Report: Doctors Experience Race, Location Pay Gap

U.S. physicians’ salaries are affected by their gender, race, and location, according to the results of an annual survey. The Medscape Physician Compensation Report finds American doctors earn an average of $294,000 per year, with wide swings for various specialties—specialists earn about $100,000 more than primary-care doctors, for example. The survey shows women and black physicians are earning less, with white doctors making 15 percent more than their black counterparts—$303,000 vs. $262,000. The report is completed online by about 19,200 physicians in 26 specialty areas, and indicates that doctors in less-populated states typically make more money than those in urban areas. Physicians in North Dakota, on average earn as much as $361,000, while those in Washington, D.C. reported some of the lowest compensation in the country: $235,000 per year. The survey shows male doctors earn more than female physicians, but that gap appears to be narrowing among younger clinicians: Male doctors age 55 to 69 on average make 27 percent more than women, but that gap shrinks to 11 percent among those under age 34.