Radiologists have again jumped up a spot in earnings among the top 10 specialists in the U.S., according to a Medscape survey.
The average income for radiologists was $498,000, up 3% from last year’s average of $483,000, according to Medscape's 2024 Physician Compensation Report, released April 12. This places radiology up one spot over last year to sixth on the list of the top 10 earning specialties.
The findings are from survey responses from 7,000 physicians across more than 29 specialties between October 2023 and January 2024.
Above radiology in the highest-compensated specialties were orthopedics, plastic surgery, cardiology, urology, and gastroenterology, with orthopedics and orthopedic surgery specialists being compensated $558,000 on average over the period, according to the report.
Notably, while radiologists gained ground, several specialties lost ground on pay, including plastic surgery, which dropped a spot in the ranking with a 13% decrease in compensation in this year’s survey.
As in previous years, the report found gender disparity in physician compensation, with male physicians earning approximately 29% more than their female counterparts. Over the previous year, the gender gap declined slightly for primary care physicians but widened slightly for specialists.
Additionally, the report revealed notable trends in racial and ethnic compensation disparities, with compensation for African American and Black physicians growing more than twice as fast as for any other racial or ethnic group. However, they are still the lowest compensated group, earning $37,000 on average less than white doctors, Medscape noted.
The full report is available here.
