Personal or work email, both work. No account needed. Unsubscribe anytime.
The national median salary for Physicians, Pathologists is $312,395 per year ($150.19/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $186,306 and $372,778 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $449,966 per year. There are approximately 11,110 physicians, pathologists employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Diagnose diseases and conduct lab tests using organs, body tissues, and fluids. Includes medical examiners.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+4.2%
Faster than average
Annual openings
400
per year, on avg
Workforce today
13K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
12% from new growth88% 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
4K
$312,140
Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories
NAICS 621500
3K
$329,560
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
NAICS 622100
2K
$314,080
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools
NAICS 611300
580
$209,840
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999300
520
$258,360
Wage range across top 5 industries: $209,840 to $329,560 (57% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$44.49
$92,539
P25
$89.57
$186,306
P50MEDIAN
$150.19
$312,395
P75
$179.22
$372,778
P90
$216.33
$449,966
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · health sector
Hot
Openings Rate
5.4%
Quits Rate
1.9%
Health Care & Social Assistance openings rebounded to 1.36M (+87K) in March with rate at 5.4%. Hires rose to 700K (+75K). The sector remains structurally tight; compensation pressure persists for clinical roles.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average physicians, pathologists salary?
The national median salary for Physicians, Pathologists is $312,395 per year ($150.19/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $186,306 and $372,778 annually.
How much do top-earning physicians, pathologists make?
The 90th percentile salary for Physicians, Pathologists is $449,966 per year ($216.33/hr). The 75th percentile is $372,778 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for physicians, pathologists?
Entry-level Physicians, Pathologists (10th percentile) earn approximately $92,539 per year ($44.49/hr). The 25th percentile is $186,306 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.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.