Key Takeaways
Neurosurgeons, thoracic surgeons, and orthopedic surgeons earn the highest average salaries among medical professionals, exceeding $650,000 annually.
Physician roles require 7–10 or more years of education and residency, while CRNAs and PAs follow shorter training paths with lower average pay.
Male physicians earn up to 29% more than female peers across specialties, reflecting a persistent gender pay gap in medicine.
Jobs in health care fields offer a unique blend of challenges and rewards. A medical school degree is certainly no exception. Within the healthcare field, jobs that require medical school degrees tend to be the most lucrative.
Physicians regularly earn salaries well into the six figures. The high earning potential can help balance the high debt loads for medical school — which can exceed $200,000. Still, the high earning potential is a major attraction for medical jobs, alongside helping patients and advancing the field.
Surgeons have some of the highest salaries of all medical professions. Nevertheless, lower-paying specialties, like pediatrics, still command salaries of $200,000 or more.
Here, we dig into some of the most lucrative professions and specialties that require a medical school degree. Eligible professions include jobs that require graduation from a medical school and passage of the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE), the board exam to become a licensed physician.
What Are the Highest-Paying Jobs in the Medical Field?
Neurosurgery: $763,908
Thoracic surgery: $720,634
Orthopedic surgery: $654,815
Plastic surgery: $619,812
Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery: $603,623
Source: 2024 Physician Compensation Report, by Doximity and Curative
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15 Highest-Paying Medical Jobs
Explore the salaries, duties, and job requirements for the 15 highest-paying medical jobs in 2023, including surgeons, radiologists, and anesthesiologists.
Neurosurgery
Average Salary: $763,908
Required Education: Bachelor's degree, medical doctor degree with a surgical specialization, residency
Licenses/Certifications: USMLE
Neurosurgeons diagnose and treat conditions that affect the nervous system, including conditions affecting the brain, spinal cord, and nerves. While their job functions include surgery, they also provide nonoperative treatments.
Thoracic Surgery/Cardiothoracic Surgeon
Average Salary: $720,634
Required Education: Bachelor's degree, medical doctor degree with a surgical specialization, residency
Licenses/Certifications: USMLE
Thoracic surgeons, sometimes known as cardiothoracic surgeons, treat conditions affecting a patient's thorax or chest region. That includes conditions affecting the heart, lungs, ribs, and esophagus. A coronary artery bypass is a common surgery a thoracic surgeon may perform.
Orthopedic Surgery
Average Salary: $654,815
Required Education: Bachelor's degree, medical doctor degree with a surgical specialization, residency
Licenses/Certifications: USMLE
Orthopedic surgeons specialize in diagnosing and treating issues of the bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, and muscles. Orthopedists often perform surgeries but may also diagnose and treat issues using nonoperative techniques.
Plastic Surgery
Average Salary: $619,812
Required Education: Bachelor's degree, medical doctor degree with a surgical specialization, residency
Licenses/Certifications: USMLE
Plastic surgeons specialize in surgically repairing or enhancing the body. They often improve the quality of life of people with severe injuries or congenital abnormalities. Plastic surgeons may also perform procedures to change a person's physical features for aesthetic reasons.
Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery
Average Salary: $603,623
Required Education: Bachelor's degree, DMD or DDS degree, residency
Licenses/Certifications: USMLE, required state licenses
Vascular surgeons diagnose and treat conditions and diseases related to the blood vessels, including the veins and arteries. Vascular surgeons do not operate on the heart and brain. These surgeons often treat blocked arteries or any condition that disrupts blood flow.
Radiation Oncology
Average Salary: $569,170
Required Education: Bachelor's degree, medical doctor degree, residency
Licenses/Certifications: USMLE, American Board of Radiology examinations
Radiation oncologists oversee radiation therapy treatments. They work with the radiation therapy team to develop treatment plans. They also treat side effects that may accompany radiation therapy. Radiation oncologists also work closely with other oncologists.
Cardiology
Average Salary: $565,485
Required Education: Bachelor's degree, medical doctor degree, residency
Licenses/Certifications: USMLE
Cardiologists specialize in treating heart and blood vessel problems without surgery or with minimally invasive procedures. They diagnose and treat common conditions, including high blood pressure, low blood sugar, and heart disease. They also work with heart attack and cardiac arrest patients, among others.
Vascular Surgery
Average Salary: $556,070
Required Education: Bachelor's degree, medical doctor degree with a surgical specialization, residency
Licenses/Certifications: USMLE, Vascular Surgery Certifying Examination
Vascular surgeons diagnose and treat conditions and diseases related to the blood vessels, including the veins and arteries. Vascular surgeons do not operate on the heart and brain. These surgeons often treat blocked arteries or any condition that disrupts blood flow.
Radiology
Average Salary: $531,983
Required Education: Bachelor's degree, medical doctor degree, residency
Licenses/Certifications: USMLE
Radiologists diagnose and treat conditions using imaging equipment. The most well-known radiology procedures are CT scans, ultrasounds, X-rays, mammograms, and MRI exams.
