Doctor Salary Calculator

The sections below cover every factor the Doctor Salary Calculator accounts for, from baseline pay ranges and entry-level expectations to geographic variation across major states and cities.

1. What Are the Salary Ranges for a Doctor?
2. What Is the Entry Level Salary for a Doctor?
3. How Much Does a Doctor Earn at Entry Level vs Senior Level?
4. Where Are the Best Job Markets for Doctors?
5. Which Employers Hire Doctors and What Do They Pay?
6. What Are the Primary Job Responsibilities of a Doctor?
7. What Factors Push a Doctor's Salary Higher?
8. What Factors Lower a Doctor's Salary?
9. What Benefits Do Doctors Typically Receive?
10. What Skills Affect a Doctor's Salary?
11. How Does Doctor Salary Vary by Different States and Cities?

The Doctor Salary Calculator uses $112.75 per hour as the national median hourly reference point. Under a standard full-time assumption of 40 hours per week across 52 weeks, this translates to an annual gross salary of approximately $234,520. However, actual physician compensation varies widely by specialty, geography, and seniority, so the calculator outputs a LOW/HIGH range rather than a single figure.

These ranges reflect general practice and primary care at the lower end and higher-paying specialties or leadership roles at the upper end. Users who adjust hours per week to 50 or 60—common for many physicians—will see weekly, monthly, and annual figures scale upward proportionally. Selecting a large metro job market also applies an upward adjustment factor, while choosing a small market reduces the estimate.

Entry-level for a doctor means a physician who has recently completed residency training and is beginning independent practice with limited post-training experience. In the salary calculator, setting years of experience to 0–2 years and education level to MD or DO (without additional fellowship credentials) positions the estimate at the lower end of the output range.

Under these settings at 40 hours per week in a mid-sized metro, the calculator typically produces an hourly range of approximately $79.00 to $105.00, translating to an annual range of roughly $164,320 to $218,400. These figures align with what newly practicing family medicine, internal medicine, and pediatric physicians earn when joining a hospital-employed group or community health system.

Physicians who completed fellowship training before entering practice—such as in cardiology or gastroenterology—would not typically select the lowest experience setting because their additional years of subspecialty training elevate their starting compensation. The calculator accounts for this through the education level and experience inputs working together.

The gap between early-career and senior-level physician compensation is among the widest of any profession. The Doctor Salary Calculator demonstrates this clearly when you toggle between low and high experience settings.

Senior-level physicians often hold titles such as department chief, medical director, or division head, and many have developed subspecialty expertise or procedural volume that commands premium reimbursement. When you increase experience in the calculator and select a large metro market, the combined adjustment factors push the high-end estimate significantly above the median. Conversely, an entry-level physician in a small market will see the calculator produce values near the bottom of the range.

The after-tax output also diverges substantially at these levels. A senior physician earning $350,000 annually who selects 1099 classification and single filing status will see a noticeably different take-home estimate than a W-2 employee at the same gross pay, because self-employment tax obligations are layered on top of federal and state income tax.

The strongest job markets for doctors combine high patient demand, competitive employer density, and compensation that outpaces local cost of living. The salary calculator reflects these dynamics through its market size adjustment factor and state tax inputs.

Texas cities like Houston and Dallas stand out because the state imposes no personal income tax, meaning the after-tax estimates the calculator produces are substantially higher than gross-equivalent positions in high-tax states. Boston commands top gross pay but Massachusetts state income tax reduces the take-home calculation. The calculator lets you compare these scenarios directly.

Physicians are employed by a diverse range of organizations, from massive integrated health systems to federal agencies, each with distinct compensation structures the salary calculator helps you compare.

Kaiser Permanente's salaried model in California typically produces high gross figures, but the calculator's state tax and cost-of-living adjustments show the net difference compared to, for example, an HCA position in Texas. Physicians considering locum tenens work through staffing firms like Envision or TeamHealth should select the 1099 classification in the calculator to see the self-employment tax impact on their after-tax estimate.

A doctor's responsibilities directly influence their position within the salary calculator's output range. Physicians who perform complex procedures, manage higher patient acuity, or carry administrative duties consistently land at the higher end of the hourly estimate.

Core clinical responsibilities include conducting patient examinations, ordering and interpreting diagnostic tests (imaging, labs, pathology), formulating differential diagnoses, prescribing treatments and medications, and performing procedures ranging from biopsies to major surgeries depending on specialty. Physicians also coordinate care with specialists, nurses, pharmacists, and allied health professionals.

