Surgeon Salaries by Specialty in 2025
The surgical field continues to offer some of the most lucrative career paths in medicine. For physicians exploring surgical specialties or considering a career transition, understanding how much surgeons make across different disciplines is essential for making informed decisions about your professional future.
Surgeon compensation varies significantly based on specialty, with factors like complexity of procedures, training requirements, and market demand all playing crucial roles in determining earnings. Whether you're a medical student planning your residency or an established physician considering a specialty change, this comprehensive guide breaks down surgeon salaries by specialty to help you navigate your career path strategically.
From general surgery starting salaries to the highest-paying surgical specialties, we'll explore the financial landscape that awaits in each field, giving you the data you need to align your career goals with your financial expectations.
What You Need to Know About Surgeon Salaries
Surgical careers require extensive training, often involving 5-7 years of residency followed by additional fellowship training. This significant investment of time and resources makes understanding potential returns crucial for career planning. Surgeon salaries directly impact your ability to manage student loan debt, achieve financial security, and maintain work-life balance.
Additionally, compensation knowledge empowers you during contract negotiations and helps you evaluate job opportunities across different geographic regions and practice settings. The surgical field's competitive nature means that informed physicians are better positioned to maximize their earning potential throughout their careers.
Factors Affecting Surgeon Salaries
- Several key elements influence how much surgeons make annually:
Geographic Location: Surgeon salaries vary dramatically by region. Urban centers often offer higher base salaries to offset increased living costs, while rural areas may provide competitive packages including housing allowances and loan forgiveness programs to attract talent. - Practice Setting: Hospital-employed surgeons typically receive different compensation structures than those in private practice. Academic medical centers may offer lower base salaries but provide research opportunities and teaching income.
- Experience Level: Early-career surgeons generally earn less than their seasoned counterparts. However, some specialties offer robust starting salaries that quickly escalate with experience and reputation.
- Case Volume and Complexity: Procedural specialties often tie compensation to surgical volume and complexity, with high-demand procedures commanding premium rates.
How Much Do Surgeons Make?
General surgeons form the backbone of surgical services, handling everything from appendectomies to complex abdominal procedures. The average general surgeon salary in 2025 ranges from $420,000 to $480,000 annually, with starting salaries typically beginning around $380,000.
General surgery offers excellent training diversity and serves as a foundation for many subspecialties. The general surgery starting salary provides strong financial stability while offering pathways to specialized fields like trauma surgery, surgical oncology, or colorectal surgery.
Orthopedic Surgeon Salary
Orthopedic surgery consistently ranks among the highest-paying surgical specialties. The average orthopedic surgeon salary reaches approximately $650,000 annually, with subspecialists in spine surgery or joint replacement often earning significantly more.
This specialty's high compensation reflects the extensive training required, the complexity of musculoskeletal procedures, and strong patient demand for both trauma care and elective procedures like joint replacements.
Cardiovascular Surgeon Salary
Cardiovascular surgeons perform life-saving procedures on the heart and major blood vessels. The average cardiovascular surgeon salary approximates $580,000 per year, reflecting the critical nature of their work and the extensive expertise required.
Cardiac surgery's high-stress environment and demanding call schedules are offset by excellent compensation and the professional satisfaction of performing procedures that directly save lives.
Trauma Surgeon Salary
Trauma surgeons work on the front lines of emergency medicine, treating severe injuries and life-threatening conditions. The average trauma surgeon salary ranges from $430,000 to $460,000 annually.
While trauma surgery may not top the salary charts, it offers unique professional rewards and often includes additional compensation for call coverage and emergency procedures.
Neurosurgeon Salary
Neurosurgery represents the pinnacle of surgical complexity and compensation. Neurosurgeons earn an average of $760,000 annually, making it one of the highest-paying medical specialties overall.
The extraordinary earning potential reflects the lengthy training period (often 7+ years of residency), the precision required for brain and spine procedures, and the limited number of practitioners in this highly specialized field.
Plastic Surgeon Salary
Plastic surgery combines reconstructive and cosmetic procedures, offering diverse practice opportunities. The average plastic surgeon salary reaches approximately $540,000 per year, with cosmetic-focused practices often achieving higher earnings through elective procedures.
This specialty's earning potential varies significantly based on practice focus, with aesthetic procedures typically generating higher margins than reconstructive work.
Pediatric Surgeon Salary
Pediatric surgeons specialize in surgical care for infants, children, and adolescents. The average pediatric surgeon salary approximates $480,000 annually, reflecting the specialized training and unique skills required for pediatric care.
While pediatric surgery may offer lower compensation than some adult specialties, it provides exceptional professional satisfaction and job security due to the specialized nature of the field.
Urologist Salary
Urology combines surgical and medical management of urinary tract and male reproductive system conditions. Urologists earn an average salary of $560,000 per year, with subspecialists in areas like robotic surgery or oncology often commanding higher compensation.
The field offers excellent work-life balance compared to other surgical specialties, with both emergency and elective procedures contributing to steady income streams.
Otolaryngologist Salary
Otolaryngologists (ENT surgeons) treat conditions affecting the ear, nose, throat, and related structures. The average otolaryngologist salary reaches approximately $470,000 annually.
This specialty offers diverse practice opportunities, from office-based procedures to complex head and neck cancer surgery, providing both procedural variety and stable compensation.
Maxillofacial Surgeon Salary
Oral and maxillofacial surgeons focus on surgical treatment of the face, mouth, and jaw. The average maxillofacial surgeon salary approximates $480,000 per year.
This specialty requires both dental and medical training, creating a unique skill set that commands competitive compensation for complex facial reconstructive and cosmetic procedures.
Maximizing Your Surgical Career Potential
Understanding surgeon salaries by specialty provides the foundation for strategic career planning. Consider factors beyond base compensation, including benefits packages, malpractice coverage, continuing education support, and partnership opportunities when evaluating positions.
Geographic flexibility can significantly impact earning potential, with certain regions offering premium compensation to attract surgical talent. Additionally, developing subspecialty expertise within your chosen field often leads to increased referrals and higher procedural fees.
At AMN Healthcare, we understand that choosing a surgical specialty involves balancing passion, lifestyle preferences, and financial goals. Our experienced healthcare recruiters can help you explore opportunities across all surgical specialties, providing insights into compensation trends and connecting you with positions that align with your career objectives.
