General Internal Medicine Physicians Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks
SOC 29-1216 · National · May 2025 OEWS Data
Median Annual Salary
$256,568
$123.35/hr
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026
Is this a competitive General Internal Medicine Physicians salary in 2026?
Based on BLS OEWS wage percentiles, JOLTS June 2026 demand signals, and ECI Q2 2026 wage growth.
$Competitive · ~P50
P10$74K
P25$124K
P50$257K
P75$375K
P90$475K
Drag the dot or type an amount above.
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Demand: HOT. Demand is hot -- health care job openings are running at 5.3% (JOLTS, June 2026), a tight market. Candidates have leverage, so a competitive offer sits at or above the median; below-median offers often will not close.
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Merit budget: Wages in health care are rising about 3.6% a year (BLS ECI, Q2 2026). Budget a 3.2-3.7% merit increase to hold this role at market.
Our read
For a competitive 2026 offer, target $256,568 to $374,858 (market median to the 75th percentile). Lean toward the top of the range for senior or hard-to-fill roles.
Figures are market benchmarks from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; apply professional judgment before making pay decisions.
How General Internal Medicine Physicians pay is moving in 2026
Trend, demand, and spread context from BLS OEWS, JOLTS, and ECI
Pay trend
Median pay for this role rose 8.6% between the May 2024 and May 2025 BLS surveys, outpacing the 3.6% wage growth of Health Care & Social Assistance (BLS ECI).
Hiring demand · HOT
Health Care & Social Assistance is running a 5.3% job-openings rate with quits at 1.9% (BLS JOLTS). Demand has cooled for 2 straight months (6.1% down to 5.3%).
Pay spread
Top earners (P90) make about 6.5 times what entry-level (P10) workers make in this role. That spread is wider than typical, so expect large pay differences by experience, employer size, and geography; build generous ranges and differentiate strongly.
What changed recently
Aug 4, 2026JOLTS June 2026: sector openings fell from 5.9% to 5.3% (down 147K), the sharpest monthly cooling this year, though still the second-tightest market.
Jul 31, 2026ECI Q2 2026: sector wages growing 3.6% per year, the fastest of any major sector. Health benefit costs rose 6.0% nationally.
Commentary is generated from published BLS figures (OEWS May 2025 vs May 2024, JOLTS June 2026, ECI Q2 2026) and refreshed each release. It is interpretation, not a BLS product.
Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026
Next refresh: May 2027
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The national median salary for General Internal Medicine Physicians is $256,568 per year ($123.35/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $124,467 and $374,858 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $475,426 per year. There are approximately 67,150 general internal medicine physicians employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Diagnose and provide nonsurgical treatment for a wide range of diseases and injuries of internal organ systems. Provide care mainly for adults and adolescents, and are based primarily in an outpatient care setting.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+3.3%
About as fast as average
Annual openings
2K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
73K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
11% from new growth89% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Doctoral or professional degree
Experience
None
On-the-job training
Internship/residency
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Offices of Physicians
NAICS 621100
36K
$278,160
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
NAICS 622100
19K
$216,590
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools
NAICS 611300
7K
$269,110
Outpatient Care Centers
NAICS 621400
3K
$270,380
Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals
NAICS 622300
840
$233,780
Wage range across top 5 industries: $216,590 to $278,160 (28% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$35.37
$73,570
P25
$59.84
$124,467
P50MEDIAN
$123.35
$256,568
P75
$180.22
$374,858
P90
$228.57
$475,426
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · health sector
Hot
Openings Rate
5.3%
Quits Rate
1.9%
Health Care & Social Assistance openings fell 147K to 1.35M in June, rate down from 5.9% to 5.3% -- the sector's biggest monthly cooling this year, though it remains the second-tightest market. Quits edged up to 1.9%; compensation pressure persists for clinical roles.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average general internal medicine physicians salary?
The national median salary for General Internal Medicine Physicians is $256,568 per year ($123.35/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $124,467 and $374,858 annually.
How much do top-earning general internal medicine physicians make?
The 90th percentile salary for General Internal Medicine Physicians is $475,426 per year ($228.57/hr). The 75th percentile is $374,858 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for general internal medicine physicians?
Entry-level General Internal Medicine Physicians (10th percentile) earn approximately $73,570 per year ($35.37/hr). The 25th percentile is $124,467 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
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