By Mariah Taylor

In 2025, physician compensation rose by about 3%, reversing course after slow pay growth in previous years, an April 10 a physician report found.

5,916 full-time physicians across 29 specialities were surveyed between September 5 and December 17, 2025 for its “‘A Return to Normalization’: Physician Compensation Report 2026.” The company also used data from its 2024 version of the survey for these specialties: allergy and immunology, critical care, infectious disease, nephrology, otolaryngology, plastic surgery, public health and preventive medicine, pulmonary medicine and rheumatology.

Despite rising pay, 61% of respondents said they believe physicians as a whole are underpaid.

Rising compensation rates varied by specialty. Pathology had the lowest increase at 1%, while cardiology had the highest increase at 10%. Eight specialties made over $500,000, and seven — physical medicine and rehabilitation, nephrology, dermatology, oncology and hematology, pulmonary medicine, allergy and immunology, and psychiatry — saw pay decreases over 2024.

Average physician pay also varies by region, with physicians in the Midwest making the most on average at $400,000, followed by the West at $390,000, the South at $381,000 and the North at $375,000.

Here are the 29 specialities ranked by their average total compensation:

Orthopedics & orthopedic surgery: $611K

Cardiology: $575K

Radiology: $571K

Plastic surgery: $554K

Anesthesiology: $543K

Urology: $535K

Gastroenterology: $530K

Otolaryngology: $508K

Oncology & hematology: $464K

Dermatology: $448K

Ophthalmology: $446K

General surgery: $442K

Critical care: $427K

Emergency medicine: $421K

Pulmonary medicine: $395K

Pathology: $394K

OB-GYN: $390K

Physical medicine & rehabilitation: $359K

Nephrology: $359K

Neurology: $341K

Psychiatry: $331K

Allergy & immunology: $310K

Internal medicine: $307K

Family medicine: $288K

Diabetes & endocrinology: $284K

Rheumatology: $284K

Infectious diseases: $282K

Public health & preventive medicine: $277K

Pediatrics: $266K