Radiology rises to the No. 3 highest paid specialty, surpassing cardiology: Medscape

Editor's Note: This story has been updated throughout after Medscape modified its data on July 8, including dropping radiology from No. 2 to No. 3 on the list. 

Radiology has risen to the No. 3 highest paid specialty, surpassing cardiology, according to new survey data from Medscape released Friday. 

On average, full-time U.S. radiologists take home about $526,000, a figure that includes base salary, incentive bonuses and other income such as profit-sharing contributions. Orthopedic specialists ($564,000) and plastic surgeons ($544,000) claimed the top two spots among survey respondents, while cardiologists ($520,000) and gastroenterologists ($513,000) rounded out the top 5. 

This marks the highest ranking for radiology since the 2013 Medscape Physician Compensation Report, when the specialty also was No. 3, and the first time since it’s surpassed cardiology since 2012 (when radiology was No. 1). Radiologists saw their compensation rise about 5% year over year and over 50% 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 often earn more in rural regions than they might in other more-populous geographies. 

Radiology saw the third highest year-over-year gain in compensation at 5%, tied with psychiatry. Endocrinologists had the largest annual gain at 7%, while six specialties saw their pay climb 6%, including nephrologists, infectious disease and rehab specialists, anesthesiologists, OB-GYNs, and otolaryngologists. Overall, physicians saw their pay increase 2.9%, which marks one of the smallest annual upticks since Medscape’s inaugural 2011 report.

About 48% 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 61% 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 $96,000, the largest figure since the survey started 14 years ago. You can find the full results here.