Orthopedists and orthopedic surgeons are among the wealthiest physicians in the country, and their edge over other specialties is widening, according to Medscape’s “Orthopedist Wealth & Debt Report 2026: Is the Rising Net Worth Tide Carrying Your Boat?”
The report, published Aug. 7, 2026, is based on a survey of physicians conducted by Medscape in late 2025.
Here are 10 things to know from the report:
1. Orthopedists are increasing their net worth. Thirty-nine percent of orthopedists reported a family net worth of $5 million or more in 2026, up from 35% in Medscape’s 2024 Orthopedist Wealth & Debt Report. The share reporting a net worth below $500,000 edged down to 12%, from 13% two years earlier.
2. Orthopedics ties for the top spot among specialties for high net worth. Orthopedic surgery and radiology tied atop the rankings, each with 39% of practitioners reporting a net worth of $5 million or more. Cardiology followed at 35%, then anesthesiology (31%), plastic surgery (29%) and otolaryngology (27%).
3. Retirement accounts are orthopedists’ largest source of wealth. Retirement accounts made up 35% of orthopedists’ net worth, followed by homes and other real estate (26%) and financial investments outside retirement accounts (18%). According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the average U.S. household has 34% of net worth from retirement accounts and 29% from real estate.
4. Orthopedists are more bullish on the stock market than other specialties. Fifty-nine percent of orthopedists expect their investment portfolio to grow this year, 30% expect it to stay stable and 11% expect a decline. Half of Americans said they expected stock market gains in the subsequent six months in a Gallup poll released in February 2026.
5. Orthopedists are pulling back on college savings even as they boost retirement accounts. Among orthopedists who changed their savings habits in 2025, 14% put proportionately more into tax-advantaged retirement accounts such as 401(k)s and 403(b)s, compared with 5% who put in less. Education accounts moved the opposite direction: 8% increased those contributions while 21% scaled back.
6. The top financial worry for orthopedists is inflation. Sixty percent of orthopedists rated inflation a 4 or 5 on Medscape’s 5-point concern scale, higher than their concern about the overall direction of financial markets or rising interest rates.
7. Nearly three-quarters of orthopedists feel good about how their family manages money. Nearly 75% of orthopedists credited their family with managing their overall finances “very well” or “well,” a higher share than physicians overall.
8. Mortgages continue to be the largest ongoing expense for orthopedists. Sixty-three percent of orthopedists are paying a mortgage on their primary residence, followed by a car loan (30%), credit card debt (20%) and college tuition for children (20%). Fifteen percent reported none of the listed expenses or debts.
9. Most orthopedists’ families haven’t cut expenses to cope with costs. About 8 in 10 orthopedists said their families hadn’t done anything to reduce major expenses over the past year. Among those who had, 8% switched to a less expensive car to bring down spending.
10. Orthopedists’ financial losses came more from their practices than the stock market. Eighteen percent of orthopedists reported losing money due to practice issues such as business problems or reimbursement changes in the past year. Sixty-seven percent of orthopedists reported no financial losses of any kind.
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