The specialty page breaks it down by state, experience and practice setting.

Emergency medicine physicians report a median of $399K, with the middle half between $360K–$440K, from 145 approved reports by attending physicians on SalaryDr. The specialty page breaks it down by state, experience and practice setting.

Psychiatrists report a median of $351K, with the middle half between $325K–$365K, from 103 approved reports by attending physicians on SalaryDr. The specialty page breaks it down by state, experience and practice setting.

Pediatricians report a median of $305K, with the middle half between $270K–$344K, from 272 approved reports by attending physicians on SalaryDr. The specialty page breaks it down by state, experience and practice setting.

Family medicine physicians report a median of $300K, with the middle half between $272K–$332K, from 160 approved reports by attending physicians on SalaryDr. The specialty page breaks it down by state, experience and practice setting.

Internal medicine physicians report a median of $328K, with the middle half between $300K–$360K, from 188 approved reports by attending physicians on SalaryDr. The specialty page breaks it down by state, experience and practice setting.

Neurosurgeons report a median of $890K, with the middle half between $845K–$1M, from 99 approved reports by attending physicians on SalaryDr. The specialty page breaks it down by state, experience and practice setting.

Gastroenterologists report a median of $550K, with the middle half between $500K–$570K, from 94 approved reports by attending physicians on SalaryDr. The specialty page breaks it down by state, experience and practice setting.

Ophthalmologists report a median of $670K, with the middle half between $484K–$715K, from 100 approved reports by attending physicians on SalaryDr. The specialty page breaks it down by state, experience and practice setting.

Urologists report a median of $590K, with the middle half between $560K–$634K, from 89 approved reports by attending physicians on SalaryDr. The specialty page breaks it down by state, experience and practice setting.

Pulmonologists report a median of $455K, with the middle half between $340K–$520K, from 86 approved reports by attending physicians on SalaryDr. The specialty page breaks it down by state, experience and practice setting.

Hematology/oncology physicians report a median of $490K, with the middle half between $425K–$520K, from 127 approved reports by attending physicians on SalaryDr. The specialty page breaks it down by state, experience and practice setting.

Neurologists report a median of $400K, with the middle half between $335K–$440K, from 92 approved reports by attending physicians on SalaryDr. The specialty page breaks it down by state, experience and practice setting.

Plastic surgeons report a median of $740K, with the middle half between $710K–$780K, from 74 approved reports by attending physicians on SalaryDr. The specialty page breaks it down by state, experience and practice setting.

Pathologists report a median of $390K, with the middle half between $318K–$420K, from 56 approved reports by attending physicians on SalaryDr. The specialty page breaks it down by state, experience and practice setting.

Attending physicians in California report a median of $520K, with the middle half between $390K–$680K, from 408 approved reports. A state's median mixes every specialty that reports from it, so compare your own specialty's figures for California. California's top income tax rate, 13.3%, also lowers take-home pay.

Attending physicians in Texas report a median of $550K, with the middle half between $372K–$769K, from 134 approved reports. A state's median mixes every specialty that reports from it, so compare your own specialty's figures for Texas. Texas has no state income tax on wages.

Attending physicians in New York report a median of $480K, with the middle half between $349K–$674K, from 132 approved reports. A state's median mixes every specialty that reports from it, so compare your own specialty's figures for New York.

Attending physicians in Florida report a median of $461K, with the middle half between $346K–$630K, from 192 approved reports. A state's median mixes every specialty that reports from it, so compare your own specialty's figures for Florida. Florida has no state income tax on wages.

A state's median mostly reflects which specialties report from it, so SalaryDr does not rank states for all physicians together. In the states with the most reports, attending physicians report medians of $445K in Massachusetts, $520K in California, $450K in Illinois and $480K in Georgia. Compare your own specialty across states on its specialty page.

Where you live changes what a salary buys in two ways: the cost of living, and state income tax, which runs from none in states such as Texas, Florida, Tennessee, Washington and Nevada to 13.3% at California's top rate. The take-home calculator compares the same salary across states.

Residents report a median of $70K, with the middle half between $65K–$78K, from 857 approved reports on SalaryDr. Most programs set pay by postgraduate year, so it rises with each year of training; the residency salary pages list published pay scales by program.

Attending physicians with 0–2 years of experience report a median of $375K, with the middle half between $300K–$498K, from 486 approved reports. Specialty moves starting pay more than anything else, so compare the early-career figures for your specialty.

Residents report a median of $70K. Attending physicians report medians of $375K at 0–2 years, $410K at 3–10 years, $550K at 11–20 years and $541K at 21+ years of experience. Specialty moves pay more than experience does, so compare within your specialty.

Fellows report a median of $80K, from 107 approved reports, against $450K for attending physicians. Fellowship usually adds one to three years of training after residency.

Attending physicians report a median of $560K in private practice and $440K in hospital employment. Private practice carries overhead, administration and business risk; employed positions trade some upside for predictable pay and benefits. The difference varies by specialty, so compare within yours.

Attending physicians report a median of $380K in academic medicine and $560K in private practice. Academic positions usually add teaching and research time; compare within your specialty, since the mix of specialties differs between settings.

wRVU conversion rates vary by specialty, so one number for all physicians misleads. SalaryDr publishes the rates physicians report for each specialty on its wRVU rate pages. When you compare offers, look at total compensation per wRVU, not the bonus rate alone.

A signing bonus is usually paid in exchange for a service commitment, with pro-rated repayment if you leave early. SalaryDr publishes the signing bonuses physicians report, by specialty and state, on its signing bonus page.

It depends on filing status, deductions, retirement contributions and state. Federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare tax, and state income tax (none in some states, up to 13.3% in California) all apply. The take-home calculator estimates it by state.

It depends mostly on specialty, debt and years of training. The specialty ROI calculator weighs reported pay against training time and debt for each specialty.