Orthopedic surgeon who specializes in the spine, treating disc disease, stenosis, deformity, fractures and tumors of the neck and back. Medscape Physician Compensation Report 2026 puts typical pay at $611,000 a year (2025). BLS does not publish separate figures for orthopedic surgeons, except pediatric; it counts them within orthopedic surgeon, except pediatric (SOC 29-1242), whose median pay is $358,550 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Typical entry-level education: Doctoral or professional degree.
- SOC 29-1242
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Orthopedic Spine Surgeon in four numbers
- Median pay
- $358,550a year, or $172.38/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $84KTop 10% $659K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +4.0%About as fast as averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+4%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +4% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 40015,500 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 202515.5K
- Projected 203516.1K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 15.5K Projected 2035 16.1K - Typical education
- Doctorateneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
Also advertised as: Spine Surgeon, Orthopaedic Spine Surgeon, Spinal Surgeon, Spine Deformity Surgeon.
Pay
How much do Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric make?
Industry-reported pay
$611,000
Average total annual compensation (salary, bonus and profit sharing), full-time US physicians in orthopedics, the narrowest published survey group that includes orthopedic spine surgeons.
Source: Medscape Physician Compensation Report 2026, 2025 (published compensation survey). This is not a BLS figure: BLS counts orthopedic surgeons, except pediatric within orthopedic surgeon, except pediatric, whose pay is shown below. Medscape Physician Compensation Report 2026 · The DO: What physicians are getting paid in 2026 (Medscape 2026 specialty figures) · Doximity Physician Compensation Report 2025
Every orthopedic spine surgeon in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$358,550
Middle half earn $180,610 to $530,700
- 10th
- $84,170
- 25th
- $180,610
- 75th
- $530,700
- 90th
- $659,290
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $84,170 |
| 25th | $180,610 |
| Median | $358,550 |
| 75th | $530,700 |
| 90th | $659,290 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $358,550
- Median hourly wage
- $172.38/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $373,570
- People employed
- 14,100
Versus all US occupations
At $358,550, Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric earn 603% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $307,570 a year.
Versus healthcare practitioners and technical occupations
Inside the Healthcare Practitioners and Technical group, where the middle occupation pays $102,760, this is 249% above the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $659,290 or more while the bottom 10% earn $84,170, a gap of 7.8×. 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 99% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
Missouri pays the most at $842,800, and still leads at $928,020 once local prices are taken into account.
Pay by state
Which states pay Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric 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.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Missouri | $842,800 | $928,020 | N/A |
| 2West Virginia | $597,740 | $667,888 | 120 |
| 3Wisconsin | $572,060 | $607,960 | 290 |
| 4Montana | $560,820 | $592,551 | N/A |
| 5Arizona | $558,970 | $555,211 | 110 |
| 6New Hampshire | $555,670 | $533,452 | 80 |
| 7Washington | $553,310 | $517,049 | 290 |
| 8Mississippi | $544,130 | $625,775 | N/A |
| 9Minnesota | $537,830 | $545,350 | 320 |
| 10Oklahoma | $530,070 | $603,429 | 30 |
Job outlook
Is Orthopedic Spine Surgeon a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
About as fast as average. +4.0% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric | +4% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
About as fast as average
BLS projects employment of Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric to change 4.0% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 600 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 400 openings are projected each year, 2.6% of the 15,500 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become an Orthopedic Spine Surgeon
After medical school, surgeons complete a five-year ACGME-accredited orthopaedic surgery residency and then a one-year spine surgery fellowship, which may be in orthopaedics or combined with neurosurgery. Some take further training in deformity or pediatric spine.
They are certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery through a written exam and an oral exam based on their own practice. The North American Spine Society and the Scoliosis Research Society are the main professional groups. Neurosurgeons also perform much of the same spine surgery through a different training route.
- 1
Typical entry-level education
Doctoral or professional degree
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
Internship/residency
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Considerable preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
The work
What does an Orthopedic Spine Surgeon do?
Orthopedic spine surgeons diagnose and treat conditions of the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine. They operate on herniated discs, spinal stenosis, spondylolisthesis, scoliosis and other deformities, fractures, infections and tumors. Common procedures include decompression, spinal fusion, disc replacement and minimally invasive techniques using navigation and robotics.
