Healthcare Practitioners and Technical

Endocrinologist Salary (2026), outlook and how to become one

Internal medicine physician who treats hormone disorders, including diabetes, thyroid disease, osteoporosis, and pituitary and adrenal conditions.

Industry-reported pay
$284,000
BLS median (parent)
$256,560
Growth to 2035
+4.0%
Openings a year
1,900
Typical entry
Doctorate

Internal medicine physician who treats hormone disorders, including diabetes, thyroid disease, osteoporosis, and pituitary and adrenal conditions. Medscape Physician Compensation Report 2026 puts typical pay at $284,000 a year (2025). BLS does not publish separate figures for general internal medicine physicians; it counts them within general internal medicine physician (SOC 29-1216), whose median pay is $256,560 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Typical entry-level education: Doctoral or professional degree.

  • SOC 29-1216
  • Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
  • Last updated October 9, 2026

At a glance

Endocrinologist in four numbers

Median pay
$256,560a year, or $123.35/hr
Lowest 10% $74KTop 10% $475K

US median, all jobs: $50,980

BLS OEWS, May 2025
Projected growth
+4.0%About as fast as average
This career
+4%
All jobs
+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035
ItemValue
This career+4%
All jobs+3.5%
BLS EP, 2025–2035
Openings a year
1,90073,100 jobs today
  • Jobs in 202573.1K
  • Projected 203576K
Employment, 2025–2035
ItemValue
Jobs in 202573.1K
Projected 203576K
BLS EP, 2025–2035
Typical education
Doctorateneeded to enter
  • Doctorate47%
  • Post-doctoral training53%
Highest education held by general internal medicine physicians
SegmentValue
Doctorate47%
Post-doctoral training53%
BLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET

Also advertised as: Diabetes Specialist, Endocrinology Physician, Thyroid Specialist, Hormone Specialist, Adult Endocrinologist.

Pay

How much do General Internal Medicine Physicians make?

Industry-reported pay

$284,000

Average total annual compensation (salary, bonus and profit sharing), full-time US physicians in diabetes and endocrinology.

Source: Medscape Physician Compensation Report 2026, 2025 (published compensation survey). This is not a BLS figure: BLS counts general internal medicine physicians within general internal medicine physician, whose pay is shown below. Medscape Physician Compensation Report 2026 · The DO: What physicians are getting paid in 2026 (Medscape 2026 specialty figures)

Annual pay, lowest-paid to highest-paid

Every endocrinologist in the US, by percentile of annual wage

Median

$256,560

Middle half earn $124,470 to $374,850

10th
$73,570
25th
$124,470
75th
$374,850
90th
$475,430

All US occupations: $50,980

Endocrinologist annual wages
PercentileValue
10th$73,570
25th$124,470
Median$256,560
75th$374,850
90th$475,430
All US occupations$50,980

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

Median annual wage
$256,560
Median hourly wage
$123.35/hr
Mean annual wage
$267,200
People employed
67,150

Versus all US occupations

At $256,560, General Internal Medicine Physicians earn 403% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $205,580 a year.

Versus healthcare practitioners and technical occupations

Inside the Healthcare Practitioners and Technical group, where the middle occupation pays $102,760, this is 150% above the group median.

Pay range

The top 10% earn $475,430 or more while the bottom 10% earn $73,570, a gap of 6.5×. That is an unusually wide spread, which usually tracks specialisation, employer type and years of experience.

Rank in the bank

This median pays more than 97% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.

Highest-paying state

Georgia pays the most at $425,460, and still leads at $441,839 once local prices are taken into account.

Pay by state

Which states pay General Internal Medicine Physicians the most?

State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.

Top 10 states by median annual wage for General Internal Medicine Physicians
StateMedianCOL-adjustedEmployed
1Georgia$425,460$441,8395,440
2Rhode Island$379,490$371,031300
3Minnesota$373,700$378,9252,270
4Wisconsin$367,160$390,2011,450
5Alaska$366,080$357,643110
6South Carolina$359,500$383,4711,260
7Idaho$355,390$372,160130
8Washington$340,010$317,7281,100
9North Dakota$338,400$380,400200
10Utah$331,720$335,532210
See all 47 states, sortable, with cost-of-living adjustments

Job outlook

Is Endocrinologist a growing career?

