Orthopedics or plastic surgery has been the highest-paid physician specialty in each of the last five Medscape Physician Compensation Reports. Pediatrics has ranked in the bottom two every year.
Plastic surgery led in the 2022 and 2023 reports. Orthopedics has been first since 2024. Its average pay rose from $557,000 in the 2022 report to $611,000 in 2026, and it became the first specialty in the survey to pass $600,000.
At the low end, public health and preventive medicine was last in 2022, 2023 and 2025. Diabetes and endocrinology was last in 2024, and pediatrics was last in 2026. Pediatric pay rose from $244,000 to $266,000 over the five years.
The difference between the highest- and lowest-paid specialties grew from $333,000 in 2022 to $345,000 in 2026.
Here are the five highest- and lowest-paid specialties in each report, by average annual compensation:
2026 (5,916 physicians surveyed Sept. 5 to Dec. 17, 2025)
Highest:
- Orthopedics: $611,000
- Cardiology: $575,000
- Radiology: $571,000
- Plastic surgery: $554,000
- Anesthesiology: $543,000
Lowest:
- Pediatrics: $266,000
- Public health and preventive medicine: $277,000
- Infectious diseases: $282,000
- Diabetes and endocrinology: $284,000 (tie)
- Rheumatology: $284,000 (tie)
2025 (7,322 physicians surveyed Oct. 3, 2024, to Jan. 15, 2025)
Highest:
- Orthopedics: $564,000
- Plastic surgery: $544,000
- Radiology: $526,000
- Cardiology: $520,000
- Gastroenterology: $513,000
Lowest:
- Pediatrics: $265,000
- Public health and preventive medicine: $269,000
- Diabetes and endocrinology: $274,000
- Infectious disease: $277,000
- Family medicine: $281,000
2024 (about 7,000 physicians surveyed)
Highest:
- Orthopedics: $558,000
- Plastic surgery: $536,000
- Cardiology: $525,000
- Urology: $515,000
- Gastroenterology: $512,000
Lowest:
- Diabetes and endocrinology: $256,000
- Pediatrics: $260,000
- Infectious diseases: $261,000
- Public health and preventive medicine: $263,000
- Family medicine: $272,000
2023 (more than 10,000 physicians surveyed Oct. 7, 2022, to Jan. 14, 2023)
Highest:
- Plastic surgery: $619,000
- Orthopedics: $573,000
- Cardiology: $507,000
- Urology: $506,000
- Gastroenterology: $501,000
Lowest:
- Public health and preventive medicine: $249,000
- Pediatrics: $251,000
- Family medicine: $255,000
- Infectious diseases: $262,000
- Diabetes and endocrinology: $267,000
2022 (more than 13,000 physicians surveyed Oct. 5, 2021, to Jan. 19, 2022)
Highest:
- Plastic surgery: $576,000
- Orthopedics: $557,000
- Cardiology: $490,000
- Otolaryngology: $469,000
- Urology: $461,000
Lowest:
- Public health and preventive medicine: $243,000
- Pediatrics: $244,000
- Family medicine: $255,000
- Diabetes and endocrinology: $257,000
- Infectious diseases: $260,000
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