Who Are the Highest-Paid Doctors?
The average annual salary for a physician is $248,640.1 Neurosurgeons rank as the highest-paid doctors, while pediatric endocrinologists are the specialists who tend to be paid the least. The top 1% of doctors make about $4 million annually.2
This contrasts with primary care physicians or other general doctors who see patients for various care and check-ups. These providers make less than specialists who work in a particular field.3
Medical Group Management Association. Provider compensation data report 2023.
If you are considering a physician career, here are the 20 highest-paid physician specialties based on the 2023 Physician Compensation Report by Doximity. The report includes responses from over 190,000 U.S. doctors over six years, including responses from over 31,000 full-time U.S. physicians in 2022.
Highest Paying Physician Specialties
In addition to the compensation information, current and projected trends in health care also affect the most lucrative and in-demand physician careers.
Note, however, that changes in medical insurance are significantly impacting medical careers, and those changes are increasingly difficult to predict.
What Is the Hardest Doctor to Become?
While all medical fields are competitive, the five most competitive specialties according to Med School Insiders include:4
- Plastic surgery
- ENT (Ear nose and throat)
- Dermatology
- Orthopedic surgery
- Neurosurgery
According to Doximity’s report, the top 20 highest earners in the medical profession are as follows.5
Doximity. 2023 Physician Compensation Report.
#1 Neurosurgeons
Neurosurgeons, also known as neurological surgeons, are the highest-paid doctors. They diagnose and treat conditions of the brain, spine, and nervous system.
Average annual salary: $788,313
#2 Thoracic Surgeons
Thoracic surgeons perform chest surgeries. They operate on organs and structures that include the heart, lungs, esophagus, and trachea.
Average annual salary: $706,775
#3 Orthopedic Surgeons
Orthopedic surgeons specialize in surgeries on the bones and joints, including sports-related injuries, trauma, and joint deterioration from arthritis.
Average annual salary: $624,043
#4 Plastic Surgeons
Plastic surgeries are procedures to reshape or restore areas of the body for reconstructive or cosmetic purposes.
Reconstructive surgeries may be done to address birth defects or traumatic injuries, such as deformities from accidents or burns.
Cosmetic surgeries, also called aesthetic procedures, are used to try to enhance certain features, such as changing the size or shape of breasts or liposuction to suction out fat tissue from certain areas.
Average annual salary: $571,373
#5 Vascular Surgeons
Vascular surgeons treat diseases of arteries and veins.
Procedures can help restore blood flow and can include angioplasty to open a blocked blood vessel or removal of plaques in diseased arteries or veins.
Average annual salary: $557,632
#6 Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
Oral and maxillofacial surgeons focus on reconstructive surgeries of the face, head, neck, and jaw.
These surgeries can include complex dental procedures that involve the jawbone and facial reconstruction after traumatic injuries or removing cancerous masses.
Average annual salary: $556,642
#7 Radiation Oncologists
Radiation oncologists treat solid tumors using radiation.
Average annual salary: $547,026
#8 Cardiologists
Cardiologists diagnose and treat diseases and disorders of the heart and circulatory system, the system of blood vessels that transports blood to and from the heart.
Average annual salary: $544,201
#9 Urologists
Urologists treat disorders of the female and male urinary tract as well as male reproductive organs. Organs a urologist treats include the kidneys, adrenal glands, ureter, bladder, and urethra as well as the testes, epididymis, prostate gland, and penis.
Average annual salary: $505,745
#10 Radiologists
Radiologists use medical imaging technology to diagnose and sometimes treat medical conditions, disorders, and illnesses.
Average annual salary: $503,564
#11 Gastroenterologists
Gastroenterology, like oncology and cardiology, is a sub-specialty of internal medicine.
Gastroenterologists specialize in the treatment of digestive and gastrointestinal disorders and diagnosis of cancers and disorders of the digestive tract.
Most gastroenterologists also treat diseases of the liver, with additional training in hepatology, the area of medicine that focuses on the liver.
Average annual salary: $496,667
#12 Otolaryngologists (ENT)
Otolaryngologists specialize in the treatment of the ears, nose, throat, sinuses, head, and neck. They are also referred to as an ENT.
