Surgeon who restores form and function after cancer, injury or birth defects, and performs cosmetic surgery on the face, breast and body. Medscape Physician Compensation Report 2026 puts typical pay at $554,000 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
Plastic and Reconstructive 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: Reconstructive Surgeon, Aesthetic Plastic Surgeon, Cosmetic Surgeon, Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon, Microsurgeon.
Pay
How much do Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric make?
Industry-reported pay
$554,000
Average total annual compensation (salary, bonus and profit sharing), full-time US physicians in plastic surgery.
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 plastic and reconstructive 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 Plastic and Reconstructive 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 a Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon
Most plastic surgeons enter a six-year integrated plastic surgery residency straight from medical school; others complete general surgery or another surgical residency and then a three-year independent plastic surgery program. Both are ACGME accredited. Optional fellowships cover hand, microsurgery, craniofacial and aesthetic surgery.
The American Board of Plastic Surgery certifies surgeons through a written exam and an oral exam based on their own cases. Membership in the American Society of Plastic Surgeons requires that certification. Integrated residency is among the most competitive matches in medicine.
- 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 a Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon do?
Plastic surgeons reconstruct and reshape the body. Reconstructive work includes rebuilding breasts after mastectomy, covering wounds with tissue flaps, repairing cleft lip and palate, reattaching fingers, treating burns and restoring the face after trauma or cancer surgery. Microsurgery, joining blood vessels and nerves under a microscope, is a core skill.
Cosmetic work includes facelifts, eyelid surgery, rhinoplasty, breast augmentation and reduction, body contouring after weight loss, and nonsurgical treatments such as injectables. Many surgeons blend both kinds of practice. Others focus on one area, such as hand surgery, craniofacial surgery, gender-affirming surgery or aesthetic practice.
Day-to-day tasks
- Reconstruct breasts after mastectomy using implants or the patient's own tissue
- Close complex wounds with skin grafts and local or free tissue flaps
- Repair facial fractures and soft tissue injuries after trauma
- Perform microsurgery to reconnect vessels and nerves
- Repair congenital differences such as cleft lip and palate
- Perform cosmetic procedures including facelift, rhinoplasty, breast and body contouring
- Consult with patients about goals, risks and expected results
Typical tasks, researched by NueCareer from the sources below.
Working conditions and hours
Plastic surgeons work in hospitals, academic centers, outpatient surgery centers and private offices with accredited operating suites. Reconstructive surgeons take trauma and hand call; aesthetic practices keep more regular hours but run like small businesses with marketing and patient coordination. Microsurgical cases can be very long.
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 a Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon?
NueCareer estimate (Holland code RIA) built on O*NET's Orthopedic Surgeon, Except Pediatric profile, scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 6 |
| Investigative | 7 |
| Artistic | 3 |
| 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
- Realistic5.5
- Social4.8
- Conventional3.9
- Artistic2.6
- Enterprising2.4
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.
Explore further
Careers related to Plastic and Reconstructive 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
- Plastic and Reconstructive 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 |
| Plastic and Reconstructive 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 Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon appears on
Questions
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon: frequently asked questions
How much do Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric make?
Medscape Physician Compensation Report 2026 reports $554,000 (average total annual compensation (salary, bonus and profit sharing), full-time US physicians in plastic surgery, 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 a Plastic and Reconstructive 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 Plastic and Reconstructive 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 a Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon do?
Plastic surgeons reconstruct and reshape the body. A typical task: reconstruct breasts after mastectomy using implants or the patient's own tissue. 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 a Plastic and Reconstructive 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 ISTP, ISTJ, INTJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.