Projected change in jobs

Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation

General Internal Medicine Physicians
+4%
All US occupations
+3.5%

About as fast as average. +4.0% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.

Projected employment change, 2025–2035
ItemValue
General Internal Medicine Physicians+4%
All US occupations+3.5%

Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035

About as fast as average

BLS projects employment of General Internal Medicine Physicians to change 4.0% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 2,900 more jobs.

Annual openings

About 1,900 openings are projected each year, 2.6% of the 73,100 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.

Getting in

How to become an Endocrinologist

After medical school and a three-year internal medicine residency, endocrinologists complete a two-year ACGME-accredited endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism fellowship. Pediatric endocrinologists train through pediatrics.

The American Board of Internal Medicine certifies them in internal medicine and endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism. The Endocrine Society and the American Association of Clinical Endocrinology are the main professional organizations. Residents interested in the field usually complete endocrinology electives, inpatient diabetes rotations and research during residency. Fellowship covers diabetes technology, thyroid ultrasound and biopsy, and the hormone testing used to diagnose rare gland disorders.

  1. 1

    Typical entry-level education

    Doctoral or professional degree

  2. 2

    Work experience in a related occupation

    None

  3. 3

    Typical on-the-job training

    Internship/residency

  4. 4

    Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)

    Considerable preparation

BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.

What education people in the job have

O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as general internal medicine physicians.

  • Post-Doctoral Training53%
  • Doctoral Degree47%
Highest education held by general internal medicine physicians
ItemValue
Post-Doctoral Training53%
Doctoral Degree47%

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database

The work

What does an Endocrinologist do?

Endocrinologists treat conditions caused by glands and hormones. The largest share of their work is diabetes, including insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitors. They also treat thyroid disease and thyroid nodules, osteoporosis, obesity, and disorders of the pituitary, adrenal and parathyroid glands, as well as hormone-related problems with growth, fertility and puberty.

They order and interpret hormone tests, perform thyroid ultrasound and needle biopsies, and manage medications that need careful adjustment. Endocrinologists work with surgeons on thyroid, parathyroid and pituitary surgery and with dietitians and diabetes educators on long-term care.

Day-to-day tasks

  1. Manage type 1 and type 2 diabetes, including insulin pumps and glucose monitors
  2. Diagnose and treat thyroid disorders and evaluate thyroid nodules
  3. Perform thyroid ultrasound and fine-needle aspiration biopsies
  4. Treat osteoporosis and calcium and parathyroid disorders
  5. Evaluate pituitary and adrenal disorders with hormone testing and imaging
  6. Prescribe and adjust medications for obesity and metabolic disease
  7. Coordinate with surgeons on gland surgery

Typical tasks, researched by NueCareer from the sources below.

Working conditions and hours

Endocrinologists work mostly in outpatient clinics, academic centers and multispecialty groups, with occasional hospital consults. Hours are regular and call is light. A growing share of follow-up visits happen by telehealth, supported by data from glucose monitors and pumps.

Where the work happens

  • Indoors, climate-controlled

    NeverEvery day

    Indoors, in a climate-controlled space, every day.

  • Outdoors in all weather

    NeverEvery day

    Almost never works outdoors.

Physical demands

  • Sitting

    NeverAlmost all the time
  • Standing

    NeverAlmost all the time
  • Bending or twisting

    NeverAlmost all the time

Working with people

  • Contact with other people

    NoneConstant

    Constant contact with other people.

  • Face-to-face discussions

    NeverEvery day

    Face-to-face discussions every day.

  • Dealing with the public

    Not importantExtremely important

    Dealing with customers or the public is very important.

Pressure and stakes

  • Strict deadlines

    NeverEvery day

    Meeting strict deadlines at least weekly.

