Salary of US Doctors in 2023 – Most Important guide on Annual Salaries in America

Doctors are educated professionals who are well-compensated for their work. However, there are many salary variations within the field of medicine depending on your chosen speciality and a few other factors like location and experience. The covid pandemic affected healthcare workers globally.

Their salaries also stagnated along with problems such as staff shortages, overworking and extreme burnout. However, according to the Medscape Physician Compensation Report, the average salary of US doctors is again rising. While the salaries have seen a general upward trend, the increment varies based on factors such as specialisation, gender, geography etc.

Did you know the difference between the highest and lowest-paid salary of us doctors is, on average, 81,000 USD? (Source: Medscape)

Wondering how to make an informed decision on which specialisation to pursue based on their compensation? We have listed out the average doctor’s salaries by speciality and state.

Salary of US Doctors: Overview

As per the Bureau of Labor Statistics list, out of the top 20 highest salaried occupations, 13 belonged to the healthcare sector. This clearly shows that doctors in the USA have great earning potential, but many factors affect their compensation. This article discusses the average annual Salary of US doctors in 2023.

Average Salary of a Medical Professional in the US

As per Glassdoor, in 2022, the national average annual salary of US doctors is USD 183,429.

It means the average salary of US doctors in Rupees is around 1.4 Crore. The lowest national annual average wage was USD 126,470, which went up to USD 208,000 (the highest average). Their average annual salaries included base salaries and transport and housing facility benefits.

Salary of US Doctors for Specific Job Types 

Plastic surgery and dermatology are the highest-paid specialisations and score higher in the compensation satisfaction index.

Here are the average doctor salaries based on the specific job types:

Job Types	The Average Salary in the USA (USD)
Advanced Practice Provider	128,000
Allergist	187,000
Behaviour Health Specialist	107,000
Cardiology Specialist	430,000
Chiropractor	115,000
Clinical Psychologist	292,000
Correctional Treatment Specialist	179,000
Counselling Psychologist	224,000
Dermatologist	291,000
Diabetes and Endocrinology	236,000
Family medicine	231,000
Gastroenterology specialist	239,000
Infectious Diseases	243,000
Internal Medicine	267,000
Neurology Specialist	359,000
Oncology Specialist	366,000
Ophthalmologist	482,000
Orthopedics	482,000
Pediatric Specialist	238,000
Plastic Surgery	471,000
Psychiatry Specialist	255,000
Radiologist	419,000
Urology Specialist	408,000

Salary of US Doctors by States

Here is the average income of Doctors state-wise in the USA:

States in the USA	Average Income (in USD)
Oklahoma	337,000
Alabama	330,000
Nevada	329,000
Arkansas	326,000
Florida	325,000
Kentucky	324,000
Tennessee	323,000
Connecticut	323,000
Georgia	322,000
Indiana	322,000

Gender Gap in Average Salary of US Doctors

According to the Medscape report, there is a large gap between the salaries of male and female physicians, which seems to be narrowing every year.

However, male specialists earn 33% more than female specialists, and male primary care physicians earn 25% more.

In 2019, male physicians earned USD 228,000 on average and female physicians earned around USD 218,000.

Salary of US Doctors: Self-Employed vs Full-time Doctors

The USA presently has around 50,000 doctors working as locum tenens, and the numbers are rising. Over 50% of the USA’s physician workforce operates as employees for medical groups or hospitals. While they benefit from regular and steady paychecks and permanent position assurance, self-employed people earn more in the USA on average.

As per Medscape Medical Resident Salary & Debt Report 2020, the average self-employed doctor salary, which included locum tenens jobs, in the US was USD 352,000 in 2020 annually. In comparison, the salary for employed physicians stood at USD 300,000 annually.

Salary of US Doctors: US vs Globally

As per a recent Medscape report, doctors in the US generally receive higher compensation than physicians from seven other countries. Here is how the numbers looked (converted to USD for standardisation) –

Managing Funding for Med School

While medical school is expensive, you should still pursue your ambition of becoming a doctor in the US. If you’re planning to study medicine in the US, you might be looking for ways to gather funding for your term abroad. To make foreign education affordable and more accessible, Leap finance offers collateral-free loans and an attractive scholarship.

Now that you know that a doctor’s job profile and pay in the USA is quite a lucrative affair, it is imperative to understand that the road to it is not the easiest for an Indian. Given the H1-B intricacies and other issues surrounding it, we suggest you talk to an expert to understand your chances before making a move. At LeapScholar, our professionals are dedicated to providing the best suggestions for your prospects.

Click here to book your expert call today.

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