Beyond direct patient care, many doctors carry responsibilities for medical documentation in electronic health records (EHR), quality metric compliance, peer review, and participation in tumor boards or mortality and morbidity conferences. Physicians in academic medical centers combine clinical work with teaching residents and publishing research, which the calculator captures indirectly through the education level input—fellowship-trained academic physicians typically earn differently than community generalists.

Doctors who take on medical directorship of a department, serve as chief medical officers, or manage utilization review add administrative complexity that justifies higher compensation. The salary calculator reflects this when you select higher experience levels combined with a large metro setting, as these leadership roles concentrate in major health systems.

Several concrete, measurable factors move a physician's salary estimate toward the high end of the calculator's range.

Subspecialty fellowship training is the single largest differentiator. An orthopedic surgeon, interventional cardiologist, or gastroenterologist commands hourly rates 40–80% above a general internist. In the calculator, selecting a higher education level and greater experience amplifies the output accordingly.

Procedural volume matters in RVU-based compensation models. Physicians who generate more relative value units per clinic session or operating day earn productivity bonuses that push effective hourly pay well above base. While the calculator does not model RVUs directly, the high end of its range captures productivity-driven compensation.

Large metro job markets with dense hospital competition—such as New York City, Los Angeles, or Boston—trigger the calculator's upward market size adjustment. Employer competition for specialists in these cities inflates offers.

Nights, weekends, and call coverage carry premium differentials. Emergency medicine and hospitalist physicians who accept overnight shifts routinely earn 15–25% more per hour than peers working standard daytime schedules.

Administrative titles such as department chair, CMO, or program director add stipends ranging from $20,000 to $100,000+ annually on top of clinical pay, pushing the calculator's annual estimate toward or beyond the high boundary.

The salary calculator also identifies inputs that pull estimates toward the low end of the range, and understanding these prevents unrealistic expectations.

Primary care specialization without procedural components is the most significant factor. Family medicine, general pediatrics, and general internal medicine historically sit at the lower tier of physician compensation because reimbursement models undervalue cognitive and preventive services relative to procedures.

Small or rural job markets reduce the calculator's estimate through the market size adjustment factor. While some rural employers offer competitive base salaries to attract physicians, the overall market ceiling is lower, and the after-tax benefit of lower cost of living may or may not offset the gap.

Part-time practice directly scales down weekly, monthly, and annual outputs. A physician working 24 hours per week instead of 40 sees all non-hourly estimates reduced by 40%.

Limited post-residency experience keeps the experience adjustment at its lowest tier. Physicians in their first two years of independent practice have not yet built the patient panel, referral network, or procedural reputation that drives compensation upward.

High state income tax reduces the after-tax estimate. A physician earning the same gross salary in California versus Texas will see a materially different take-home figure when using the calculator's state tax feature. Combined with 1099 classification, tax burden can consume over 40% of gross income in high-tax jurisdictions.

Physician benefit packages vary substantially between W-2 employment and 1099 independent contractor arrangements, and this distinction directly affects the salary calculator's after-tax output.

W-2 employed physicians at health systems like Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, or Kaiser Permanente typically receive employer-sponsored health insurance (medical, dental, vision), employer-matched 401(k) or 403(b) retirement contributions ranging from 3% to 9% of salary, paid malpractice insurance (occurrence or claims-made), CME allowances of $3,000 to $5,000 annually with 5–10 days of paid CME leave, relocation assistance, student loan repayment programs (especially at VA and nonprofit systems), paid time off of 4–6 weeks, and long-term disability and life insurance. The calculator's 401(k) contribution input lets you model the pre-tax deduction and see its impact on after-tax pay.

1099 independent contractors—common in locum tenens, emergency medicine staffing, and some hospitalist groups—receive higher gross hourly rates but must self-fund health insurance, retirement, malpractice tail coverage, and self-employment taxes. The calculator's W-2 vs 1099 toggle captures the tax side of this equation. A physician seeing $180/hour on a 1099 contract may net less than a W-2 peer at $155/hour once benefits and tax obligations are factored in.

Some employers also offer signing bonuses of $10,000 to $50,000 and income guarantees during the first 12–24 months of practice ramp-up, which are not modeled in the calculator but add to total first-year compensation.

Specific clinical and non-clinical skills directly correlate with where a physician's salary falls within the calculator's output range.

Procedural proficiency is the most direct salary lever. A family medicine physician who performs endoscopies, a hospitalist credentialed for paracentesis and central line placement, or an internist trained in point-of-care ultrasound generates additional billable services that increase effective hourly compensation.

Board certification in a primary or subspecialty field is functionally mandatory for hospital credentialing and insurance panel participation. Without it, employability and pay ceiling both drop.

