Best US Cities for Physician (Doctor)s
Top US cities for Physician (Doctor)s ranked by estimated median salary, with cost-of-living-adjusted earning power.
| # | City | Estimated salary | Cost mult. | vs national |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $320,700 | 1.45× | +$90,700 |
| 2 | Honolulu, HI | $308,900 | 1.30× | +$78,900 |
| 3 | Oakland, CA | $303,600 | 1.35× | +$73,600 |
| 4 | Irvine, CA | $295,000 | 1.30× | +$65,000 |
| 5 | Boston, MA | $294,600 | 1.22× | +$64,600 |
| 6 | Scottsdale, AZ | $287,500 | 1.18× | +$57,500 |
| 7 | New York City, NY | $281,500 | 1.32× | +$51,500 |
| 8 | San Diego, CA | $279,600 | 1.21× | +$49,600 |
| 9 | Yonkers, NY | $277,900 | 1.20× | +$47,900 |
| 10 | Anchorage, AK | $277,900 | 1.20× | +$47,900 |
| # | City | Salary | Hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $320,700 | $154/hr |
| 2 | Honolulu, HI | $308,900 | $149/hr |
| 3 | Oakland, CA | $303,600 | $146/hr |
| 4 | Irvine, CA | $295,000 | $142/hr |
| 5 | Boston, MA | $294,600 | $142/hr |
| 6 | Scottsdale, AZ | $287,500 | $138/hr |
| 7 | New York City, NY | $281,500 | $135/hr |
| 8 | San Diego, CA | $279,600 | $134/hr |
| 9 | Yonkers, NY | $277,900 | $134/hr |
| 10 | Anchorage, AK | $277,900 | $134/hr |
| 11 | Miami, FL | $276,700 | $133/hr |
| 12 | Seattle, WA | $274,500 | $132/hr |
| 13 | Long Beach, CA | $274,500 | $132/hr |
| 14 | Anaheim, CA | $274,500 | $132/hr |
| 15 | Chula Vista, CA | $269,500 | $130/hr |
| 16 | Los Angeles, CA | $265,400 | $128/hr |
| 17 | Baltimore, MD | $264,300 | $127/hr |
| 18 | Portland, OR | $260,900 | $125/hr |
| 19 | Newark, NJ | $260,900 | $125/hr |
| 20 | Sacramento, CA | $260,900 | $125/hr |
| 21 | Riverside, CA | $260,900 | $125/hr |
| 22 | Philadelphia, PA | $258,900 | $124/hr |
| 23 | Henderson, NV | $258,900 | $124/hr |
| 24 | Denver, CO | $257,500 | $124/hr |
| 25 | Orlando, FL | $257,100 | $124/hr |
| 26 | Raleigh, NC | $255,300 | $123/hr |
| 27 | Worcester, MA | $255,300 | $123/hr |
| 28 | Stockton, CA | $252,400 | $121/hr |
| 29 | Aurora, CO | $252,400 | $121/hr |
| 30 | Hialeah, FL | $252,400 | $121/hr |
| 31 | Las Vegas, NV | $250,600 | $120/hr |
| 32 | Minneapolis, MN | $250,600 | $120/hr |
| 33 | Plano, TX | $250,600 | $120/hr |
| 34 | Houston, TX | $248,200 | $119/hr |
| 35 | Phoenix, AZ | $247,200 | $119/hr |
| 36 | Tampa, FL | $247,200 | $119/hr |
| 37 | Gilbert, AZ | $247,200 | $119/hr |
| 38 | Salt Lake City, UT | $247,200 | $119/hr |
| 39 | New Orleans, LA | $244,500 | $118/hr |
| 40 | Wilmington, DE | $243,800 | $117/hr |
| 41 | St. Paul, MN | $243,800 | $117/hr |
| 42 | Boise, ID | $243,800 | $117/hr |
| 43 | Fresno, CA | $243,800 | $117/hr |
| 44 | Nashville, TN | $242,100 | $116/hr |
| 45 | Colorado Springs, CO | $242,100 | $116/hr |
| 46 | St. Petersburg, FL | $242,100 | $116/hr |
| 47 | Madison, WI | $242,100 | $116/hr |
| 48 | St. Louis, MO | $239,200 | $115/hr |
| 49 | Winston-Salem, NC | $239,200 | $115/hr |
| 50 | Jacksonville, FL | $238,700 | $115/hr |
| 51 | Mesa, AZ | $238,700 | $115/hr |
| 52 | Chicago, IL | $238,100 | $114/hr |
| 53 | Austin, TX | $238,100 | $114/hr |
| 54 | Frisco, TX | $238,100 | $114/hr |
| 55 | Tucson, AZ | $237,000 | $114/hr |
| 56 | Glendale, AZ | $237,000 | $114/hr |
| 57 | Spokane, WA | $237,000 | $114/hr |
| 58 | Chandler, AZ | $236,400 | $114/hr |
| 59 | Memphis, TN | $235,700 | $113/hr |
