Values shown as $239,200+ exceed the BLS publication ceiling; exact figures are not published.
Pay by state · 52 areas
Sports Medicine Physician Salary by State (2026)
Sports Medicine Physicians earn the most in North Dakota at $454,550 a year and the least in District of Columbia at $77,430 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $265,930. The table below covers all 50 states, DC and Puerto Rico, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $454,550North Dakota
- National median
- $265,930BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $77,430District of Columbia
- Areas reporting
- 52of 54 OEWS areas
Top and bottom
Highest- and lowest-paying states for sports medicine physicians
Ranked on the state median among the 50 states and DC. Territories are in the full table but not ranked here.
Highest median pay
- 1North Dakota$454,550
- 2Montana$438,850
- 3Maine$419,410
- 4Wisconsin$391,740
- 5Minnesota$367,320
Lowest median pay
- 1District of Columbia$77,430
- 2Illinois$132,540
- 3Arkansas$136,880
- 4Michigan$155,480
- 5Maryland$212,080
All states
Sports Medicine Physician salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of sports medicine physicians OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NDNorth Dakota | $454,550 | $287,540 | $564,000 | 740 | $510,966 |
| 2 | MTMontana | $438,850 | $326,580 | $438,850 | 580 | $463,680 |
| 3 | MEMaine | $419,410 | $312,930 | $442,790 | 1,340 | $432,159 |
| 4 | WIWisconsin | $391,740 | $280,990 | $448,470 | 6,350 | $416,324 |
| 5 | MNMinnesota | $367,320 | $214,230 | $392,360 | 5,350 | $372,456 |
| 6 | INIndiana | $366,190 | $213,350 | $428,230 | 6,760 | $392,365 |
| 7 | NHNew Hampshire | $361,300 | $236,820 | $362,850 | 1,000 | $346,854 |
| 8 | AKAlaska | $355,100 | $239,720 | $426,050 | 270 | $346,916 |
| 9 | LALouisiana | $350,920 | $209,810 | $419,840 | 4,740 | $397,837 |
| 10 | OROregon | $347,180 | $273,940 | $381,480 | 4,130 | $335,891 |
| 11 | VTVermont | $343,050 | $247,520 | $400,490 | 440 | $350,201 |
| 12 | WYWyoming | $342,800 | $256,180 | $377,870 | 440 | $369,831 |
| 13 | HIHawaii | $339,290 | $248,960 | $427,560 | 1,830 | $308,583 |
| 14 | NMNew Mexico | $327,670 | $228,720 | $397,140 | 1,930 | $355,344 |
| 15 | KYKentucky | $327,390 | $218,540 | $452,650 | 3,340 | $363,125 |
| 16 | AZArizona | $312,490 | $172,540 | $432,340 | 6,800 | $310,389 |
| 17 | WAWashington | $307,170 | $215,640 | $363,470 | 6,300 | $287,040 |
| 18 | TNTennessee | $301,290 | $181,200 | $426,850 | 5,340 | $327,953 |
| 19 | IDIdaho | $299,340 | $114,030 | $387,810 | 1,700 | $313,465 |
| 20 | COColorado | $298,320 | $229,920 | $357,470 | 1,990 | $289,485 |
| 21 | DEDelaware | $297,470 | $89,130 | $326,400 | 1,370 | $298,042 |
| 22 | OHOhio | $297,440 | $104,800 | $432,890 | 21,160 | $320,607 |
| 23 | IAIowa | $295,190 | $160,440 | $350,480 | 1,440 | $336,353 |
| 24 | NENebraska | $290,470 | $224,030 | $379,790 | 1,170 | $322,376 |
| 25 | NJNew Jersey | $285,010 | $115,930 | $361,100 | 9,730 | $261,946 |
| 26 | CACalifornia | $281,590 | $98,870 | $340,730 | 25,530 | $254,326 |
| 27 | VAVirginia | $278,530 | $183,190 | $350,550 | 8,480 | $275,489 |
| 28 | SCSouth Carolina | $274,480 | $163,900 | $427,760 | 4,510 | $292,782 |
| 29 | ALAlabama | $272,610 | $139,280 | $357,010 | 3,980 | $306,914 |
| 30 | TXTexas | $269,800 | $108,990 | $370,990 | 30,720 | $277,981 |
| 31 | GAGeorgia | $266,880 | $142,420 | $392,740 | 8,580 | $277,154 |
