Report: The Average Starting Salary for Physicians Exceeds $400,000
Orthopedic Surgeons at the High End of the Salary Scale, Pediatricians at the Low End
DALLAS, Aug. 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The average starting salary for physicians is $403,000, with orthopedic surgeons at the high end of the starting salary scale at $576,000 and pediatricians at the low end at $258,000, according to an annual report from AMN Healthcare’s Physician Solutions division (formerly known as Merritt Hawkins).
The , now in its 32nd year, tracks starting salaries and other incentives offered by hospitals and medical groups to physicians, nurse practitioners (NPs) and other advanced practice professionals. Specialists are offered the top starting salaries among physicians, according to the report. After orthopedic surgeons, gastroenterologists are offered the highest average starting salary at $552,000, followed by urologists at $521,000, radiologists at $500,000 and hematologists/oncologists at $490,000.
“Demand for specialists is particularly strong and is being driven by the rapid growth of the nation’s senior citizen population,” said Leah Grant, president of AMN Healthcare Physician Solutions. “While demand is growing, many specialists are in short supply, resulting in high starting salary offers.”
Primary care physicians are offered significantly lower starting salaries than specialists. Family medicine physicians are offered an average starting salary of $275,000, less than half that of orthopedic surgeons, while internal medicine physicians are offered an average of $290,000, and pediatricians $258,000.
Starting salaries for most physicians tracked in the report have increased year over year. The average starting salary for otolaryngologists saw the largest year-over-year gain, growing from $358,000 last year to $487,000 this year, a 36% increase. The average starting salary for cardiologists grew from $396,000 last year to $470,000 this year, an increase of 19%, while the average starting salary for hematologists/oncologists grew from $444,000 last year to $490,000 this year, a 10% increase.
Starting Salaries for NPs Increasing
While NPs are offered lower starting salaries than physicians, salary offers to NPs are also increasing according to the report. The average starting salary offer for NPs is $180,000, a 9.6% increase from $164,000 in 2024.
“NPs are in rapidly growing demand as physician shortages persist,” Grant said. “Without them, access to healthcare would be even more problematic, particularly in rural and other underserved areas.”
Specialties in the Most Demand
Each year, AMN Healthcare’s report calculates which types of physicians are in the most demand by comparing the number of job openings in a given specialty to the number of physicians in that specialty. By this calculation, the five types of physicians in most demand are hematologists/oncologists, gastroenterologists, endocrinologists, and radiologists. However, in an era of physician shortages, job prospects are abundant across medical specialties, according to Grant.
“While certain types of physicians are in particular demand, there are job openings for most physicians regardless of specialty,” Grant said. “In today’s market, there is virtually no such thing as an unemployed physician.”
Signing Bonuses, Relocation and Continuing Medical Education
In addition to starting salaries, physicians and NPs often are offered signing bonuses, relocation allowances and continuing medical education (CME) allowances. The average signing bonus for physicians tracked in the report is $38,315, up 23% from $31,103 last year, while the average relocation allowance for physicians is $12,619, up 12% from $11,284 last year. The average CME allowance for physicians is $4,073, up 3% from $3,969 last year.
Combined, the average signing bonus, relocation and CME allowance offered to physicians is $58,854, which is in addition to an average starting salary of $403,00 for all physicians tracked in the report. Most physician and NP employment contracts also offer benefits like health insurance, malpractice insurance and retirement/401k plans.
AMN Healthcare’s is based on a representative sample of the 1,420 search engagements the company conducted from April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025, and includes data on starting salaries and other incentives offered by the company’s clients to physicians and advanced practice professionals nationwide. A copy of the report can be accessed at
About AMN Healthcare
AMN Healthcare is the leader and innovator in total talent solutions for healthcare, bringing together the people, processes and technology to deliver better care. Through a steadfast partnership approach, we solve the most pressing workforce challenges to enable better clinical outcomes and access to care. In 2024 our healthcare professionals reached nearly 15 million patients at more than 2,100 healthcare systems, including 87 percent of the top healthcare systems nationwide. We provide a comprehensive network of quality healthcare professionals and deliver a fully integrated and customizable suite of workforce technologies. For more information, visit .
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