Crunching the numbers The 10 U.S. cities with the highest- and lowest-paid doctors in 2018 Across the country, physician wages vary dramatically and don’t always align with a city’s cost of living, a new Doximity report finds. April 3, 2019Wednesday The DO Staff Contact The DO Staff Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email A rise in hospital mergers and acquisitions along with a decline in physician-owned practices is likely starting to affect physician wages, notes Doximity in a new report on physician compensation. To produce the report, Doximity surveyed nearly 90,000 licensed U.S. doctors. Previous Doximity studies have seen steady annual increases in physician pay, but this year’s numbers suggest doctor compensation is starting to plateau. However, wages vary dramatically in different locations. Physicians tend to earn less in cities with more academic institutions and well-known academic health systems because these areas train more doctors who then compete for a set number of jobs, Doximity found. Here are the 10 cities with the highest- and lowest-paid doctors in 2018. Top 10 cities with the highest compensation for physicians in 2018 1. Milwaukee — $395,363 2. New Orleans — $384,651 3. Riverside, California — $371,296 4. Minneapolis — $369,889 5. Charlotte, North Carolina — $368,205 6. Dallas — $362,472 7. Atlanta — $362,267 8. Los Angeles — $356,390 9. Cincinnati — $354,129 10. Hartford, Connecticut — $352,129 Top 10 cities with the lowest compensation for physicians in 2018 1. Durham, North Carolina — $266,180 2. Providence, Rhode Island — $267,013 3. San Antonio — $276,224 4. Virginia Beach, Virginia — $294,491 5. New Haven, Connecticut — $295,554 6. Las Vegas — $297,776 7. Austin, Texas — $299,297 8. Denver — $303,454 9. Washington, D.C. — $305,216 10. Boston — $305,634 To learn more, see Doximity’s full report. Related reading: Most and least stressed states in 2019 Best and worst states for doctors in 2019: See where your state landed More in Profession The best and worst states for doctors in 2024 Montana leads WalletHub’s new list, while Hawaii comes in last. See where your state landed. AOA now accepting applications for volunteer leadership positions Serve on an important governing body that helps shape AOA programs and policies. Previous articleMost and least stressed states in 2019 Next articleCall for public comment from doctors on anxiety screening recommendation
The best and worst states for doctors in 2024 Montana leads WalletHub’s new list, while Hawaii comes in last. See where your state landed.
AOA now accepting applications for volunteer leadership positions Serve on an important governing body that helps shape AOA programs and policies.
Surprised, New Jersey isn’t included in this report. It’s one of the lowest paying states, especially for Primary Care Physicians. Apr. 4, 2019, at 9:11 am Reply
Agreed, I have been in primary care in NJ in private practice and never made over $110K. Love the work, the “average salaries” always blew my mind! Apr. 4, 2019, at 7:10 pm Reply
Hi Dr. Lustig, Doximity provided the information in a report and did not include a breakdown of wages by location and practice type. However, page 13 of the report lists average wages for different types of employment: https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.doximity.com/press/doximity_third_annual_physician_compensation_report_round4.pdf Apr. 5, 2019, at 9:35 am Reply
The data is meaningless without a cost of living index for the same cities Apr. 4, 2019, at 8:07 pm Reply
Why is it always only about money? A living wage is important – I would never argue that. However, where is the patient in this who lives in an area where compensation is low? I am disappointed by those articles as I would expect them in a financial investment piece. Apr. 5, 2019, at 12:57 am Reply