---
title: "Highest-Paying Doctors"
description: "Physician and surgeon specialties ranked by typical pay. BLS publishes medians for about twenty physician codes; the subspecialties it counts together…"
canonical: "https://nuecareer.com/careers/highest-paying-doctors"
last-updated: "2026-10-09T10:57:55.138Z"
---

# Highest-Paying Doctors

Physician and surgeon specialties ranked by typical pay. BLS publishes medians for about twenty physician codes; the subspecialties it counts together (neurosurgery, interventional cardiology, Mohs surgery and others) use the specialty compensation surveys cited on each page. BLS stops short here: it folds most of these careers into broad codes (a neurosurgeon is counted with every other physician), so where a career carries industry-reported pay from a named survey, scale or filing (Medscape, MGMA, Levels.fyi, AmLaw, union contracts and similar), that figure is used and its source is on the career page. Everything else is BLS OEWS.

48 occupations, in the ranked order the career bank computed. Wages are BLS OEWS, May 2025. Growth figures are BLS Employment Projections and education is the BLS "typical education needed for entry".

| # | Occupation | Median annual wage | Projected growth | Typical education |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | [Congenital Heart Surgeon](https://nuecareer.com/careers/congenital-heart-surgeon) | $559,030 | +2.0% | Doctorate |
| 2 | [Cardiac Electrophysiologist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/cardiac-electrophysiologist) | $496,010 | +4.8% | Doctorate |
| 3 | [Interventional Cardiologist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/interventional-cardiologist) | $496,010 | +4.8% | Doctorate |
| 4 | [Neurosurgeon](https://nuecareer.com/careers/neurosurgeon) | $358,550 | +4.0% | Doctorate |
| 5 | [Cardiothoracic Surgeon](https://nuecareer.com/careers/cardiothoracic-surgeon) | $358,550 | +4.0% | Doctorate |
| 6 | [Mohs Surgeon](https://nuecareer.com/careers/mohs-surgeon) | $328,730 | +6.8% | Doctorate |
| 7 | [Orthopedic Spine Surgeon](https://nuecareer.com/careers/orthopedic-spine-surgeon) | $358,550 | +4.0% | Doctorate |
| 8 | [Radiation Oncologist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/radiation-oncologist) | $420,860 | +3.4% | Doctorate |
| 9 | [Vascular Surgeon](https://nuecareer.com/careers/vascular-surgeon) | $358,550 | +4.0% | Doctorate |
| 10 | [Pediatric Surgeon](https://nuecareer.com/careers/pediatric-surgeon) | $559,030 | +2.0% | Doctorate |
| 11 | [Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon](https://nuecareer.com/careers/plastic-and-reconstructive-surgeon) | $358,550 | +4.0% | Doctorate |
| 12 | [Interventional Gastroenterologist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/interventional-gastroenterologist) | $256,560 | +4.0% | Doctorate |
| 13 | [Pediatric Anesthesiologist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/pediatric-anesthesiologist) | $391,490 | +3.6% | Doctorate |
| 14 | [Otolaryngologist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/otolaryngologist) | $358,550 | +4.0% | Doctorate |
| 15 | [Cardiologist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/cardiologist) | $496,010 | +4.8% | Doctorate |
| 16 | [Colorectal Surgeon](https://nuecareer.com/careers/colorectal-surgeon) | $358,550 | +4.0% | Doctorate |
| 17 | [Hematologist-Oncologist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/hematologist-oncologist) | $256,560 | +4.0% | Doctorate |
| 18 | [Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/maternal-fetal-medicine-specialist) | $292,910 | +1.7% | Doctorate |
| 19 | [Reproductive Endocrinologist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/reproductive-endocrinologist) | $292,910 | +1.7% | Doctorate |
| 20 | [Retina Specialist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/retina-specialist) | $300,080 | +4.5% | Doctorate |
| 21 | [Gynecologic Oncologist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/gynecologic-oncologist) | $292,910 | +1.7% | Doctorate |
| 22 | [Trauma Surgeon](https://nuecareer.com/careers/trauma-surgeon) | $358,550 | +4.0% | Doctorate |
