Doctors in the US are paid around $132.66 per hour. To arrive at this figure, take the median yearly wage for physicians and surgeons ($275,930) reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for May 2025, divide it by 2,080 (the approximate number of hours worked in a year), and you get the figure. When individuals talk about the hourly pay of physicians, they are referring to an annual salary broken down to an hourly figure. This gives an estimate. It is not the same as an hourly rate contract, because the vast majority of doctors do not work under a contract.
It depends on the source you use. The two most quoted sources use different methods of pay measurement, which accounts for the difference in the figures reported.
A main reason for the $50+ gap per hour? The two surveys include different things.
Nor do the two surveys reflect contracted hourly rates. This pay is typically written into job offers for locum tenens and shift work. Both surveys make an assumption of a 40-hour work week. Many full-time doctors work more than 40 hours, so their hourly pay is actually less than what is shown.
One more catch. Both hourly numbers assume a 40-hour week. Plenty of full-time doctors work well past 40 hours, so their real pay per hour is lower than it looks on paper.
Here’s what the BLS-based rate of $132.66 adds up to over a day and a week, before taxes.
| Time worked | Illustrative gross earnings |
| 1 hour | $132.66 |
| 8-hour day | $1,061.28 |
| 40-hour week | $5,306.40 |
Treat this as rough math, not a pay stub. The table assumes every hour pays the same, and that’s rarely how a doctor’s week works.
Real schedules tend to look more like this:
So if you’re wondering how much a doctor makes a day or a week, the table gives you a fair starting point. It isn’t a typical schedule, and it certainly isn’t guaranteed. Taxes, retirement contributions, and other deductions also come out of these gross figures.
Specialty moves a doctor’s pay more than almost anything else. Medscape’s 2026 report puts orthopedics at the top with $611,000 a year and pediatrics at the bottom with $266,000. That’s a gap of about $345,000.
The table below compares eight specialties people search for most. Every number comes from the same report, so you’re comparing like with like.
| Specialty | Average annual compensation (2025) | Approximate hourly equivalent |
| Pediatrics | $266,000 | $127.88 |
| Family medicine | $288,000 | $138.46 |
| Internal medicine | $307,000 | $147.60 |
| Psychiatry | $331,000 | $159.13 |
| Emergency medicine | $421,000 | $202.40 |
| General surgery | $442,000 | $212.50 |
| Radiology | $571,000 | $274.52 |
| Cardiology | $575,000 | $276.44 |
For IMGs, the paycheck starts with a residency spot. Map the route from USMLE to the Match with people who’ve walked it.
Source: Medscape Physician Compensation Report 2026. Hourly figures are average annual pay divided by 2,080 hours.
What stands out?
These are survey averages, not promises. Two cardiologists in the same city can earn very different amounts depending on their contract, workload, and employer. Also, try not to line these numbers up against the BLS wages above. Medscape is a self-reported average that includes bonuses, while the BLS is an employer-reported median that leaves most of them out.
Mostly salary, but very few doctors live on salary alone anymore. The American Medical Association (AMA) Physician Practice Benchmark Survey found that in 2024:
Here’s how the common pay models work in practice.
On average, salary made up 58.2% of a physician’s total pay in the AMA’s 2024 data. Productivity, practice performance, and bonuses covered the rest.
The BLS put the California median at $281,590 for the “Physicians, All Other” group in May 2025. Divide that by 2,080 hours, and you get roughly $135.38 an hour, a little above the national figure.
Where you work in the state makes a real difference. Here are the BLS medians for the same group:
Yes, Los Angeles comes in lowest of the four. Specialty matters here as well, the same way it does nationally.
A bigger paycheck doesn’t always stretch further, though. California is one of the most expensive states to live in. Once rent, taxes, and everyday costs come out, a doctor there may have less spending power than someone earning less in a cheaper state.
Two doctors with the same degree can end up with very different hourly pay. These are the usual reasons:
Before the salary comes ECFMG certification, the USMLE, US clinical experience, and a strong ERAS. We guide IMGs through every stage.
Around $132.66. This is the BLS’s median annual wage for physicians and surgeons (275,930 in May 2025) divided by 2,080 (40 hours per week, 52 weeks per year). Consider this a ballpark figure, since the bulk of doctors do not work on an hourly basis.
Around $1,061.28, which is $132.66 multiplied by 8. As stated previously, the average doctor works less than an 8 hour day, and, on average, a doctor’s day is really 10-12 hours, so daily pay really depends on how the doctor schedules his/her day.
Around $5,306.40, which is $132.66 multiplied by 40. This is a ballpark figure, since doctors don’t work a traditional work week. For a doctor, the work week can really vary from call duties and what comes out for retirement and taxes.
No, not in the sense that doctors charge an hourly rate for their services. In most cases, doctors are salaried and paid a flat rate per patient. In the AMA’s 2024 survey, 55% of respondents stated that their productivity was part of their compensation; however, a salary remained the most common form of payment.
A few do, mostly for locum or shift work. The rest are salaried, receive productivity pay, or a combination of the two. The average general surgeon’s salary in Medscape’s 2026 report was $442,000, which equates to an hourly wage of $212.50.
From most sources, yes. The BLS’s median specialty income was $132.66. All 29 specialties in Medscape’s 2026 report converted to salaries more than $100 an hour. Residents were the biggest exception because their training salaries were much lower.
A US physician’s salary sits at the end of a long pathway. IMG Helping Hands works with international medical graduates across the whole journey, from exam planning to the Match:
Articles published by IMG Helping Hands are prepared by our team using information from direct experience, publicly available resources, and educational references. AI tools may be used to assist with drafting, proofreading, and formatting; however, all content undergoes review and approval before publication.
The information provided is intended for educational purposes only. Requirements, policies, and processes may change over time. Readers should consult official sources for the most current information.
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