How much does a physician make?

The median physician salary in the United States is $265,930 per year ($127.85/hour). Salaries range from $69,170 (10th percentile) to $452,360 (90th percentile). There are 342,720 physician jobs in the U.S. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS.

Which state pays physicians the most?

The highest paying state for physicians is North Dakota at $454,550 median salary.

Is physician a good career?

Physician employment is projected to grow 2.5% from 2024 to 2034 (as fast as average). There are approximately 9,600 job openings per year. Typical education required: Doctoral or professional degree.

What interview questions are asked for physician roles?

Common physician interview questions include: "Walk me through your training + specialty.", "How would you approach a complex specialty case?", "Tell me about a difficult clinical decision.". Interview format at top employers ranges from behavioral panels (STAR method) to technical case rounds — for example Hospital-employed specialty groups typically uses 3 rounds.

What certifications should physicians get?

Top-ROI certifications for physicians: ABIM/ABFM Board Certification ($1,900 initial.); Sub-specialty Board (ID, HPM, Sleep, Occupational, etc.) ($1,500-2,500 + fellowship.); Specialty society memberships ($500-1,500/year.).

How do you negotiate a physician salary?

Anchor on documented market data (BLS median $265,930, p75 $378,770), specific outcomes you've delivered, and the specific band for your years of experience. Given board certification + [X years] + subspecialty, base + wRVU of $[X] aligns with MGMA data. Sign-on $50-150k, loan repayment, subspecialty differential, malpractice tail covered, partnership 24-30 months....

Physician Salary

Q: What is the career ladder for physicians?

The typical physician career ladder: Resident + Fellow (0-7 post-med school yrs, $62-95k) → Attending (New) (0-5 post-training yrs, $220-360k depending on specialty) → Senior / Partner (5-15 yrs, $280-500k+) → Chief / Practice Owner (15+ yrs, $350-650k+).

Bureau of Labor Statistics title: Physicians, All Other

The median physician salary in the United States is $265,930 per year ($127.85/hour). Salaries range from $69,170 at the entry level to $452,360+ for the top 10% of earners. There are 342,720 physician jobs nationwide. Employment is projected to grow 2.5% through 2034.

Last updated: June 2026 · Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Also known asDoctorPhysicianMDMedical Doctor

Median Salary

$265,930

per year

Hourly Rate

$127.85

per hour

Employment

342,720

jobs in the U.S.

Salary Distribution

10th percentile

$69,170

25th percentile

$102,930

Median

$265,930

75th percentile

$378,770

90th percentile

$452,360

Job Growth (2024-2034)

+2.5%

As fast as average

Annual Openings

9,600

jobs/year (growth + replacements)

Education Required

Doctoral or professional degree

Training Needed

Internship/residency

Physician Career Guide

Interview questions, resume templates, and a career ladder written specifically for physicians.

Physicians in specialties not otherwise categorized — including infectious disease, hospice + palliative care, sleep medicine, occupational medicine, aerospace medicine, addiction medicine, and other sub-specialties. Career splits: private practice, hospital-employed, academic, industry (pharma, health tech), government (public health, VA, DoD). Path varies by specialty — typically 4 yrs med school + 3-year residency (IM, Family Medicine, or specialty) + 1-3 year fellowship. Compensation ranges widely: $220k-$650k+ depending on specialty.

Core Skills Hiring Managers Screen For

Broad clinical medicine

Foundation in IM or FM + specialty depth.

Sub-specialty-specific expertise

Depends on chosen field — ID (antimicrobial stewardship), Sleep (PSG interpretation), Hospice (symptom management), Occupational (workplace medicine).

Multi-disciplinary collaboration

Working with specialists + PCPs + social work + case management.

Documentation + coding

Specialty-specific CPT + E/M coding.

Patient + family communication

Complex chronic disease + end-of-life + workplace injury contexts.

Regulatory + compliance

Specialty-specific — DEA-X for addiction, MRO for occupational, JCAHO for hospice.

Practice management + business

Specialty-specific practice economics + payer mix.

How to Become a Physician

1
Med school + residency
Standard MD/DO + residency in IM, FM, or specialty (Emergency, Psychiatry).
2
Sub-specialty fellowship (1-3 years)
For most Physicians-All-Other roles: ID + Hospice/Palliative + Sleep + Occupational + Addiction fellowship.
3
Board certification (specialty-specific)
ABIM sub-specialty + ABPM (Preventive Medicine) + Hospice/Palliative sub-specialty.
4
State license + DEA
Standard.
5
First practice: hospital, academic, industry, government
Specialty-dependent.
6
Partnership + practice ownership
Some specialties support partnership; others hospital-employed model.

Career Progression

Resident + Fellow

0-7 post-med school yrs$62-95k

•Training + subspecialty prep

Next: Attending.

Attending (New)

0-5 post-training yrs$220-360k depending on specialty

•Independent practice + panel building

Next: Sr Attending / Partner.

Senior / Partner

5-15 yrs$280-500k+

•Established practice + leadership

Next: Chief / Owner.