| 32 | FLFlorida | $262,180 | $168,060 | $364,750 | 23,390 | $253,525 |
| 33 | NCNorth Carolina | $260,330 | $77,810 | $361,250 | 14,080 | $275,990 |
| 34 | OKOklahoma | $259,220 | $65,200 | $351,780 | 2,520 | $295,095 |
| 35 | WVWest Virginia | $258,020 | $63,950 | $326,230 | 1,980 | $288,300 |
| 36 | NVNevada | $252,120 | $141,800 | $327,770 | 2,400 | $252,173 |
| 37 | NYNew York | $242,500 | $122,260 | $352,190 | 16,600 | $224,701 |
| 38 | SDSouth Dakota | $239,200+ | $239,200+ | $239,200+ | 200 | N/A |
| 39 | MAMassachusetts | $236,580 | $85,550 | $384,490 | 8,210 | $223,702 |
| 40 | RIRhode Island | $228,590 | $169,860 | $320,690 | 1,180 | $223,494 |
| 41 | MSMississippi | $228,130 | $61,960 | $359,250 | N/A | $262,360 |
| 42 | UTUtah | $228,060 | $82,330 | $362,440 | 3,510 | $230,681 |
| 43 | MOMissouri | $227,980 | $83,340 | $361,400 | 3,990 | $251,032 |
| 44 | KSKansas | $221,540 | $70,520 | $382,360 | 5,230 | $245,970 |
| 45 | PAPennsylvania | $217,310 | $78,710 | $370,140 | 23,800 | $222,718 |
| 46 | CTConnecticut | $214,990 | $98,840 | $373,210 | 4,700 | $207,499 |
| 47 | MDMaryland | $212,080 | $144,890 | $317,140 | 10,340 | $202,060 |
| 48 | PRPuerto Rico | $172,230 | $60,420 | $284,960 | 930 | N/A |
| 49 | MIMichigan | $155,480 | $66,870 | $318,630 | 13,150 | $161,593 |
| 50 | ARArkansas | $136,880 | $64,330 | $319,180 | 4,290 | $157,447 |
| 51 | ILIllinois | $132,540 | $81,360 | $372,880 | 20,790 | $132,596 |
| 52 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $77,430 | $77,430 | $253,380 | 1,960 | $70,454 |
Values shown as $239,200+ exceed the BLS publication ceiling; exact figures are not published. Those states are ranked at that floor, so their true position may be higher.
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For sports medicine physicians, the adjustment does not change the leader: North Dakota is first on raw pay and still first once prices are taken into account, at $510,966.
States whose median is shown as $239,200+ have no adjusted figure at all: the published value is a ceiling rather than a measured wage, and dividing a ceiling by a price parity would produce a number that looks exact but is not.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Sports Medicine Physician pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays sports medicine physicians the most?
North Dakota reports the highest median wage for sports medicine physicians at $454,550 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Montana ($438,850) and Maine ($419,410).
Which state pays sports medicine physicians the least?
Among the 50 states and DC, District of Columbia reports the lowest median for sports medicine physicians at $77,430 a year, $377,120 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Among the territories, Puerto Rico reports $172,230.
In which states do sports medicine physicians earn over $100,000?
50 of the 50 states and DC have a median of $100,000 or more (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The highest is North Dakota; the lowest of them is Illinois at $132,540. The rest report less, down to $77,430 in District of Columbia.
Is the highest-paying state the best for sports medicine physicians after cost of living?
Yes. North Dakota stays first after dividing each state median by its BEA Regional Price Parity, at $510,966 in national-average dollars from a raw $454,550. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024; the adjustment is NueCareer's calculation.