Doctor salary and education: what each kind of doctor earns and needs.
“Doctor” is a family of jobs, not one occupation. Here is what each one pays, how many people do it, the education BLS lists to start, and where it is heading, from U.S. government data.
$271,090
Median annual wage, May 2025, 754,760 employed.
Physicians in the United States earned a median annual wage of $271,090 in May 2025, according to BLS. Across the 17 occupations on this page, medians ran from $210,040 (pediatricians, general) to $559,030 (pediatric surgeons). BLS lists a doctoral or professional degree as the typical entry-level education for each of them.
Doctors at a glance
BLS counted 754,760 physicians employed in the United States in May 2025.
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS counted 49,380 surgeons employed in the United States in May 2025, with a median annual wage of $369,540; BLS publishes surgeons as a separate group from physicians.
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Physicians, All Other are the largest occupation on this page, with 342,720 employed and a median annual wage of $265,930 in May 2025 (BLS).
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Among the occupations on this page, pediatric surgeons had the highest median annual wage in May 2025: $559,030 (BLS).
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS projects employment of psychiatrists to grow 7.2% from 2025 to 2035, the fastest projected change among the occupations on this page.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35
What each kind of doctor earns
Data One row per BLS occupation, sorted by median annual pay. Hourly pay is shown only where BLS publishes it.
| Occupation (BLS title) | Median annual pay | Median hourly | Employed | Typical entry-level education | Projected change 2025–35 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pediatric Surgeons | $559,030 | $268.76 | 1,190 | Doctoral or professional degree | +2.0% |
| Cardiologists | $496,010 | $238.47 | 17,290 | Doctoral or professional degree | +4.8% |
| Radiologists | $420,860 | $202.34 | 26,770 | Doctoral or professional degree | +3.4% |
| Surgeons, All Other | $414,010 | $199.04 | 25,140 | Doctoral or professional degree | +4.0% |
| Anesthesiologists | $391,490 | $188.22 | 38,760 | Doctoral or professional degree | +3.6% |
| Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric | $358,550 | $172.38 | 14,100 | Doctoral or professional degree | +4.0% |
| Emergency Medicine Physicians | $335,550 | $161.32 | 32,880 | Doctoral or professional degree | +3.2% |
| Dermatologists | $328,730 | $158.04 | 11,370 | Doctoral or professional degree | +6.8% |
| Physicians, Pathologists | $312,400 | $150.19 | 11,110 | Doctoral or professional degree | +4.8% |
| Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric | $300,080 | $144.27 | 8,950 | Doctoral or professional degree | +4.5% |
| Obstetricians and Gynecologists | $292,910 | $140.82 | 21,260 | Doctoral or professional degree | +1.7% |
| Psychiatrists | $281,870 | $135.51 | 27,980 | Doctoral or professional degree | +7.2% |
| Physicians, All Other | $265,930 | $127.85 | 342,720 | Doctoral or professional degree | +3.4% |
| General Internal Medicine Physicians | $256,560 | $123.35 | 67,150 | Doctoral or professional degree | +4.0% |
| Neurologists | $248,560 | $119.50 | 10,590 | Doctoral or professional degree | +6.4% |
| Family Medicine Physicians | $244,180 | $117.39 | 107,510 | Doctoral or professional degree | +3.3% |
| Pediatricians, General | $210,040 | $100.98 | 39,390 | Doctoral or professional degree | +1.5% |
What education do you need to be a doctor?
Data BLS typical entry-level education by occupation, 2025–35 projections. Typical, not a legal requirement; licensing rules vary by state, so check your state's licensing board.
- Doctoral or professional degreePediatric Surgeons; Cardiologists; Radiologists; Surgeons, All Other; Anesthesiologists; Orthopedic Surgeons; Emergency Medicine Physicians; Dermatologists; Physicians, Pathologists; Ophthalmologists; Obstetricians and Gynecologists; Psychiatrists; Physicians, All Other; General Internal Medicine Physicians; Neurologists; Family Medicine Physicians; Pediatricians, General
Doctors and related careers
Data BLS group medians, May 2025. Each group is a different set of occupations; no group is better.
| Career family | BLS group | Median annual pay | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Doctors | Physicians | $271,090 | 754,760 |
| Psychologists | Psychologists | $99,110 | 159,540 |
How this page is built
Pay and employment are BLS OEWS national estimates for May 2025, for each BLS detailed occupation listed. The family figure is the BLS Physicians group (29-1210), as published by BLS, not a TryHired calculation. Typical entry-level education and projected change are from BLS Employment Projections 2025–35. Which occupations count is a TryHired editorial choice, listed below.
Which occupations this page counts. Counted: every occupation in the BLS Physicians group (29-1210) and the BLS Surgeons group (29-1240). The family figure is the Physicians group, which BLS publishes separately from surgeons; the Surgeons group figure is shown in the key facts. “Physicians, all other” is the largest BLS physician occupation because many specialties have no occupation of their own. Dentists, optometrists, podiatrists and veterinarians are separate occupations and are not counted.
- Pay at a specific employer, union contract or school district.
- Licensing or certification rules in your state.
- Which of these careers suits you personally.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025–35 (public domain): typical entry-level education and projected employment change.