Average Physicians, Pathologists Salary in the United States

This occupation code (SOC 29-1222) has no salary data on file. It may have been retired or renamed by BLS.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2024 estimates . Data covers 34 states and 43 metro areas.

No annual salary published. BLS does not publish an annual wage estimate for Physicians, Pathologists. This happens with occupations where most work is project-based, hourly, or on irregular schedules (think actors, athletes, musicians, dancers, and some fine art roles). Hourly wages are shown below where available.

National hourly wage

Hourly pay for physicians, pathologists across all workers captured in the latest BLS survey.

Median hourly wage: Not published
Mean hourly wage: $127.89/hr
10th percentile: $40.35/hr
90th percentile: Not published

Hourly rates for physicians, pathologists vary widely by project type, union status, and experience. These figures include both short-engagement and extended work.

National employment

Workers tracked nationally: 11,800
Jobs per 1,000 workers: N/A

Where physicians, pathologists earn the most per hour

BLS publishes hourly wage data for some locations but not others. Here are the locations with the highest reported median hourly wage.

By hourly wage

Top-paying states

Alabama: $114.43/hr
South Carolina: $110.02/hr
District of Columbia: $109.76/hr
New York: $103.72/hr
Missouri: $102.61/hr
Maryland: $91.53/hr
California: $79.78/hr

By hourly wage

Top-paying metros

Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: $109.64/hr
Kansas City, MO-KS: $108.44/hr
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: $104.05/hr
St. Louis, MO-IL: $96.15/hr
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: $51.09/hr
Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY: $35.15/hr

Where physicians, pathologists work

Locations with the largest workforce for this occupation. The "concentration" number next to each area shows how common this job is locally compared to the rest of the country — anything above 1.00 means the area has a higher-than-average share of physicians, pathologists.

By employment

States with the most jobs

California: 2,180

LQ 1.58
Texas: 1,100

LQ 1.04
New York: 940

LQ 1.29
Missouri: 660

LQ 2.95
Ohio: 660

LQ 1.55
Florida: 450

LQ 0.60
Arizona: 440

LQ 1.82
Illinois: 400

LQ 0.87

By employment

Metros with the most jobs

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 900

LQ 1.26
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 610

LQ 1.29
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 380

LQ 1.55
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ: 360

LQ 2.02
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 270

LQ 0.88
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 220

LQ 0.64
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA: 220

LQ 1.36
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 200

LQ 0.99

Job outlook

BLS projects employment for physicians, pathologists from 2024 to 2034. Growth is roughly in line with the US average of about 4% across all occupations.

Projected growth: +4.2%; 500 net jobs over the projection period
Annual openings: 400; Includes growth plus replacements
Typical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree

Entry into this field typically requires a doctoral or professional degree, which helps explain the high wage level and relatively narrow candidate pool.

Related occupations

Other jobs in the same field. Some of these are also hourly or project-based occupations without a published annual salary.