| 23 | [Critical Care Physician](https://nuecareer.com/careers/critical-care-physician) | $265,930 | +3.4% | Doctorate |
| 24 | [Radiologist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/radiologist) | $420,860 | +3.4% | Doctorate |
| 25 | [Surgical Oncologist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/surgical-oncologist) | $358,550 | +4.0% | Doctorate |
| 26 | [Pulmonologist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/pulmonologist) | $256,560 | +4.0% | Doctorate |
| 27 | [Anesthesiologist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/anesthesiologist) | $391,490 | +3.6% | Doctorate |
| 28 | [Neonatologist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/neonatologist) | $210,040 | +1.5% | Doctorate |
| 29 | [Nephrologist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/nephrologist) | $256,560 | +4.0% | Doctorate |
| 30 | [Orthopedic Surgeon, Except Pediatric](https://nuecareer.com/careers/orthopedic-surgeon) | $358,550 | +4.0% | Doctorate |
| 31 | [Emergency Medicine Physician](https://nuecareer.com/careers/emergency-medicine-physician) | $335,550 | +3.2% | Doctorate |
| 32 | [Dermatologist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/dermatologist) | $328,730 | +6.8% | Doctorate |
| 33 | [Pathologist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/pathologist) | $312,400 | +4.8% | Doctorate |
| 34 | [Ophthalmologist, Except Pediatric](https://nuecareer.com/careers/ophthalmologist) | $300,080 | +4.5% | Doctorate |
| 35 | [Pediatric Gastroenterologist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/pediatric-gastroenterologist) | $210,040 | +1.5% | Doctorate |
| 36 | [Obstetrician and Gynecologist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/obstetrician-and-gynecologist) | $292,910 | +1.7% | Doctorate |
| 37 | [Endocrinologist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/endocrinologist) | $256,560 | +4.0% | Doctorate |
| 38 | [Rheumatologist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/rheumatologist) | $256,560 | +4.0% | Doctorate |
| 39 | [Infectious Disease Physician](https://nuecareer.com/careers/infectious-disease-physician) | $256,560 | +4.0% | Doctorate |
| 40 | [Pediatric Pulmonologist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/pediatric-pulmonologist) | $210,040 | +1.5% | Doctorate |
| 41 | [Psychiatrist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/psychiatrist) | $281,870 | +7.2% | Doctorate |
| 42 | [Aerospace Medicine Physician](https://nuecareer.com/careers/aerospace-medicine-physician) | $265,930 | +3.4% | Doctorate |
| 43 | [Allergist and Immunologist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/allergist-and-immunologist) | $265,930 | +3.4% | Doctorate |
| 44 | [Hospitalist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/hospitalist) | $265,930 | +3.4% | Doctorate |
| 45 | [Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Physician](https://nuecareer.com/careers/physical-medicine-and-rehabilitation-physician) | $265,930 | +3.4% | Doctorate |
| 46 | [Preventive Medicine Physician](https://nuecareer.com/careers/preventive-medicine-physician) | $265,930 | +3.4% | Doctorate |
| 47 | [Sports Medicine Physician](https://nuecareer.com/careers/sports-medicine-physician) | $265,930 | +3.4% | Doctorate |
| 48 | [Urologist](https://nuecareer.com/careers/urologist) | $265,930 | +3.4% | Doctorate |

Full record for any row, including wage percentiles and state-level pay: https://nuecareer.com/careers/{slug} or https://nuecareer.com/api/v1/careers/{slug}.

---

This bank includes information from the O\*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). O\*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. NueCareer has transformed the data by joining it to BLS wage and projection data and deriving facet, personality-fit and AI-resilience scores. BLS and BEA data are public domain (17 U.S.C. §105).

O\*NET content is used under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). How these figures are sourced and derived: https://nuecareer.com/careers/methodology

JSON representation of this page: https://nuecareer.com/api/v1/collections/highest-paying-doctors