Physician residents reported an average salary of about $79,000, up 5.4% from the previous year, according to Medscape’s “Resident Salary & Debt Report 2026.”
The report, published Oct. 20, is based on an online survey of 509 U.S. residents across more than 29 specialties, conducted April 10 to May 29, 2026. Medscape said statistically significant data was not available for all program years in the pay breakdown.
Here are eight numbers to know from the report:
- $79,000: Average resident salary in 2026, up 5.4% from the 2025 report. Since 2015, the average pay has climbed from $55,000.
- $74,000: Average salary for first- and second-year residents in 2026, up from $68,000 in 2025 and $65,000 in 2024. Third-year residents averaged $75,000, fourth-year residents averaged $81,000 and residents in years five through eight averaged $85,000.
- $15,000: There is a pay gap of more than $15,000 between the average salary for residents in the northern quadrant of the U.S. and those in the southern quadrant.
- 57%: The share of residents who said their pay does not cover what their household needs, including 42% who said it was less than they need and 15% who said it was much less.
- 63%: The share of residents who said their pay and benefits are unfair, down from 73% in 2025 and 69% in 2024. Medscape said the top reason was value, both in hours worked and in comparison to peers in other roles, rather than whether pay covered expenses.
- 26%: The minimum raise that about three-quarters of residents who considered their salary unfair said it would take to feel their pay is fair.
- 35%: The share of residents who said compensation was extremely or very influential in their choice of specialty, up from 29% in 2025 and 27% in 2024.
- 54%: The share of residents who reported carrying more than $150,000 in loan debt, including 30% with more than $250,000. Medscape said more than 70% of residents carry debt.
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