EHR fluency—particularly with Epic, Cerner, or MEDITECH—determines clinical efficiency. Physicians who document quickly and accurately see more patients per session, boosting productivity-based pay.

Leadership and communication skills determine access to medical director and administrative stipend roles. Physicians who can run quality committees, negotiate payer contracts, or manage a physician group command salary premiums the calculator captures at the high end of the experience scale.

Bilingual capability, especially Spanish-English fluency, increases value in markets with large non-English-speaking populations such as Houston, Los Angeles, and Phoenix, where patient access mandates drive employer willingness to pay more.

Telemedicine competence has expanded the geographic reach of physician services. Doctors skilled in virtual care platforms can access patients in underserved areas and negotiate rates that differ from in-person norms, a scenario the calculator supports by letting you adjust market size independently of your physical location.

Geographic location is one of the most powerful variables in the Doctor Salary Calculator. State income tax rates, metropolitan size, cost of living, physician supply and demand, and employer mix all feed into the calculator's location-based adjustments. Below are detailed answers for each required state and city.

What Do Doctors Earn in New York?

New York has one of the highest physician salary ceilings in the country, driven by the concentration of academic medical centers (NYU Langone, Mount Sinai, NewYork-Presbyterian) and private specialty practices in Manhattan and its suburbs. However, New York also levies substantial state and city income taxes. When you select New York in the calculator, the after-tax estimate drops noticeably compared to the same gross pay in a no-income-tax state. Upstate markets like Rochester and Buffalo offer lower gross pay but a much lower cost of living, and the calculator's market size adjustment reflects this when you choose mid-sized metro.

What Do Doctors Earn in California?

California offers the largest physician job market in the nation, with major employers including Kaiser Permanente, Sutter Health, Cedars-Sinai, and UC Health. Gross hourly rates rank among the highest nationally, but California's progressive state income tax—the steepest in the country—significantly reduces take-home pay. The salary calculator demonstrates this gap clearly when you compare California to states like Texas or Florida at the same gross income level. Physicians in the Central Valley or Inland Empire may see lower gross offers than coastal cities, but the cost-of-living differential can make net purchasing power comparable.

What Do Doctors Earn in Florida?

Florida imposes no state income tax, making it one of the most favorable states for physician after-tax income. The calculator reflects this by producing higher net estimates for Florida-based physicians compared to peers in New York or California earning identical gross salaries. Markets like Miami, Tampa, Orlando, and Jacksonville have robust hospital systems (Baptist Health, AdventHealth, HCA) competing for physicians. South Florida's large retiree population drives especially high demand for cardiologists, orthopedists, and primary care providers.

What Do Doctors Earn in Texas?

Texas combines no state income tax with a massive, growing population and an expanding healthcare infrastructure. Houston's Texas Medical Center is the largest medical complex in the world, and the DFW metroplex hosts major systems including Baylor Scott & White, Texas Health Resources, and UT Southwestern. The salary calculator's large metro adjustment combined with zero state tax produces some of the highest after-tax estimates for physicians anywhere in the country. Even mid-sized Texas markets like San Antonio and Austin yield strong net pay figures.

What Do Doctors Earn in Michigan?

Michigan's physician market is anchored by large systems such as Beaumont Health (now Corewell Health), Henry Ford Health, and Michigan Medicine (University of Michigan). Detroit is classified as a large metro in the calculator, triggering an upward adjustment, while Grand Rapids and Lansing function as mid-sized markets. Michigan's moderate state income tax reduces after-tax estimates slightly compared to no-tax states, but the relatively low cost of living in most Michigan cities provides favorable purchasing power that the salary calculator's gross-to-net conversion helps illustrate.

What Do Doctors Earn in Georgia?

Georgia's physician job market is heavily concentrated in metropolitan Atlanta, where Emory Healthcare, Piedmont Healthcare, Wellstar, and Northside Hospital compete aggressively for talent. The calculator's large metro adjustment applies in Atlanta, pushing estimates upward. Rural Georgia, by contrast, faces severe physician shortages—employers there may offer competitive base salaries and loan forgiveness, but the calculator's small market factor still moderates the range. Georgia's state income tax is moderate, placing after-tax estimates between high-tax coastal states and no-tax states.

What Do Doctors Earn in Ohio?

Ohio hosts several nationally ranked health systems—Cleveland Clinic, Ohio State Wexner Medical Center, and UC Health in Cincinnati—that anchor a strong physician employment market. Cleveland and Columbus are large metros in the calculator, while Dayton and Akron function as mid-sized. Ohio's state income tax is modest and graduated, so the calculator's after-tax output remains competitive. The state's lower-than-average cost of living means the net purchasing power for Ohio-based physicians often exceeds that of higher-paying but higher-cost states.