Chief / Practice Owner

15+ yrs$350-650k+

•Ownership + leadership

Interview Questions & Answers

5 free questions below. Career Kit unlocks 9 total plus resume bullets for every level.

Q1. Walk me through your training + specialty.situational

Concrete: Residency + fellowship + case exposure + specialty depth.

Q2. How would you approach a complex specialty case?case

Systematic + collaboration + evidence-based + escalate.

Q3. Tell me about a difficult clinical decision.behavioral

STAR + judgment + team + outcome.

Q4. Why our practice / hospital?culture

Research + concrete citation.

Q5. How do you handle a complex family situation?situational

Empathy + communication + team-based + escalation.

Resume Template — Attending Physician (0-5 yrs post-fellowship)

Copy these bullets into your resume as a starting point. Career Kit includes bullets for every level of the ladder.

Attending Physician (0-5 yrs post-fellowship)

▸Board-certified in [specialty]. Fellowship at [Program].
▸2024 volume: [X] patient encounters + [Y] procedures/consultations.
▸Zero substantiated complications + top-decile quality metrics.
▸Precept residents/fellows on rotation.

What Gets You Rejected

✗Weak specialty expertise.
✗Poor communication with primary care + referring physicians.
✗Bad-mouthing prior program.
✗Missing continuing education.
✗Weak documentation habits.

Salary Negotiation Levers

✓Base + wRVU productivity.
✓Sign-on $40-150k depending on specialty.
✓Loan repayment $100-300k.
✓Fellowship + sub-specialty differential.
✓Malpractice tail coverage.
✓CME budget $10-20k/year.
✓Partnership track if applicable.

Physician Resume Review — $29

Personalized resume review from someone who has hired physicians. Purchase, email your resume to support@weblabra.com, and receive detailed written feedback within 7 days.

✓ Occupation-specific critique (not generic)
✓ Rewrite suggestions for weak bullets
✓ Missing skills / keywords flagged
✓ Formatting + ATS-readability feedback
✓ 7-day turnaround, 100% refund if we miss it

Physician Career Kit — $19

✓ All 9 interview questions with expert answers
✓ 10 real questions aggregated from Glassdoor, Blind, Reddit, LinkedIn
✓ Interview format intel for 5 top employers
✓ 3 copy-paste salary negotiation emails
✓ Resume bullets for every level of the career ladder
✓ 30–60–90 day plan for your first role
✓ Cover letter templates specific to this occupation
✓ Detailed salary negotiation script
✓ Ranked list of certifications with cost + ROI
✓ Downloadable PDF for offline access
✓ Instant access, no expiration, no subscription

✓ 7-day money-back guarantee — no questions asked

One-time purchase. 7-day refund guarantee.

Sample reviews — real customer reviews will appear here as they come in.

“The interview question bank saved me. I got the exact question about 'walking through a DCF' at my Goldman Sachs superday, verbatim.”

— Anonymous, Financial Analyst

“Copy-paste negotiation emails are worth the price alone. I used the 'accepting with counter' template and got an extra $8k signing bonus.”

— Anonymous, Software Developer

“The 30-60-90 day plan for a new grad RN was better than the orientation my hospital gave. Wish I'd bought this in nursing school.”

— Anonymous, Registered Nurse

Physician Salary by State

Best Cities (cost-adjusted) →

Salary Map — Click a state for details

$77K

$455K■ No data

Top Paying States

Vertical line = national median. Click a state for full details.

State	Median	vs. National	Employment
North Dakota	$454,550	+70.9%	740
Montana	$438,850	+65.0%	580
Maine	$419,410	+57.7%	1,340
Wisconsin	$391,740	+47.3%	6,350
Minnesota	$367,320	+38.1%	5,350
Indiana	$366,190	+37.7%	6,760
New Hampshire	$361,300	+35.9%	1,000
Alaska	$355,100	+33.5%	270
Louisiana	$350,920	+32.0%	4,740
Oregon	$347,180	+30.6%	4,130

Showing 1–10 of 50

Physician Salary by Metro Area

Metro Area	Median	vs. National
Burlington-South Burlington, VT	$517,900	+94.8%
Texarkana, TX-AR	$516,930	+94.4%
Mansfield, OH	$478,020	+79.8%
Grants Pass, OR	$460,430	+73.1%
Bismarck, ND	$454,550	+70.9%
Boulder, CO	$453,460	+70.5%
Topeka, KS	$451,910	+69.9%
Portland-South Portland, ME	$442,790	+66.5%
Muncie, IN	$436,300	+64.1%
Green Bay, WI	$435,420	+63.7%

Showing 1–10 of 334

Data Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Data reflects the most recent annual survey.

How does this compare to pro athletes?

A physician earning $265,930/year would need 224 years to match Stephen Curry's NBA salary, or 241 yearsto match Patrick Mahomes' NFL contract.

See all sports & celebrity salaries →

📈 See how physician salaries have changed over the past decade.

View Physician salary trend (2011–2024) →