Neurologist Compensation: Where Do You Stand?

July 2, 2019

What does compensation for neurologists look like these days? Would you choose neurology all over again?

Neurologists were among the nearly 20,000 physicians who responded to the 2019 Medscape compensation survey, which also offers insights about job satisfaction.¹

In 2019, orthopedists had the highest average earnings: $482,000. Public health and preventive medicine specialists had the lowest: $209,000. The average annual compensation for neurologists was $267,000, which represents an increase of 9% over 2018 earnings.¹The Medical Economics Annual Physician Report showed that salaries for most physicians remained unchanged from 2018.²

Overall, the top five states with the highest average earnings for physicians were Oklahoma ($337,000), Alabama ($330,000), Nevada ($329,000), Arkansas ($326,000), and Florida ($325,000).¹

About 50% of neurologists in the Medscape survey said they felt they were fairly compensated. Surprisingly, the specialty with the lowest average annual earnings-public health and preventive medicine-had the highest level of satisfaction with compensation (73%).¹

About 79% of neurologists said they would choose medicine again as a career. When asked about their choice of specialty, 82% would choose neurology again.¹

References
1. Kane L. Medscape Neurologist Compensation Report 2019. https://www.medscape.com/slideshow/2019-compensation-neurologist-6011336. Accessed June 26, 2019.
2. Medical Economics Staff. 90th Annual Physician Report: Salaries Stagnant, Declining for Most Doctors. https://www.medicaleconomics.com/physician-report/90th-annual-physician-report-salaries-stagnant-declining-most-doctors. Accessed June 26, 2019.