The findings are from Medscape’s “2024 Physician Compensation Report,” released April 12, which examined survey responses from 7,000 physicians across more than 29 specialties between Oct. 2 and Jan. 16.
The three highest-compensated specialties were orthopedics, plastic surgery and cardiology, while infectious disease, pediatric and diabetes/endocrinology physicians reported the lowest levels of compensation, according to the report.
Below are 29 physician specialties ranked by 2023 compensation, per Medscape:
1. Orthopedics (includes orthopedics and orthopedic surgery): $558,000
2. Plastic surgery: $536,000
3. Cardiology: $525,000
4. Urology: $515,000
5. Gastroenterology: $512,000
6. Radiology: $498,000
7. Dermatology: $479,000
8. Anesthesiology: $472,000
9. Oncology (includes hematology and oncology): $464,000
10. Otolaryngology: $459,000
11. General surgery: $423,000
12. Ophthalmology: $409,000
13. Critical care: $401,000
14. Pulmonary medicine: $397,000
15. Emergency medicine: $379,000
16. Pathology: $366,000
17. OB-GYN: $352,000
18. Neurology: $343,000
19 (tie). Nephrology: $341,000
19 (tie). Physical medicine and rehabilitation: $341,000
21. Psychiatry: $323,000
22. Allergy and immunology: $307,000
23. Rheumatology: $286,000
24. Internal medicine: $282,000
25. Family medicine: $272,000
26. Public health and preventive medicine: $263,000
27. Infectious diseases: $261,000
28. Pediatrics: $260,000
29. Diabetes and endocrinology: $256,000
