Healthcare Practitioners and Technical

Pediatric Gastroenterologist Salary (2026), outlook and how to become one

Pediatrician who diagnoses and treats digestive, liver and nutrition problems in children, from reflux and celiac disease to inflammatory bowel disease.

Industry-reported pay
$298,457
BLS median (parent)
$210,040
Growth to 2035
+1.5%
Openings a year
1,000
Typical entry
Doctorate

Pediatrician who diagnoses and treats digestive, liver and nutrition problems in children, from reflux and celiac disease to inflammatory bowel disease. Doximity Physician Compensation Report 2025 puts typical pay at $298,457 a year (2024). BLS does not publish separate figures for pediatricians, general; it counts them within pediatrician, general (SOC 29-1221), whose median pay is $210,040 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Typical entry-level education: Doctoral or professional degree.

  • SOC 29-1221
  • Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
  • Last updated October 9, 2026

At a glance

Pediatric Gastroenterologist in four numbers

Median pay
$210,040a year, or $100.98/hr
Lowest 10% $91KTop 10% $339K

US median, all jobs: $50,980

BLS OEWS, May 2025
Projected growth
+1.5%Slower than average
This career
+1.5%
All jobs
+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035
ItemValue
This career+1.5%
All jobs+3.5%
BLS EP, 2025–2035
Openings a year
1,00042,200 jobs today
  • Jobs in 202542.2K
  • Projected 203542.9K
Employment, 2025–2035
ItemValue
Jobs in 202542.2K
Projected 203542.9K
BLS EP, 2025–2035
Typical education
Doctorateneeded to enter
  • Professional degree1.3%
  • Doctorate20.4%
  • Post-doctoral training78.3%
Highest education held by pediatricians, general
SegmentValue
Professional degree1.3%
Doctorate20.4%
Post-doctoral training78.3%
BLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET

Also advertised as: Pediatric GI Physician, Pediatric Gastroenterology Specialist, Pediatric Hepatologist, Children's Gastroenterologist.

Pay

How much do Pediatricians, General make?

Industry-reported pay

$298,457

Average annual compensation, US physicians in pediatric gastroenterology, all practice settings (survey of full-time physicians).

Source: Doximity Physician Compensation Report 2025, 2024 (published compensation survey). This is not a BLS figure: BLS counts pediatricians, general within pediatrician, general, whose pay is shown below. Doximity Physician Compensation Report 2025

Annual pay, lowest-paid to highest-paid

Every pediatric gastroenterologist in the US, by percentile of annual wage

Median

$210,040

Middle half earn $138,290 to $273,700

10th
$91,470
25th
$138,290
75th
$273,700
90th
$338,500

All US occupations: $50,980

Pediatric Gastroenterologist annual wages
PercentileValue
10th$91,470
25th$138,290
Median$210,040
75th$273,700
90th$338,500
All US occupations$50,980

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

Median annual wage
$210,040
Median hourly wage
$100.98/hr
Mean annual wage
$212,110
People employed
39,390

Versus all US occupations

At $210,040, Pediatricians, General earn 312% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $159,060 a year.

Versus healthcare practitioners and technical occupations

Inside the Healthcare Practitioners and Technical group, where the middle occupation pays $102,760, this is 104% above the group median.

Pay range

The top 10% earn $338,500 or more while the bottom 10% earn $91,470, a gap of 3.7×. 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 96% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.

Highest-paying state

Louisiana pays the most at $502,720, and still leads at $569,932 once local prices are taken into account.

Pay by state

Which states pay Pediatricians, General 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 Pediatricians, General
StateMedianCOL-adjustedEmployed
1Louisiana$502,720$569,93240
2Idaho$297,680$311,72660
3New Hampshire$273,410$262,478210
4Montana$273,260$288,72150
5Wisconsin$269,790$286,721350
6Alaska$267,390$261,22860
7Iowa$262,440$299,036230
8South Dakota$257,610$290,80280
9Maine$245,920$253,395130
10Oklahoma$236,780$269,549280
See all 50 states, sortable, with cost-of-living adjustments

Job outlook

Is Pediatric Gastroenterologist a growing career?

Projected change in jobs

Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation

Pediatricians, General
+1.5%
All US occupations
+3.5%

Slower than average. +1.5% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.

Projected employment change, 2025–2035
ItemValue
Pediatricians, General+1.5%
All US occupations+3.5%

Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035

Slower than average

BLS projects employment of Pediatricians, General to change 1.5% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 600 more jobs.

Annual openings

About 1,000 openings are projected each year, 2.4% of the 42,200 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.

Getting in

How to become a Pediatric Gastroenterologist

After medical school and a three-year pediatrics residency, pediatric gastroenterologists complete a three-year ACGME-accredited pediatric gastroenterology fellowship that includes endoscopy training and research.

The American Board of Pediatrics certifies them in pediatrics and pediatric gastroenterology. The North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (NASPGHAN) is the main professional organization. Pediatric residents interested in the field complete GI electives and research during residency. Fellowship covers pediatric endoscopy, liver disease, nutrition and inflammatory bowel disease, and many fellows complete a scholarly project to meet board requirements. Graduates usually join children's hospitals or academic pediatric departments.

  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 pediatricians, general.

