Surgeon who treats severely injured patients and surgical emergencies, leading resuscitation in the trauma bay and caring for patients in surgical intensive care. Medscape Physician Compensation Report 2026 puts typical pay at $442,000 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
Trauma 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: Acute Care Surgeon, Trauma and Acute Care Surgeon, Surgical Intensivist, Trauma Surgery Attending.
Pay
How much do Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric make?
Industry-reported pay
$442,000
Average total annual compensation (salary, bonus and profit sharing), full-time US physicians in general surgery, the survey group that includes trauma and acute care 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)
Every trauma 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 Trauma 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 Trauma Surgeon
Trauma surgeons finish medical school and a five-year general surgery residency, then complete a one-year ACGME-accredited surgical critical care fellowship. Many choose a two-year acute care surgery fellowship verified by the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma, which adds emergency general surgery and trauma operative experience.
They hold American Board of Surgery certification in general surgery and its subspecialty certificate in surgical critical care. Working at a verified trauma center also requires ongoing trauma education such as Advanced Trauma Life Support from the American College of Surgeons.
- 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 Trauma Surgeon do?
Trauma surgeons lead the team that receives critically injured patients from car crashes, falls, gunshots and other violence. They direct resuscitation, decide quickly who needs an operation, and perform emergency surgery to stop bleeding and repair injured organs. Many also practice acute care surgery, handling emergencies such as appendicitis, bowel obstruction and perforation.
Because injured patients often need days or weeks of intensive care, most trauma surgeons are also surgical critical care specialists who manage ventilators, shock and organ failure in the surgical intensive care unit. They work with emergency physicians, orthopedic surgeons, neurosurgeons and rehabilitation teams, and many lead injury prevention programs.
Day-to-day tasks
- Lead trauma team resuscitations for severely injured patients
- Perform emergency operations to control bleeding and repair injured organs
- Manage emergency general surgery cases such as perforation and bowel obstruction
- Care for critically ill patients in the surgical intensive care unit
- Use damage control surgery and staged operations for unstable patients
- Coordinate care with orthopedic, neurosurgical and rehabilitation teams
- Take part in trauma quality review and injury prevention programs
Typical tasks, researched by NueCareer from the sources below.
Working conditions and hours
Trauma surgeons work at designated trauma centers, usually large academic or regional hospitals. Many work in blocks of in-house shifts, including overnight and weekend coverage, followed by days off. The pace is unpredictable and physically and emotionally demanding.
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 Trauma Surgeon?
NueCareer estimate (Holland code RIS) built on O*NET's Orthopedic Surgeon, Except Pediatric profile, scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Trauma Surgeon |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 6 |
| 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
- Realistic5.5
- 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 Trauma 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
- Trauma 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 |
| Trauma 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 Trauma Surgeon appears on
Questions
Trauma Surgeon: frequently asked questions
How much do Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric make?
Medscape Physician Compensation Report 2026 reports $442,000 (average total annual compensation (salary, bonus and profit sharing), full-time US physicians in general surgery, the survey group that includes trauma and acute care 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 a Trauma 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 Trauma 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 Trauma Surgeon do?
Trauma surgeons lead the team that receives critically injured patients from car crashes, falls, gunshots and other violence. A typical task: lead trauma team resuscitations for severely injured patients. 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 Trauma 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.