Physician wRVU Rates 2026

What attending physicians are paid per work RVU (wRVU), by specialty and practice setting, from approved compensation reports.

Median wRVU Rate

$60.00

25th Percentile

$50.00

75th Percentile

$68.00

Reports

2,281

10th–90th percentile: $46.00–$72.00 per wRVU. Data as of October 6, 2026.

wRVU Rates by Specialty

50 specialties with at least 5 reports, highest median first. Each specialty counts every name it is reported under.

Physician wRVU rates by specialty: median, middle 50% and report count
Specialty	Median	Middle 50%	Reports
Thoracic Surgery	$73†	$72–$74	17
Neurosurgery	$72.00	$72.00–$72.00	72
Orthopedic Surgery	$70.00	$68.00–$72.00	66
Plastic Surgery	$70.00	$70.00–$70.00	55
Ophthalmology	$69.00	$64.00–$70.00	45
Cardiology	$68.00	$64.00–$70.00	109
Dermatology	$68.00	$57.50–$69.00	75
Vascular Surgery	$68.00	$53.00–$70.50	43
Pediatric Surgery	$68†	$50–$71	15
Cardiothoracic Surgery	$68†	$62–$76	12
General Surgery	$66.00	$61.25–$68.00	86
Urology	$66.00	$63.25–$67.00	62
Burn Surgery	$66†	$64–$73	13
Radiology	$64.50	$51.75–$68.00	57
Pulmonology	$64.00	$51.25–$65.75	74
Anesthesiology	$64.00	$54.25–$65.71	68
Gastroenterology	$64.00	$64.00–$67.00	66
Hematology/Oncology	$62.00	$50.00–$66.25	97
Endocrinology	$62.00	$50.25–$62.00	54
Otolaryngology	$62.00	$51.00–$66.00	32
Allergy/Immunology	$62.00	$51.00–$66.00	29
Obstetrics & Gynecology	$61.00	$52.25–$64.00	59
Psychiatry	$60.00	$48.50–$62.00	63
Rheumatology	$60.00	$50.00–$61.00	54
Interventional Radiology	$60.00	$49.00–$70.00	29
Infectious Disease	$59.00	$50.00–$62.00	69
Family Medicine	$58.00	$50.00–$58.00	61
Pain Management	$57†	$47–$69	23
Maternal-Fetal Medicine	$57†	$49–$72	14
Neonatology	$55.50	$49.00–$69.25	26
Radiation Oncology	$55.00	$49.00–$67.00	29
Critical Care	$54†	$47–$64	22
Pediatrics	$53.00	$48.00–$63.75	237
Emergency Medicine	$53.00	$48.75–$58.00	75
Neurology	$52.00	$48.00–$63.00	73
Pathology	$52.00	$48.00–$61.00	30
Addiction Medicine	$52†	$47–$60	16
Sleep Medicine	$52†	$46–$61	14
Internal Medicine	$51.00	$47.00–$65.50	51
Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation	$51.00	$47.00–$62.00	29
Palliative Care	$51†	$46–$52	15
Gynecologic Oncology	$51†	$50–$65	13
Occupational Medicine	$50.00	$44.00–$67.00	27
Nephrology	$50†	$49–$51	20
Child Neurology	$49†	$45–$50	20
Geriatrics	$49†	$44–$56	18
Medical Genetics	$48†	$45–$49	17
Sports Medicine	$48†	$46–$52	14
Preventive Medicine	$45†	$43–$49	17
Clinical Informatics	$45†	$44–$52	12

wRVU Rates by Practice Setting

All specialties combined, by practice setting.

Physician wRVU rates by practice setting: median, middle 50% and report count
Practice Setting	Median	Middle 50%	Reports
Hospital Employed	$60.00	$50.00–$67.00	1,079
Private Practice	$66.00	$52.00–$70.00	631
Academic	$57.00	$49.00–$64.25	570

How these figures are built

Each figure comes from compensation attending physicians reported to SalaryDr, approved by moderation before publication (reports are not NPI-verified). Rates outside $20–$200 per wRVU are excluded as entry errors and outliers beyond 1.5×IQR are trimmed. Every figure needs at least 5 reports left after trimming, the 10th and 90th percentiles need 15, and figures from 24 or fewer are rounded to the whole dollar.

† From 24 or fewer reports after outliers are trimmed: rounded to the whole dollar to protect privacy.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average physician wRVU rate in 2026?

Across 2,281 approved attending reports, the median physician wRVU rate is $60.00 per wRVU. The middle 50% report $50.00 to $68.00.

Which specialties have the highest wRVU rates?

The highest median wRVU rates on SalaryDr are Thoracic Surgery ($73, 17 reports), Neurosurgery ($72.00, 72 reports), Orthopedic Surgery ($70.00, 66 reports).

How do wRVU rates differ by practice setting?

Hospital Employed: $60.00 median (1,079 reports); Private Practice: $66.00 median (631 reports); Academic: $57.00 median (570 reports). The rate is only one part of pay: base salary, thresholds and bonuses differ by setting too.

What is a wRVU rate?

