Four specialties pay more than $480,000 and score at or above average on Marit Health’s lifestyle index: dermatology, ophthalmology, radiation oncology and radiology. Otolaryngology falls just short, at 0.98. Seven high-paying specialties, led by neurosurgery, rank 24th or lower.
The comparison pairs Marit’s 2026 Lifestyle Balance Index, built from 24,447 physician submissions, with average pay from Doximity’s 2026 Physician Compensation Report. M Marit’s index scores weekly hours, schedule quality, call burden, clinical time and PTO, with 1.0 as the all-specialty average. Marit’s “surgery” category is matched to Doximity’s general surgery figure.
High pay, better lifestyle
| Specialty | Lifestyle rank (of 36) | Weekly hours | PTO (weeks) | Average pay |
| Dermatology | 2 | 38.8 | 4.6 | $497,509 |
| Ophthalmology | 9 | 42.0 | 4.7 | $487,438 |
| Radiation oncology | 11 | 45.9 | 6 | $613,837 |
| Radiology | 16 | 46.2 | 9.9 | $609,684 |
| Otolaryngology | 17 | 47.5 | 4.5 | $549,810 |
Radiologists report the most PTO of any specialty, at 9.9 weeks a year, nearly twice the 5-week average.
High pay, harder lifestyle
| Specialty | Lifestyle rank (of 36) | Weekly hours | PTO in weeks | Average pay |
| Neurosurgery | 36 | 56.6 | 4.6 | $829,161 |
| General surgery | 35 | 53.7 | 4.9 | $501,003 |
| Anesthesiology | 32 | 47.4 | 7.6 | $557,131 |
| Cardiology | 30 | 52.4 | 5.5 | $604,635 |
| Orthopedic surgery | 26 | 50.7 | 4.8 | $696,852 |
| Plastic surgery | 25 | 52.2 | 4.7 | $625,757 |
| Urology | 24 | 50.2 | 5.3 | $566,740 |
Anesthesiologists get 7.6 weeks of PTO, the second most of any specialty, but rank 32nd once call burden and schedule quality are counted.
Gastroenterology falls between the two groups. It pays an average of $531,345 and ranks 20th, with a 0.94 score.
At the other end, the top of Marit’s ranking is dominated by lower-paid specialties. Preventive medicine ranks first with an average pay of $265,825, and rheumatology, allergy and immunology, and family medicine all rank in the top six while earning less than $340,000.
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