  • Post-Doctoral Training78.3%
  • Doctoral Degree20.4%
  • First Professional Degree1.3%
Highest education held by pediatricians, general
ItemValue
Post-Doctoral Training78.3%
Doctoral Degree20.4%
First Professional Degree1.3%

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database

The work

What does a Pediatric Gastroenterologist do?

Pediatric gastroenterologists treat children with problems of the digestive tract, liver and pancreas. Common conditions include reflux, chronic abdominal pain, constipation, celiac disease, food allergy affecting the gut, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, liver disease and poor growth. They also manage children who need feeding tubes or IV nutrition.

They perform upper endoscopy and colonoscopy sized for children, take biopsies, remove swallowed objects and place feeding tubes. They work with pediatric surgeons, dietitians and psychologists, and some focus on liver transplant, inflammatory bowel disease or motility disorders.

Day-to-day tasks

  1. Evaluate children with abdominal pain, reflux, diarrhea and poor growth
  2. Perform pediatric upper endoscopy and colonoscopy with biopsies
  3. Diagnose and manage celiac disease and inflammatory bowel disease
  4. Treat pediatric liver disease and coordinate liver transplant care
  5. Manage feeding tubes and nutrition support
  6. Remove swallowed objects and food impactions
  7. Coordinate care with dietitians, surgeons and psychologists

Typical tasks, researched by NueCareer from the sources below.

Working conditions and hours

Pediatric gastroenterologists work in children's hospitals, academic centers and pediatric specialty groups. The week mixes clinic, endoscopy sessions and hospital consults, with call that is usually by phone. Endoscopy is done with sedation provided by anesthesia teams.

Where the work happens

  • Indoors, climate-controlled

    NeverEvery 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

Pressure and stakes

  • Strict deadlines

    NeverEvery day
  • Conflict situations

    NeverEvery day
  • Cost of a mistake

    Not seriousExtremely serious

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

  • Speaking4.3
  • Critical Thinking4.3
  • Reading Comprehension4.1
  • Active Listening4.1
  • Writing4.0
  • Science4.0
  • Active Learning4.0
  • Monitoring4.0
Core skills for Pediatricians, General
ItemValue
Speaking4.3
Critical Thinking4.3
Reading Comprehension4.1
Active Listening4.1
Writing4.0
Science4.0
Active Learning4.0
Monitoring4.0

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database

Transferable skills

O*NET importance, 1 to 5

  • Judgment and Decision Making4.3
  • Social Perceptiveness4.0
  • Complex Problem Solving4.0
  • Service Orientation3.9
  • Coordination3.4
  • Instructing3.4
  • Persuasion3.3
  • Negotiation3.0
Transferable skills for Pediatricians, General
ItemValue
Judgment and Decision Making4.3
Social Perceptiveness4.0
Complex Problem Solving4.0
Service Orientation3.9
Coordination3.4
Instructing3.4
Persuasion3.3
Negotiation3.0

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database

Tools and software

  • Data base user interface and query software · in demand
  • Medical software · in demand
  • 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 a Pediatric Gastroenterologist?

Interest profile

NueCareer estimate (Holland code ISR) built on O*NET's Pediatrician, General profile, scored 1 to 7

Pediatric Gastroenterologist · Realistic: 4Pediatric Gastroenterologist · Investigative: 6Pediatric Gastroenterologist · Artistic: 2Pediatric Gastroenterologist · Social: 7Pediatric Gastroenterologist · Enterprising: 3Pediatric Gastroenterologist · Conventional: 4
Pediatric Gastroenterologist interest profile
AxisPediatric Gastroenterologist
Realistic4
Investigative6
Artistic2
Social7
Enterprising3
Conventional4

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database

What the work is built around

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

  • Social6.6
  • Investigative6.3
  • Realistic4.2
  • Conventional3.6
  • Enterprising2.5
  • Artistic1.9

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

Pediatric Gastroenterologist: frequently asked questions

How much do Pediatricians, General make?

Doximity Physician Compensation Report 2025 reports $298,457 (average annual compensation, US physicians in pediatric gastroenterology, all practice settings (survey of full-time physicians), 2024). BLS does not publish a separate wage for pediatricians, general. It counts them within pediatrician, general, whose median pay is $210,040 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of that occupation earn between $138,290 and $273,700, and the top 10% earn $338,500 or more.

Do you need a degree to become a Pediatric Gastroenterologist?

Yes, and beyond a bachelor's: BLS lists a doctoral or professional degree as the typical entry requirement for Pediatricians, General. BLS also lists internship/residency as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 78.3% hold post-doctoral training.

Is Pediatric Gastroenterologist a growing career?

It is growing, but slowly: 1.5% over 2025–2035 against 3.5% for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 1,000 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.

What does a Pediatric Gastroenterologist do?

Pediatric gastroenterologists treat children with problems of the digestive tract, liver and pancreas. A typical task: evaluate children with abdominal pain, reflux, diarrhea and poor growth. Employers most often ask for Data base user interface and query software, Medical software.

Which states pay Pediatricians, General the most?

The highest state medians for Pediatricians, General are Louisiana ($502,720), Idaho ($297,680), New Hampshire ($273,410) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

What personality type suits a Pediatric Gastroenterologist?

O*NET scores Pediatricians, General highest on the Social, Investigative and Realistic interest areas, so the work mixes teaching, helping and working directly with other people with investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data. 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