A work relative value unit (wRVU) measures the physician work in a service, on the scale Medicare uses to price every billable procedure and visit. A wRVU rate, or conversion factor, is what an employer pays per wRVU: productivity pay is the rate times the wRVUs credited to the physician.

Related Compensation Data

Add your wRVU rate Signing Bonuses Call Pay All Salary Components

Source: SalaryDr salary data (N=2,281 approved reports, updated October 6, 2026, data as of 2026-10-06). URL: https://www.salarydr.com

Physician wRVU Rates 2026

What attending physicians are paid per work RVU (wRVU), by specialty and practice setting, from approved compensation reports.

Median wRVU Rate

$60.00

25th Percentile

$50.00

75th Percentile

$68.00

Reports

2,281

10th–90th percentile: $46.00–$72.00 per wRVU. Data as of October 6, 2026.

wRVU Rates by Specialty

50 specialties with at least 5 reports, highest median first. Each specialty counts every name it is reported under.

Physician wRVU rates by specialty: median, middle 50% and report count
Specialty	Median	Middle 50%	Reports
Thoracic Surgery	$73†	$72–$74	17
Neurosurgery	$72.00	$72.00–$72.00	72
Orthopedic Surgery	$70.00	$68.00–$72.00	66
Plastic Surgery	$70.00	$70.00–$70.00	55
Ophthalmology	$69.00	$64.00–$70.00	45
Cardiology	$68.00	$64.00–$70.00	109
Dermatology	$68.00	$57.50–$69.00	75
Vascular Surgery	$68.00	$53.00–$70.50	43
Pediatric Surgery	$68†	$50–$71	15
Cardiothoracic Surgery	$68†	$62–$76	12
General Surgery	$66.00	$61.25–$68.00	86
Urology	$66.00	$63.25–$67.00	62
Burn Surgery	$66†	$64–$73	13
Radiology	$64.50	$51.75–$68.00	57
Pulmonology	$64.00	$51.25–$65.75	74
Anesthesiology	$64.00	$54.25–$65.71	68
Gastroenterology	$64.00	$64.00–$67.00	66
Hematology/Oncology	$62.00	$50.00–$66.25	97
Endocrinology	$62.00	$50.25–$62.00	54
Otolaryngology	$62.00	$51.00–$66.00	32
Allergy/Immunology	$62.00	$51.00–$66.00	29
Obstetrics & Gynecology	$61.00	$52.25–$64.00	59
Psychiatry	$60.00	$48.50–$62.00	63
Rheumatology	$60.00	$50.00–$61.00	54
Interventional Radiology	$60.00	$49.00–$70.00	29
Infectious Disease	$59.00	$50.00–$62.00	69
Family Medicine	$58.00	$50.00–$58.00	61
Pain Management	$57†	$47–$69	23
Maternal-Fetal Medicine	$57†	$49–$72	14
Neonatology	$55.50	$49.00–$69.25	26
Radiation Oncology	$55.00	$49.00–$67.00	29
Critical Care	$54†	$47–$64	22
Pediatrics	$53.00	$48.00–$63.75	237
Emergency Medicine	$53.00	$48.75–$58.00	75
Neurology	$52.00	$48.00–$63.00	73
Pathology	$52.00	$48.00–$61.00	30
Addiction Medicine	$52†	$47–$60	16
Sleep Medicine	$52†	$46–$61	14
Internal Medicine	$51.00	$47.00–$65.50	51
Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation	$51.00	$47.00–$62.00	29
Palliative Care	$51†	$46–$52	15
Gynecologic Oncology	$51†	$50–$65	13
Occupational Medicine	$50.00	$44.00–$67.00	27
Nephrology	$50†	$49–$51	20
Child Neurology	$49†	$45–$50	20
Geriatrics	$49†	$44–$56	18
Medical Genetics	$48†	$45–$49	17
Sports Medicine	$48†	$46–$52	14
Preventive Medicine	$45†	$43–$49	17
Clinical Informatics	$45†	$44–$52	12

wRVU Rates by Practice Setting

All specialties combined, by practice setting.

Physician wRVU rates by practice setting: median, middle 50% and report count
Practice Setting	Median	Middle 50%	Reports
Hospital Employed	$60.00	$50.00–$67.00	1,079
Private Practice	$66.00	$52.00–$70.00	631
Academic	$57.00	$49.00–$64.25	570

How these figures are built

† From 24 or fewer reports after outliers are trimmed: rounded to the whole dollar to protect privacy.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average physician wRVU rate in 2026?

Across 2,281 approved attending reports, the median physician wRVU rate is $60.00 per wRVU. The middle 50% report $50.00 to $68.00.

Which specialties have the highest wRVU rates?

The highest median wRVU rates on SalaryDr are Thoracic Surgery ($73, 17 reports), Neurosurgery ($72.00, 72 reports), Orthopedic Surgery ($70.00, 66 reports).

How do wRVU rates differ by practice setting?

What is a wRVU rate?

Related Compensation Data

Add your wRVU rate Signing Bonuses Call Pay All Salary Components

Source: SalaryDr salary data (N=2,281 approved reports, updated October 6, 2026, data as of 2026-10-06). URL: https://www.salarydr.com