This type of doctor performs medical and surgical treatment for conditions such as chronic ear infections, sinus issues, trouble swallowing, or dizziness.
Average annual salary: $488,536
#13 Dermatologists
Dermatologists specialize in treating diseases that affect the skin, hair, and nails.
Reasons to see a dermatologist might include an annual skin cancer check, treatment for acne, dandruff, eczema, or cellulitis, or a cosmetic procedure.
Average annual salary: $468,509
#14 Anesthesiologists
Anesthesiologists are trained to safely give anesthesia—medicine that controls pain and may put you to sleep during surgery. They also monitor people while they are still under the effects of these drugs after surgery.
Average annual salary: $462,506
#15 General Surgeons
General surgeons have knowledge of the entire surgical process and are responsible for patient care before, during, and after surgery.
They perform a broad range of surgical procedures involving the following:
- Alimentary tract (esophagus and related organs)
- Abdomen and its contents
- Breast, skin, and soft tissues
- Endocrine system
They are also trained in trauma care and surgical oncology.
Average annual salary: $451,489
#16 Ophthalmologists
An ophthalmologist diagnoses and treats all eye diseases, performs eye surgery, and prescribes and fits eyeglasses and contact lenses to correct vision problems.
Average annual salary: $449,315
#17 Oncologists
Oncologists specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. There are three main types of oncologists:
- Medical oncologists treat cancer with chemotherapy and other medications.
- Surgical oncologists treat cancer with surgery.
- Radiation oncologists treat cancer with radiation.
Average annual salary: $447,312
#18 Colorectal Surgeons
A colon and rectal surgeon, also called a colorectal surgeon, treats conditions affecting the large intestine (the colon, rectum, and anus.)
Average annual salary: $445,685
#19 Pulmonologists
Pulmonologists specialize in diseases of the respiratory tract. This includes the lungs, airways (mouth, nose, pharynx, larynx, and trachea), and respiratory muscles (including the diaphragm and intercostal muscles).
Average annual salary: $400,650
#20 Nuclear Medicine Radiologists
Nuclear medicine radiologists, also called nuclear radiologists, are doctors who use radioactive materials, called radiopharmaceuticals, to diagnose and treat disease.
Nuclear medicine radiologists use radiopharmaceuticals to treat hyperthyroidism, thyroid cancer, solid tumors, hematologic malignancies, and bone metastases.
Average annual salary: $392,196
Lowest-Paying Physician Specialties
According to Doximity, the lowest-paid doctor is a pediatric endocrinologist. The 20 specialties with the lowest average salary tend to be pediatric and primary care specialties, including:5
- Pediatric endocrinology: $218,266
- Pediatric infectious disease: $221,126
- Pediatric rheumatology: $226,186
- Pediatric hematology & oncology: $237,005
- Pediatric nephrology: $238,208
- Pediatrics: $242,832
- Medical genetics: $244,107
- Pediatric pulmonology: $263,742
- Medicine/Pediatrics: $270,396
- Family medicine: $273,040
- Child neurology: $273,167
- Preventive medicine: $275,068
- Geriatrics: $275,704
- Endocrinology: $276,548
- Pediatric gastroenterology: $282,853
- Pediatric emergency medicine: $287,635
- Infectious disease: $288,607
- Occupational medicine: $292,814
- Internal medicine: $293,894
- Rheumatology: $299,790
Gender Disparities in Pay
The gender pay gap for doctors decreased slightly from 28% in 2021 to 26% in 2022. The average pay gap in 2022 was still significant: Physicians who identify as female earned nearly $110,000 less than male physicians, even when salaries were controlled for specialty, location, and years of experience.
Doximity’s report could not find a single medical specialty in which physicians who identified as women earned the same or more than those who identified as men. The largest wage gaps also included some of the highest-paying specialties.
For example, male oral and maxillofacial surgeons earned $568,679 on average, whereas female orthopedic surgeons earned an average annual salary of $395,687.5
Summary
Surgical specialties accounted for the top six highest average physician salaries in a 2022 report by the medical network Doximity. Neurosurgeons were the highest paid.
Even among the highest salaries, the report identified wage gaps of about 26% between male and female physicians with the same qualifications.