A large share of their patients do not need surgery, so they also guide nonoperative care with physical therapy, injections and medication, often in partnership with physiatrists and pain specialists. Deciding who will truly benefit from surgery is one of the most important parts of the job.
Day-to-day tasks
- Evaluate neck and back pain, weakness and deformity with examination and imaging
- Perform spinal decompression, discectomy and laminectomy
- Perform spinal fusion and disc replacement using navigation or robotic guidance
- Correct scoliosis and other spinal deformities
- Treat spinal fractures, infections and tumors
- Direct nonoperative care including therapy and injections
- Follow patients through recovery and rehabilitation
Typical tasks, researched by NueCareer from the sources below.
Working conditions and hours
Spine surgeons work in hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers and orthopedic or spine group practices. The schedule mixes clinic with long operating days, and call covers spinal trauma and infections. Using intraoperative imaging means wearing lead protection and standing for long periods.
Tools and software
- Medical software · in demand
- Operating system software · in demand
- Graphics or photo imaging software
- Human resources 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 Orthopedic Spine Surgeon?
NueCareer estimate (Holland code IRS) built on O*NET's Orthopedic Surgeon, Except Pediatric profile, scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Orthopedic Spine Surgeon |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 5 |
| Investigative | 7 |
| Artistic | 1 |
| Social | 5 |
| Enterprising | 2 |
| Conventional | 4 |
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 hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors.
- Investigative6.5
- Realistic5.3
- Social5.0
- Conventional3.9
- Enterprising2.4
- Artistic1.5
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.
Explore further
Careers related to Orthopedic Spine Surgeon
O*NET related occupations
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
More healthcare practitioners and technical careers
Median annual pay, with orthopedic surgeons, except pediatric highlighted
- Anesthesiologist$391,490
- Orthopedic Spine Surgeon$358,550
- Physician Assistant$135,880
- Nurse Practitioner$132,300
- Physical Therapist$102,760
- Dental Hygienist$98,100
- Diagnostic Medical Sonographer$96,590
- Radiologic Technologist and Technician$80,110
- Surgical Technologist$64,650
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Anesthesiologist | $391,490 |
| Orthopedic Spine Surgeon | $358,550 |
| Physician Assistant | $135,880 |
| Nurse Practitioner | $132,300 |
| Physical Therapist | $102,760 |
| Dental Hygienist | $98,100 |
| Diagnostic Medical Sonographer | $96,590 |
| Radiologic Technologist and Technician | $80,110 |
| Surgical Technologist | $64,650 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Orthopedic Spine Surgeon appears on
Questions
Orthopedic Spine Surgeon: frequently asked questions
How much do Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric make?
Medscape Physician Compensation Report 2026 reports $611,000 (average total annual compensation (salary, bonus and profit sharing), full-time US physicians in orthopedics, the narrowest published survey group that includes orthopedic spine surgeons, 2025). BLS does not publish a separate wage for orthopedic surgeons, except pediatric. It counts them within orthopedic surgeon, except pediatric, whose median pay is $358,550 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of that occupation earn between $180,610 and $530,700, and the top 10% earn $659,290 or more.
Do you need a degree to become an Orthopedic Spine Surgeon?
Yes, and beyond a bachelor's: BLS lists a doctoral or professional degree as the typical entry requirement for Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric. BLS also lists internship/residency as typical on-the-job training.
Is Orthopedic Spine Surgeon 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 400 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does an Orthopedic Spine Surgeon do?
Orthopedic spine surgeons diagnose and treat conditions of the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine. A typical task: evaluate neck and back pain, weakness and deformity with examination and imaging. Employers most often ask for Medical software, Operating system software.
Which states pay Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric the most?
The highest state medians for Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric are Missouri ($842,800), West Virginia ($597,740), Wisconsin ($572,060) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits an Orthopedic Spine Surgeon?
O*NET scores Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric highest on the Investigative, Realistic and Social interest areas, so the work mixes investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data with hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ISTJ, ISTP. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.