U.S. Neonatologist Salary 2026: $395K Median

The median neonatologist salary in the United States is $395,000 per year, based on 31 approved salary reports on SalaryDr through July 7, 2026. The average is $397,194. At the average reported workweek of 50 hours, the median works out to about $152 per hour.

The middle 50% of reported neonatologist salaries fall between $360,000 (25th percentile) and $415,000 (75th percentile). The 10th to 90th percentile range is $325,000 to $475,000. Based on 31 reports.

Among states with at least 3 approved reports, the highest median neonatologist pay on SalaryDr is in Oregon ($420,000 median, 4 reports), Massachusetts ($415,000 median, 3 reports), and California ($380,000 median, 5 reports). State medians built from a handful of reports can move as new reports arrive.

Not in SalaryDr's reports: hospital-employed neonatologists ($422,689 across 16 reports) report a higher average total compensation than private practice neonatologists ($375,714 across 7 reports).

Neonatologists who reported their schedule average 50 hours per week (31 reports).

Average total compensation by years of experience in SalaryDr's neonatologist reports: 3–5 years, $317,605 (5 reports); 6–10 years, $403,182 (11 reports); 11–15 years, $415,000 (9 reports).

94% of approved neonatologist reports include bonus or incentive pay. Among those 29 reports, the median bonus is $70,000 and the average is $66,897.

Neonatologists who rated their job gave it an average of 4.1 out of 5 (30 reports). 87% of the 31 reports that answered say they would choose the specialty again.

These figures come from 31 reports that neonatologists submitted anonymously to SalaryDr and that were approved before publication; the most recent is from July 7, 2026. Reports are self-reported: approval means a report passed SalaryDr's review checks, not that the submitter's pay was independently verified.