Radiology rises to the No. 2 highest paid specialty, surpassing cardiology and plastic surgery: Medscape
Radiology has risen to the No. 2 highest paid specialty, surpassing cardiology and plastic surgery, according to new survey data from Medscape released Friday.
On average, full-time U.S. radiologists take home about $520,000, a figure that includes base salary, incentive bonuses and other income such as profit-sharing contributions. Orthopedic specialists claimed the top spot among survey respondents with average pay of $543,000, while plastic surgeons ($516,000), cardiologists ($506,000) and anesthesiologists ($499,000) rounded out the top 5.
This marks the highest ranking for radiology since the 2012 Medscape Physician Compensation Report, when the specialty was No. 1, and the first time since it’s surpassed both plastic surgery and cardiology since then. Radiologists have seen their compensation rise about 4% year over year and almost 49% since the inaugural 2011 report, when rads earned $350,00 and also were listed No. 2 behind orthopedic surgeons.
The results come amid recent reports of radiologist shortages and backlogs of requests for diagnostic imaging.
“Supply and demand is a significant part of what’s driving that higher average physician compensation,” Tara Osseck, regional VP of recruiting for Jackson Physician Search, told Medscape in reference to why docs earn more in the West North Central U.S. ($421,000) than any other region. This geography includes both Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa and Missouri.
Radiology saw the sixth highest year-over-year gain in compensation at 4%, tied with OB-GYN, psychiatry, and physical medicine. Endocrinologists and pathologists had the largest annual gain at 8%, followed by infectious disease specialists (6%), anesthesiologists (also 6%), and nephrologists (5%). Overall, physicians saw their pay increase 3.6%, which marks one of the smallest annual upticks since Medscape’s inaugural 2011 report.
About 47% of all physicians said they feel fairly compensated for their work, the lowest tally in 10 years, according to the website. Asked whether they believe the profession is underpaid, about 62% said “yes.”
“When physicians are evaluating their own compensation, it’s a very personal assessment,” Osseck said. “But then when they zoom out and consider the profession as a whole, I think some of the broader systemic factors come into play that can lead to a stronger perception of underpayment.” Those can include rising bureaucratic burdens, declining reimbursement and RVU-based productivity pressures.
Medscape administered the 10-minute online survey between October and January, reaching a total of 7,322 respondents across 30 or so specialties. This included about 220 radiologists. Radiology ranked sixth in the 2024 Medscape survey at $498,000, and the specialty placed ninth in the last Doximity compensation report. The latter named neurosurgeons as the top-earning specialists, with average pay of nearly $764,000.
Medscape also highlighted a widening compensation gap between male and female physicians at $98,000, the largest figure since the survey started 14 years ago. You can find the full results here.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.