What Do Doctors Earn in North Carolina?

North Carolina's physician market benefits from the Research Triangle (Duke Health, UNC Health, WakeMed) and the Charlotte metro area (Atrium Health, Novant Health). Both regions are growing rapidly, increasing demand for physicians across specialties. North Carolina's flat state income tax is relatively low, and the cost of living in Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham remains below northeastern and West Coast cities. The salary calculator produces favorable after-tax estimates for North Carolina, especially when set to a large metro market.

What Do Doctors Earn in Illinois?

Illinois physician salaries are driven primarily by the Chicago metropolitan area, home to Northwestern Medicine, Rush University Medical Center, Advocate Aurora Health, and the University of Chicago Medical Center. The calculator applies its large metro factor for Chicago-area positions. Illinois has a flat state income tax that is moderate in rate but, combined with Chicago's cost of living, reduces after-tax estimates more than Sun Belt equivalents. Downstate Illinois—Springfield, Peoria—offers lower gross pay but significantly lower living costs.

What Do Doctors Earn in Maryland?

Maryland's physician market is heavily influenced by the Johns Hopkins Health System, University of Maryland Medical System, and MedStar Health, all concentrated in the Baltimore-Washington corridor. The proximity to Washington, DC federal employers (NIH, Walter Reed, VA) adds to demand. Maryland levies a state income tax plus county-level surcharges that can push combined state and local tax rates higher than many peer states. The calculator captures this through the state tax input, showing Maryland after-tax estimates that trail equivalent gross figures in Virginia or no-tax states.

What Do Doctors Earn in Indiana?

Indiana's physician market centers on Indianapolis, where IU Health, Community Health Network, Ascension St. Vincent, and Franciscan Health are the dominant employers. The calculator treats Indianapolis as a mid-sized to large metro. Indiana's flat state income tax is among the lowest of states that levy one, and living costs statewide are well below the national average. The result is that the calculator's after-tax estimates for Indiana physicians often represent strong purchasing power despite gross salaries that fall slightly below coastal market levels.

What Do Doctors Earn in Virginia?

Virginia's physician pay landscape splits between the high-demand Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, DC (Inova Health System, Virginia Hospital Center) and more affordable markets like Richmond (VCU Health) and Hampton Roads (Sentara Healthcare). Northern Virginia positions trigger the calculator's large metro adjustment and produce high gross figures, but Virginia's state income tax and the area's elevated cost of living moderate the after-tax result. Central and southwest Virginia offer competitive recruitment packages with lower living costs.

What Do Doctors Earn in Connecticut?

Connecticut's physician market features Yale New Haven Health System, Hartford HealthCare, and Nuvance Health. Gross physician salaries rank high nationally, but Connecticut's state income tax, combined with one of the highest costs of living in the US, noticeably reduces after-tax estimates in the calculator. Physicians practicing in Fairfield County benefit from proximity to New York City patient populations and can command premium rates, though the tax burden follows them home.

What Do Doctors Earn in New Jersey?

New Jersey physicians benefit from a dense concentration of hospitals (Hackensack Meridian Health, RWJBarnabas Health, Atlantic Health System) and proximity to both New York City and Philadelphia patient bases. Gross pay is strong, particularly for surgeons and subspecialists in northern New Jersey. However, New Jersey's state income tax is among the steepest in the nation, and property taxes—while not modeled in the calculator—compound the cost-of-living burden. The calculator's after-tax feature clearly shows how New Jersey net pay compares unfavorably to gross-equivalent positions in low-tax states.

What Do Doctors Earn in Chicago?

Chicago's physician market is one of the deepest in the Midwest, with Northwestern Memorial, Rush, University of Chicago, Advocate Christ, and Loyola all competing for talent. The calculator's large metro factor elevates gross estimates. Illinois state income tax is moderate, but Chicago's overall cost of living—particularly housing—reduces the effective value of each dollar earned. Specialists in surgical and procedural fields command the highest hourly rates in the city. The calculator lets you compare a Chicago offer against, for example, a Houston offer at the same gross rate to see the after-tax difference.

What Do Doctors Earn in Los Angeles?

Los Angeles is the second-largest physician job market in the US, anchored by Cedars-Sinai, UCLA Health, Keck Medicine of USC, and Providence Southern California. Gross pay is high, but California's steep state income tax and Los Angeles's extreme cost of living produce after-tax estimates that can trail those of less expensive large metros. The calculator demonstrates this when you set the state to California and compare the net output against Texas or Florida at the same hourly rate.

