States in the Midwest and the South had the highest wages for physicians.
Becker’s used the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics salary data, released April 18, to determine the hourly pay rate by state and adjusted it for each state’s cost of living, using 2025 cost-of-living data from the World Population Review.
Here are the top-paying states for 15 physician specialties, adjusted by cost of living and their adjusted hourly wage:
| Position | State | Hourly pay | Hourly pay, adjusted by cost of living |
| Anesthesiologists | Minnesota | $223.72 | $237.75 |
| Cardiologists | Indiana | $254.34 | $277.97 |
| Dermatologists | Louisiana | $218.64 | $237.65 |
| Emergency medicine physicians | Iowa | $176.83 | $197.13 |
| Family medicine physicians | Nebraska | $150.84 | $167.41 |
| General internal medicine physicians | Georgia | $195.40 | $214.72 |
| Neurologists | Indiana | $205.36 | $224.44 |
| OB-GYNs | Missouri | $166.26 | $188.08 |
| Ophthalmologists | Ohio | $176.81 | $188.10 |
| Pediatricians | Louisiana | $170.22 | $185.02 |
| Pathologists | Nebraska | $155.54 | $172.63 |
| Podiatrists | Oklahoma | $108.07 | $125.66 |
| Psychiatrists | North Dakota | $165.23 | $174.66 |
| Radiologists | Minnesota | $247.81 | $263.35 |
| Physician, all others | Wyoming | $179.37 | $193.29 |
