Orthopedic Surgery wRVU Rate 2026
What Orthopedic Surgery attending physicians are paid per work RVU (wRVU), from 66 approved SalaryDr reports, data as of August 29, 2026.
What a wRVU rate is
A work relative value unit (wRVU) measures the physician work in a service: the scale Medicare uses to price visits and procedures gives every billing code a number of wRVUs for its time, skill and intensity. A wRVU rate (or conversion factor) is what an employer pays for each wRVU a physician is credited with.
Productivity pay is the rate times the volume. Many contracts pay a base salary and apply the rate only to wRVUs above a threshold, so the same rate can mean different pay under different contracts.
Illustration, not SalaryDr data
5,000 wRVUs × $70.00 per wRVU = $350,000 in productivity pay.
The rate is the Orthopedic Surgery median above; 5,000 wRVUs is a round number chosen for the arithmetic, not a benchmark. SalaryDr does not publish wRVU volumes because too few reports include them.
Total compensation, for context
The median Orthopedic Surgery attending on SalaryDr reports $770,000 in total compensation, from 122 approved reports. That includes base salary, bonuses and other pay, so it is not simply rate × volume. See Orthopedic Surgery salary data.
Orthopedic Surgery wRVU rates by practice setting
| Practice setting | Median | Reports |
|---|---|---|
| Private Practice | $70.00 | 40 |
| Hospital Employed | $68† | 15 |
| Academic | $62† | 11 |
Orthopedic Surgery wRVU rates by region
| Region | Median | Reports |
|---|---|---|
| West | $70† | 28 |
| Midwest | $68† | 12 |
| Southeast | $68† | 12 |
| Northeast | $72† | 10 |
Orthopedic Surgery wRVU rates by state
| State | Median | Reports |
|---|---|---|
| California | $70† | 10 |
| Oregon | $70† | 9 |
| Illinois | $70† | 7 |
| Colorado | $70† | 6 |
Orthopedic Surgery wRVU rates by experience
| Years in practice | Median | Reports |
|---|---|---|
| 0–2 years | $62† | 6 |
| 3–5 years | $67† | 8 |
| 6–10 years | $68† | 15 |
| 11–15 years | $70† | 27 |
| 16–20 years | $70† | 10 |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the median wRVU rate for Orthopedic Surgery?
Orthopedic Surgery attendings on SalaryDr report a median of $70.00 per wRVU across 66 approved reports (data as of August 29, 2026). The middle 50% report $68.00 to $72.00 per wRVU, and the 10th to 90th percentile range is $62.80 to $72.60.
How does practice setting change Orthopedic Surgery wRVU rates?
Private Practice: $70.00 median (40 reports); Hospital Employed: $68 median (15 reports); Academic: $62 median (11 reports).
How do you estimate pay from a wRVU rate?
Multiply the rate by the wRVUs you are credited with. As an illustration only, 5,000 wRVUs at the Orthopedic Surgery median of $70.00 come to $350,000 in productivity pay. 5,000 is a round number chosen for the arithmetic, not a Orthopedic Surgery benchmark: SalaryDr does not publish wRVU volumes because too few reports include them. Many contracts also pay a base salary and apply the rate only to wRVUs above a threshold.
What is total compensation for Orthopedic Surgery?
The median Orthopedic Surgery attending on SalaryDr reports $770,000 in total compensation, from 122 approved reports. Total compensation includes base salary, bonuses and other pay, so it is not simply rate × volume.
Where does this wRVU data come from?
From compensation Orthopedic Surgery attendings 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.
Keep exploring
† From 24 or fewer reports after outliers are trimmed: rounded to the whole dollar to protect privacy.
Source: SalaryDr salary data for Orthopedic Surgery (N=66 approved reports, updated August 29, 2026, data as of 2026-08-29). URL: https://www.salarydr.com