Urology
Average Salary: $529,140
Required Education: Bachelor's degree, medical doctor degree, residency
Licenses/Certifications: USMLE, American Board of Urology examinations
Urologists diagnose and treat diseases and conditions of the urinary system and male reproductive organs, including the bladder, kidneys, and urethra. Urologists commonly treat conditions like urinary tract infections, kidney stones, and blood in a patient's urine. They also help treat bladder, kidney, and prostate cancers.
Gastroenterology
Average Salary: $514,208
Required Education: Bachelor's degree, medical doctor degree, residency
Licenses/Certifications: USMLE
Gastroenterologists specialize in gastrointestinal diseases. They diagnose and treat all organs in a patient's digestive system, including the stomach, intestines, liver, pancreas, and gallbladder. Common conditions they treat include appendicitis, pancreatitis, irritable bowel syndrome, stomach ulcers, and liver diseases.
Otolaryngology
Average Salary: $502,543
Required Education: Bachelor's degree, medical doctor degree, residency
Licenses/Certifications: USMLE, American Board of Otolaryngology examinations
Otolaryngologists are commonly referred to as ear, nose, and throat doctors or ENTs. They diagnose and treat chronic throat or ear infections, sleep apnea, severe allergies, and vertigo. Some ENTs perform surgeries.
Anesthesiology
Average Salary: $494,522
Required Education: Bachelor's degree, medical doctor degree, residency
Licenses/Certifications: USMLE
Anesthesiologists administer anesthesia and help care for patients before, during, and after surgery. They conduct pre-surgery assessments and create an anesthesia plan for the surgery. This plan often includes general or local anesthesia and pain management after surgery.
Dermatology
Average Salary: $493,659
Required Education: Bachelor's degree, medical doctor degree, residency
Licenses/Certifications: USMLE
Dermatologists specialize in diagnosing and treating conditions related to the skin, hair, and nails. They commonly treat acne, skin cancer, rashes, and eczema. Dermatologists also treat cosmetic conditions, including hair loss.
Oncology
Average Salary: $479,754
Required Education: Bachelor's degree, medical doctor degree, residency
Licenses/Certifications: USMLE, required state licenses
General surgeons perform various surgeries on patients. While specialist surgeons may focus on one area of the body, a general surgeon must have knowledge of the entire body and a mastery of the surgical process.
Ophthalmology
Average Salary: $468,581
Required Education: Bachelor's degree, medical doctor degree, residency
Licenses/Certifications: USMLE
Ophthalmologists specialize in diagnosing and treating conditions related to a patient's eyes. They treat eye diseases and often perform surgery. They also prescribe eyeglasses and contact lenses to correct someone's vision.
Where Do Physicians Make the Most Money?
A physician's pay varies slightly based on the state they work in.
States along the East Coast and bordering the Great Lakes pay physicians some of the highest average salaries in the U.S.
In other states, physicians may make slightly less per year. But, the difference isn't substantial. The most significant factor that impacts pay is often the physician's specialty or profession.
Gender Pay Gap in Medical Jobs
The healthcare field isn't immune to pay disparity between men and women.
Doximity and Curative's 2024 Physician Compensation Report found a 23% gender pay gap between men and women in 2023. While that was down slightly from the 26% gap in 2022, it's still a significant difference.
Medscape's 2024 Physician Compensation Report found a 29% difference in pay between men and women.
The Doximity report added that between 2014-2019, men physicians made over $2 million more than women physicians on average over the course of their careers; women earned nearly less than $102,000 on average than their male peers
| Specialty | Average Salary, Men | Average Salary, Women | Percentage Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orthopedic Surgery | $661,801 | $559,222 | 16.8% |
| Gastroenterology | $525,931 | $444,511 | 16.8% |
| Colon & Rectal Surgery | $468,984 | $398,802 | 16.2% |
| Pediatric Gasteroenterology | $301,556 | $258,098 | 15.5% |
| Opthalmology | $484,409 | $417,212 | 14.9% |
Some specialties have more equitable pay. However, there are no medical specialties where women earned the same or more than men, on average, according to Doximity and Curative's report.
| Specialty | Average Salary, Men | Average Salary, Women | Percentage Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medical Genetics | $249,039 | $240,210 | 3.6% |
| Hematology | $398,113 | $380,847 | 4.4% |
| Pediatric Infectious Disease | $246,455 | $226,016 | 8.7% |
| Internal Medicine | $319,847 | $291,422 | 9.3% |
| Oncology | $491,439 | $447,038 | 9.5% |
Medical Jobs With the Most Compensation Growth
Salaries as a whole decreased or stayed flat for physicians in 2022, according to Doximity and Curative. The situation improved in 2023 since many specialties reported positive growth.
| Specialty | Compensation Growth | 2023 Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Hematology | 12.4% | $392,260 |
| Family Medicine | 10.2% | $300,813 |
| Infectious Disease | 9.0% | $314,626 |
| Plastic Surgery | 8.5% | $619,812 |
| Occupational Medicine | 8.5% | $317,610 |
| Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery | 8.4% | $603,623 |
| Nephrology | 7.7% | $365,323 |
| Pediatric Emergency Medicine | 7.5% | $479,754 |
| Psychiatry | 7.2% | $332,976 |
Frequently Asked Questions About Highest-Paying Medical Jobs
It takes about 11-15 years to become a licensed physician. Medical school usually lasts four years, and a residency requires 3-5 years after that.
