The typical doctor’s wage has exceeded the $350,000 per 12 months mark, however whether or not a physician is above or under that mark can fluctuate resulting from a number of elements. A doctor’s specialty is among the greatest figuring out elements within the dimension of their paycheck, however location additionally performs a big half in a doctor’s wage. Two docs working in the identical specialty might discover themselves incomes considerably totally different incomes based mostly on the place they follow. Location elements into physicians’ salaries for just a few causes, together with price of residing and state revenue taxes.
When you’re a doctor in search of a change of surroundings in hopes of accelerating your wage, listed here are the very best and worst metro areas for physician salaries.
Greatest Metro Areas for Doctor Salaries (by Location)
In response to the 2025 Doximity Doctor Compensation Report, physicians within the US noticed a 3.7% enhance in compensation from 2023 to 2024 (and that is after an almost 6% compensation enhance between 2022 and 2023). In the meantime, physicians in Rochester, Minnesota, loved one of many largest pay spikes at 8.7%, and the common pay there’s now $495,532. In the meantime, physicians within the San Jose metropolitan space—which had one of many largest pay spikes in 2023 at 13.5%, propelling it to the highest spot on final 12 months’s listing—truly noticed a lower of 1.07%, although it nonetheless stays within the high 5. Rochester did not even make the highest 10 listing final 12 months.
Among the many 10 metropolitan areas with the very best common compensation final 12 months, 5 of them are positioned within the state of California. All of them, aside from San Jose, noticed a constructive enhance in compensation in 2024.
Worst Metro Areas for Doctor Salaries (by Location)
Whereas 5 of the highest 10 metro areas with the very best compensation for physicians had been based mostly in California, the report’s 10 places with the bottom compensation had been extra unfold out throughout the japanese half of the nation. The Durham-Chapel Hill metro space had the bottom common compensation for physicians with a $358,782 annual wage. San Antonio, which was the bottom in 2023 at $371,073, noticed a 4.96% enhance in wage for 2024, although it is nonetheless among the many high 10 worst metro areas.
Additionally, guarantee that in case you’re shifting to Rochester for a rise in pay, you are shifting to the one in Minnesota and NOT the one in New York, lest you make a $130,000 mistake. As you may see on the listing under.
Greatest Metro Areas for Doctor Salaries (Price of Dwelling)
How costly it’s to dwell in a specific metro space is probably the very best gauge of how excessive a doctor’s (or, actually, any skilled’s) wage actually is. In response to Doximity, Rochester, Minnesota, additionally had the very best compensation adjusted for price of residing for physicians. That is adopted by St. Louis, Oklahoma Metropolis, Omaha, and Kansas Metropolis. If you wish to stretch out your greenback, it looks like residing within the Midwest is an efficient solution to do it.
Moreover, 5 of the highest 10 greatest metro areas for doctor salaries concerning price of residing made the listing the 12 months earlier than, whereas cities like Buffalo and Salt Lake Metropolis had been new additions.
Worst Metro Areas for Doctor Salaries (Price of Dwelling)
Various the metro areas which can be usually recognized for being costly to dwell in had been among the many worst locations for doctor salaries. Apart from Denver, the highest 10 metro areas on this class had been on the East or West Coasts of the US.
Boston, No. 2 on final 12 months’s listing, made it to No. 1 this 12 months, whereas Washington, DC—which took the highest spot final 12 months—fell (or rose, relying on the way you take a look at it) to No. 2. Seattle, Denver, and San Francisco rounded out the highest 5 of the worst metro areas for doctor salaries in terms of price of residing.
East and West Coast cities making up this listing is just not new. These cities had been additionally on Doximity’s adjusted compensation lists in 2023, 2022, and 2021.
Beneath is the chart displaying the very best and lowest areas for doctor salaries based mostly on the price of residing.
And if you wish to take a look at it by area, this is what Medscape launched in 2025.
Greatest Metro Areas for Doctor Salaries (Compensation Development)
Like all skilled, physicians don’t need to simply earn a excessive wage. Additionally they need to see it develop all through their profession. In response to the Doximity report, common doctor compensation rose in 54 of the 60 metro areas studied (about two-thirds noticed progress of no less than 3%).
As famous by Doximity,
“Whereas the inflation fee in 2024 returned nearer to pre-pandemic ranges, physicians are nonetheless feeling the results of a number of years of excessive inflation—together with 7% in 2021 and 6.5% in 2022—and ongoing Medicare cost cuts, together with one other 2.8% reduce in 2025. In response to the American Medical Affiliation, Medicare doctor cost has dropped 33% since 2001, after adjusting for inflation.”
Austin physicians noticed the most important doctor compensation progress (11.1%), with the Kansas Metropolis metro space not far behind at 10.0%. The Buffalo, Orlando, St. Louis, and Nashville metro areas additionally skilled wage will increase of greater than 9% on common. Rochester, Minnesota, grew by 8.7%.
The Backside Line
The phrase “location, location, location” is commonly reserved for actual property, however it may apply to doctor salaries as effectively. Medical doctors could make a good-looking wage wherever they follow, however that six-figure revenue goes so much additional in some metro areas than others. So, as you search for a spot to work, don’t simply take a look at the areas that pay probably the most; additionally take into account the price of residing and the way a lot your wage might develop from 12 months to 12 months. Combining all of those elements provides you with probably the most reasonable take a look at what your doctor’s wage will likely be.
Seeking to enhance your revenue or renegotiate an current contract? Hop on over to the WCI doctor contract evaluation web page, the place you will discover vetted legal professionals and evaluate your contract to different docs.
Do you reside in one of many metro cities that is both on the very best or worst lists? Have you ever moved round to search out the very best mixture of excessive wage and low price of residing? Is that one thing you’d take into account?
