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Role hub · Physicians, Pathologists

Pathologist: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.

The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.

Maid DizdarevicCareer coach · 8x LinkedIn Top Voice
Updated Oct 24, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · O*NET 31.0
Pay ladder · select a percentile
Median percentile pay

Half of pathologists earn more than this and half earn less.

Annual
$312,400
Hourly
$150.19
Source
BLS May 2025
Quick answer

Pathologists diagnose diseases and conduct lab tests using organs, body tissues, and fluids. The median pay is $312,400 a year ($150.19 an hour) (BLS, May 2025). The most commonly reported education requirement is post-doctoral training (62% of workers surveyed by O*NET).

Median pay
$312,400
BLS May 2025
Employed in the U.S.
11,110
BLS May 2025
Preparation
Job Zone 5 of 5
extensive preparation
Most common education
Post-Doctoral Training
62% of workers

Data Government data groups this job as Physicians, Pathologists (O*NET-SOC 29-1222.00). Figures on this page are for that occupation.

Explore the role

Every page for Pathologists

SalaryPathologist salary

Pay by percentile, state and metro, with a negotiation script.

Open →How to becomePathologist how to become

Education, training and the skills to build first.

Open →Career changePathologist career change

Where these skills transfer, with skill match and pay change.

Open →Free toolCheck your resume

Parsed text, evidence per bullet, fixes first.

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The work

What pathologists do day to day

Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).

  1. Examine microscopic samples to identify diseases or other abnormalities.
  2. Diagnose diseases or study medical conditions, using techniques such as gross pathology, histology, cytology, cytopathology, clinical chemistry, immunology, flow cytometry, or molecular biology.
  3. Write pathology reports summarizing analyses, results, and conclusions.
  4. Communicate pathologic findings to surgeons or other physicians.
  5. Identify the etiology, pathogenesis, morphological change, and clinical significance of diseases.
  6. Read current literature, talk with colleagues, or participate in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of developments in pathology.
  7. Consult with physicians about ordering and interpreting tests or providing treatments.
  8. Analyze and interpret results from tests, such as microbial or parasite tests, urine analyses, hormonal assays, fine needle aspirations (FNAs), and polymerase chain reactions (PCRs).
Skills that matter

Ranked by importance to the job

Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.

Reading ComprehensioncoreWritingcoreCritical ThinkingcoreComplex Problem SolvingActive ListeningScienceActive LearningJudgment and Decision MakingSpeaking

Knowledge areas: Medicine and Dentistry, Biology, English Language, Education and Training, Customer and Personal Service, Chemistry.

Tools and technology

Software pathologists use

Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.

  • Anatomic pathology softwareMedical software
  • Antek HealthWare LabDAQMedical software
  • Aspyra CyberLABMedical software
  • Aspyra CyberPATHMedical software
  • Blood Bank Computer Systems Blood Bank Control SystemMedical software
  • Blood bank information systemsMedical software
  • CPSI CPSI SystemMedical software
  • CSS CLS-2000Medical software
  • Cerner CoPathPlusMedical software
  • Cerner Millennium PathNetMedical software
  • Cerner Millennium PathNet Blood Bank TransfusionMedical software
  • ClinLab LISMedical software

Also called: Anatomic Pathologist, Cytopathologist, Dermatopathologist, Forensic Pathologist, Hematopathologist, Neuropathologist.

Method

How this page is built

Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the correlation between the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level, subtract the average across all occupations, and correlate the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 or below means unrelated. Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.

What this page can't tell you
  • How a specific employer defines the job.
  • Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
  • Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
Sources
  1. O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).