| 60 | Pittsburgh, PA | $235,300 | $113/hr |
| 61 | Tallahassee, FL | $235,300 | $113/hr |
| 62 | Birmingham, AL | $233,900 | $112/hr |
| 63 | Milwaukee, WI | $233,500 | $112/hr |
| 64 | Albuquerque, NM | $233,500 | $112/hr |
| 65 | Atlanta, GA | $233,200 | $112/hr |
| 66 | Reno, NV | $233,200 | $112/hr |
| 67 | Charleston, SC | $233,200 | $112/hr |
| 68 | San Antonio, TX | $231,800 | $111/hr |
| 69 | Grand Rapids, MI | $231,800 | $111/hr |
| 70 | Detroit, MI | $230,100 | $111/hr |
| 71 | Cincinnati, OH | $230,100 | $111/hr |
| 72 | Lexington, KY | $230,100 | $111/hr |
| 73 | Buffalo, NY | $230,100 | $111/hr |
| 74 | Greensboro, NC | $230,100 | $111/hr |
| 75 | Knoxville, TN | $230,100 | $111/hr |
| 76 | Virginia Beach, VA | $230,000 | $111/hr |
| 77 | Chesapeake, VA | $230,000 | $111/hr |
| 78 | North Las Vegas, NV | $230,000 | $111/hr |
| 79 | Dallas, TX | $228,400 | $110/hr |
| 80 | El Paso, TX | $228,400 | $110/hr |
| 81 | Cleveland, OH | $228,400 | $110/hr |
| 82 | Bakersfield, CA | $228,400 | $110/hr |
| 83 | Norfolk, VA | $226,800 | $109/hr |
| 84 | Indianapolis, IN | $226,700 | $109/hr |
| 85 | Louisville, KY | $226,700 | $109/hr |
| 86 | Charlotte, NC | $225,200 | $108/hr |
| 87 | Fort Worth, TX | $223,600 | $108/hr |
| 88 | Garland, TX | $223,600 | $108/hr |
| 89 | Toledo, OH | $223,300 | $107/hr |
| 90 | Lubbock, TX | $223,300 | $107/hr |
| 91 | Arlington, TX | $222,000 | $107/hr |
| 92 | Wichita, KS | $220,000 | $106/hr |
| 93 | Fort Wayne, IN | $220,000 | $106/hr |
| 94 | Mobile, AL | $220,000 | $106/hr |
| 95 | Columbus, OH | $217,100 | $104/hr |
| 96 | Kansas City, MO | $217,100 | $104/hr |
| 97 | Corpus Christi, TX | $217,100 | $104/hr |
| 98 | Omaha, NE | $213,900 | $103/hr |
| 99 | Oklahoma City, OK | $212,300 | $102/hr |
| 100 | Lincoln, NE | $212,300 | $102/hr |
Does location actually decide Physician (Doctor) pay?
Physician (Doctor) work is rarely remote, so the metro you choose still largely determines what you earn. Pay ranges from $212,300 in Lincoln to $320,700 in San Francisco — a spread of 51%.
Worth checking before you plan around these numbers: Physician (Doctor) needs State medical license (USMLE/COMLEX) plus board certification, and reciprocity between states varies from automatic to nonexistent. The higher-paying metro is only worth what you can actually earn there after re-credentialing.
Highest-paying is not the same as best-off
The number that ranks these metros is not the number you live on. In San Francisco, $320,700 against $3,000/month rent leaves roughly $284,700 a year after housing. In Lincoln, $212,300 against $950 leaves about $200,900. The top still wins after rent, but by $83,800 rather than the $108,400 the headline suggests.
Why these metros and not others
The metros at the top are not simply the expensive ones; they are where the hiring is. San Francisco (Salesforce, Google); Honolulu (U.S. Pacific Fleet/Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Queen's Health Systems); Oakland (Kaiser Permanente (HQ), Port of Oakland). Depth of demand for healthcare work is what lifts pay above the local baseline, and it is why two equally costly cities can pay this role differently.
Salaries are modelled from BLS national medians adjusted for local price level at a wage elasticity below 1 — pay rises with local costs but not proportionally. See our methodology.