What residents are getting paid in 2025

The average medical resident is earning around $75,000 annually, according to Medscape’s 2025 Resident Salary and Debt Report. Average salary for U.S. residents increased 6.5% this year, a jump from the 4% increase that Medscape reported in their 2024 report. In the report, Medscape noted that resident pay has increased more significantly in the past three years, and that growth was stagnant for several years prior to 2023.

However, despite the recent increases, some residents surveyed for the report say that their bills and necessary items are currently so expensive that they are not able to consistently make ends meet. Looking at inflation, the 2020-2024 resident salaries in the report did not keep up with the general inflation rate in the U.S. over that same time period.

“The cost of living in the United States has really skyrocketed over the past five years,” said David Shumway, DO, an internal medicine resident in Biloxi, Mississippi.

To create the report, Medscape polled 646 U.S. respondents across 29-plus specialties.

Salary based on year

More than one in three respondents felt they needed to be paid at least 51% more to feel fairly paid, with close to 60% saying their salary did not cover their living expenses and student loan payments.

Resident year	2025 average salary
First year	$68,000
Second year	$68,000
Third year	$72,000
Fourth through eighth years	$79,000

“Note that in the report, average salaries for residents in three-year residencies (the majority of primary care residencies, i.e., internal medicine, family medicine, etc.) are lower than the quoted average salary covering all residents, which includes five-year surgical residencies and skews the trend slightly,” said Dr. Shumway. “I agree with the residents quoted in the study; it was a rite of passage as a new intern to add up your actual hours worked and realize that you were making less than minimum wage.”

Reasons residents believe they’re not paid enough

Problem	Percent of residents
Compensation not comparable to other medical staff	86%
Compensation doesn’t reflect hours worked	81%
Compensation doesn’t reflect required skill level	75%
Compensation doesn’t meet cost of living	58%
Received inadequate benefits	32%

Over 70% of respondents told Medscape that at the least, a 26% raise is needed, although 35% argue that at least 51% more is needed, especially when factoring in high medical school debts. However, Dr. Shumway stresses the importance of understanding that residency is still an area of learning.

“At the end of the day, nurses and physician assistants are fully trained in their disciplines, and residents still require supervision to practice,” said Dr. Shumway. “Compensation should focus on addressing meeting cost of living and improving benefits.”

Dr. Shumway also notes that increasing resident compensation to the point that residents are able to cover their expenses, loan payments and save a little would greatly improve residents’ mental health—and help ensure a brighter future for the field of medicine overall.

“We already ask residents to make huge sacrifices in terms of giving some of the most productive years of their lives to the study of medicine, making it difficult to maintain a life or start a family,” said Dr. Shumway. “Having enough money to meet basic needs, student loan payments and build a savings fund to cover unexpected expenses is a powerful protective factor for resident well-being, successful program completion and continual regeneration of the future of medicine.”

Read the full report on the Medscape website (with valid Medscape log-in). For more guidance on money, see the AOA’s financial planning resources (with valid AOA log-in). AOA members can receive discounts on certain financial services from Student Loan Professor and SoFi.

Related reading:

4 money tips for medical students and new physicians

Making your money grow: A guide for physicians