What Do Doctors Earn in New York City (NYC)?

NYC offers the highest gross physician salaries in the Northeast, with NYU Langone, Mount Sinai, NewYork-Presbyterian, and Montefiore as major employers. The calculator applies its maximum large metro adjustment here. However, New York State income tax plus New York City's additional local income tax create a combined tax burden that is nearly unmatched nationally. The after-tax feature in the calculator reveals that a physician earning $350,000 in NYC may take home less than one earning $300,000 in Houston. Physicians considering NYC offers should use the 401(k) contribution slider aggressively to shelter income pre-tax.

What Do Doctors Earn in Houston?

Houston's Texas Medical Center employs more physicians than any single campus in the world, with MD Anderson, Houston Methodist, Memorial Hermann, Baylor College of Medicine, and St. Luke's Health all in close proximity. The calculator's large metro factor and zero Texas state income tax combine to produce among the highest after-tax estimates nationally. Houston is particularly lucrative for surgical subspecialists and oncologists. The calculator can model a 50-hour work week for Houston physicians who regularly take call, showing how the annual estimate scales beyond the standard 40-hour assumption.

What Do Doctors Earn in Phoenix?

Phoenix has emerged as a rapidly growing physician market, driven by population influx and expansion of Banner Health, Dignity Health (now CommonSpirit), HonorHealth, and Mayo Clinic Arizona. Arizona's state income tax is low and recently shifted to a flat rate, making the calculator's after-tax estimates for Phoenix notably competitive. The large metro adjustment applies, and the cost of living remains below California and Northeast metros, positioning Phoenix as one of the best net-pay physician markets in the western US.

What Do Doctors Earn in Atlanta?

Atlanta's physician market is driven by Emory Healthcare, Piedmont, Wellstar, and Northside Hospital, creating strong employer competition across specialties. The calculator applies the large metro adjustment, and Georgia's moderate state income tax keeps after-tax estimates healthy. Atlanta's cost of living is lower than comparably sized cities on the coasts, meaning the calculator's gross-to-net conversion yields purchasing power that often exceeds New York or San Francisco at the same pre-tax salary level.

What Do Doctors Earn in San Diego?

San Diego's physician market includes UC San Diego Health, Scripps Health, Sharp HealthCare, and a large Navy and VA medical presence. Gross rates are strong but trail San Francisco and Los Angeles slightly. California's high state income tax applies fully, and San Diego's housing costs are among the highest in the state. The calculator's after-tax output for San Diego physicians tends to fall below that of comparable-sized metros in Texas or Florida, making it essential to use the net-pay feature before evaluating an offer here.

What Do Doctors Earn in Washington, DC?

Washington, DC hosts MedStar Georgetown, George Washington University Hospital, Children's National, and the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. The District levies its own income tax, which is moderate but meaningful. The calculator's large metro adjustment produces high gross estimates, but DC's cost of living—particularly housing—is among the highest in the nation. Physicians living in Virginia or Maryland suburbs should select the appropriate state in the calculator, as their state tax burden differs from that of District residents.

What Do Doctors Earn in Boston?

Boston is one of the most prestigious and highest-paying physician markets in the US, with Mass General Brigham (formerly Partners HealthCare), Beth Israel Lahey Health, Tufts Medical Center, and Boston Medical Center. The calculator's large metro factor maximizes the gross estimate. Massachusetts state income tax is moderate, but Boston's cost of living—especially housing—is extreme. Academic physicians may accept lower gross salaries for the research infrastructure and teaching opportunities. The calculator helps quantify this trade-off by showing the after-tax and after-401(k) net figure.

What Do Doctors Earn in Dallas?

Dallas-Fort Worth's physician market is powered by UT Southwestern, Baylor Scott & White, Texas Health Resources, and Medical City Healthcare. The calculator applies the large metro adjustment, and Texas's zero state income tax produces after-tax estimates that rival or exceed those of metros with higher gross pay. Dallas has particularly strong demand for primary care, orthopedics, and cardiology. Physicians relocating from high-tax states will see a dramatic improvement in after-tax output when they switch the state input in the calculator from, say, New Jersey to Texas.

What Do Doctors Earn in Seattle?

Seattle's physician market features UW Medicine, Swedish Medical Center (Providence), Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. Washington State imposes no personal income tax, which is a major advantage the calculator captures in its after-tax output. Gross physician pay in Seattle is competitive with California metros, and without state income tax, the net figure exceeds most West Coast peers. The cost of living—particularly housing—is high, but the tax-free advantage often more than compensates. The calculator makes this comparison straightforward when toggling between Seattle and, for example, Los Angeles.