Doctor Salary by Specialty

Table of Contents

Becoming a doctor is a dream for many people around the world. However, there are so many areas to choose from when deciding on a specialty that you may find it hard to determine which path is right for you. We will be breaking down the doctor salary by specialty in the guide below.

With the amount of time and effort you will need to invest in becoming a doctor, it is important to know about types of doctors and salaries.

In this article you will learn about the average doctor salary, who the highest paid doctors are, and the expected growth rate of each doctor specialty.

Summary: We broke down the doctor salary by specialty below. If you are interested in becoming a doctor after learning how much they make, consider some of the top MCAT prep courses to help you get into medical school.

Average Doctor Salary

Before we get into specific types of doctors and salaries, let’s first discuss the average doctor salary. In 2021, primary care physicians made $242,000 on average while specialists made $344,000 on average.

If this number makes you more interested in becoming a doctor, consider taking the MCAT. You can use our diagnostic MCAT test to see how you would do on the exam.

 Primary Care PhysiciansSpecialists
2020 Average$243,000$346,000
2021 Average$242,000$344,000

Types of Doctors and Salaries

As you can see in the table above, specialists have a higher average doctor salary than primary care physicians. But who are the highest paid doctors?

Types of Doctors and Salaries

  1. Plastic Surgery – $526,000
  2. Orthopedics & Orthopedic Surgery – $511,000
  3. Cardiology – $459,000
  4. Urology – $427,000
  5. Otolaryngology – $417,000
  6. Radiology – $413,000
  7. Gastroenterology – $406,000
  8. Oncology – $403,000
  9. Dermatology – $394,000
  10. Ophthalmology – $379,000
  11. Anesthesiology – $378,000
  12. Surgery, General – $373,000
  13. Critical Care – $366,000
  14. Emergency Medicine – $354,000
  15. Pulmonary Medicine – $333,000
  16. Pathology – $316,000
  17. Ob/Gyn – $312,000
  18. Nephrology – $311,000
  19. Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation – $300,000
  20. Neurology – $290,000
  21. Rheumatology – $276,000
  22. Psychiatry – $275,000
  23. Allergy & Immunology – $274,000
  24. Internal Medicine – $248,000
  25. Infectious Diseases – $245,000
  26. Diabetes & Endocrinology – $245,000
  27. Pubic Health & Preventive Medicine – $237,000
  28. Family Medicine – $236,000
  29. Pediatrics – $221,000

As you can see, plastic surgeons are the highest paid doctors with an average salary of $526,000, which is $15,000 more than the next type of doctor.

Breaking down the doctor salary by specialty allows us to see the vast different in the average doctor salary. The top 3 specialties on this list earn above or near $500,000 while the bottom 3 specialties earn under $250,000 (which is still a lot of money).

Doctor Salary by State

We have seen the average doctor salary between primary care physicians and specialists and types of doctors and salaries so far. Let’s take it another step further and break down the doctor salary by state. View the states with the highest doctor salary below:

Doctor Salaries by State

  1. Alabama – $348,000
  2. Kentucky – $340,000
  3. Oklahoma – $338,000
  4. Indiana – $337,000
  5. Missouri – $332,000
  6. South Carolina – $332,000
  7. Florida – $331,000
  8. Georgia – $330,000
  9. Iowa – $330,000
  10. Tennessee – $329,000
  11. Ohio – $325,000
  12. North Carolina – $325,000
  13. Louisiana – $323,000
  14. Nevada – $320,000
  15. Texas – $320,000
  16. Maryland – $315,000
  17. Arizona – $314,000
  18. Virginia – $314,000
  19. Pennsylvania – $313,000
  20. New Jersey – $312,000
  21. California – $311,000
  22. Illinois – $310,000
  23. Washington – $310,000
  24. Michigan – $308,000
  25. Colorado – $307,000

Doctor Salary by Gender

Finally, let’s breakdown the average doctor salary by gender.

In regard to primary care, men earned $269,000 on average versus women who earned $211,000 on average. In regard to specialists, men earned $376,000 on average versus women who earned $283,000 on average.

Doctor Salary by Gender

Resources Used for Doctor Salary Information

Jordan Bilezikian
Dr. Jordan Bilezikian has his Doctor of Medicine from Florida State and is our MCAT expert.