  • Conflict situations

    NeverEvery day
  • Cost of a mistake

    Not seriousExtremely serious

    Mistakes carry very serious consequences.

Autonomy

  • Freedom to decide

    NoneA lot

    A lot of freedom to make decisions without checking first.

Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.

Core skills

O*NET importance, 1 to 5

  • Reading Comprehension4.1
  • Active Listening4.1
  • Writing4.0
  • Speaking4.0
  • Science4.0
  • Critical Thinking4.0
  • Active Learning3.9
  • Monitoring3.9
Core skills for General Internal Medicine Physicians
ItemValue
Reading Comprehension4.1
Active Listening4.1
Writing4.0
Speaking4.0
Science4.0
Critical Thinking4.0
Active Learning3.9
Monitoring3.9

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database

Transferable skills

O*NET importance, 1 to 5

  • Social Perceptiveness4.0
  • Complex Problem Solving4.0
  • Judgment and Decision Making4.0
  • Service Orientation3.8
  • Coordination3.3
  • Systems Analysis3.3
  • Persuasion3.1
  • Instructing3.1
Transferable skills for General Internal Medicine Physicians
ItemValue
Social Perceptiveness4.0
Complex Problem Solving4.0
Judgment and Decision Making4.0
Service Orientation3.8
Coordination3.3
Systems Analysis3.3
Persuasion3.1
Instructing3.1

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database

Tools and software

  • Medical software · in demand
  • Office suite software · in demand
  • Spreadsheet software · in demand
  • Billing and invoicing software
  • Calendar and scheduling software
  • Electronic mail software
  • Information retrieval or search software
  • Internet browser software

“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.

Personality fit

What personality type suits an Endocrinologist?

Interest profile

NueCareer estimate (Holland code ISC) built on O*NET's General Internal Medicine Physician profile, scored 1 to 7

Endocrinologist · Realistic: 4Endocrinologist · Investigative: 7Endocrinologist · Artistic: 1Endocrinologist · Social: 6Endocrinologist · Enterprising: 2Endocrinologist · Conventional: 4
Endocrinologist interest profile
AxisEndocrinologist
Realistic4
Investigative7
Artistic1
Social6
Enterprising2
Conventional4

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database

What the work is built around

Day to day this is work built around investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data, combined with teaching, helping and working directly with other people.

  • Investigative6.8
  • Social6.1
  • Realistic4.4
  • Conventional4.2
  • Enterprising2.1
  • Artistic1.4

Closest MBTI types

NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.

Questions

Endocrinologist: frequently asked questions

How much do General Internal Medicine Physicians make?

Medscape Physician Compensation Report 2026 reports $284,000 (average total annual compensation (salary, bonus and profit sharing), full-time US physicians in diabetes and endocrinology, 2025). BLS does not publish a separate wage for general internal medicine physicians. It counts them within general internal medicine physician, whose median pay is $256,560 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of that occupation earn between $124,470 and $374,850, and the top 10% earn $475,430 or more.

Do you need a degree to become an Endocrinologist?

Yes, and beyond a bachelor's: BLS lists a doctoral or professional degree as the typical entry requirement for General Internal Medicine Physicians. BLS also lists internship/residency as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 53.0% hold post-doctoral training.

Is Endocrinologist a growing career?

It is stable rather than fast-growing: employment is projected to change 4.0% over 2025–2035, about the same as the 3.5% projected across all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 1,900 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.

What does an Endocrinologist do?

Endocrinologists treat conditions caused by glands and hormones. A typical task: manage type 1 and type 2 diabetes, including insulin pumps and glucose monitors. Employers most often ask for Medical software, Office suite software, Spreadsheet software.

Which states pay General Internal Medicine Physicians the most?

The highest state medians for General Internal Medicine Physicians are Georgia ($425,460), Rhode Island ($379,490), Minnesota ($373,700) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

What personality type suits an Endocrinologist?

O*NET scores General Internal Medicine Physicians highest on the Investigative, Social and Realistic interest areas, so the work mixes investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data with teaching, helping and working directly with other people. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ISFJ, ISTJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.

Research sources for this career