A report from Doximity, an online network of medical professionals, ranks neurosurgery as the top-paying physician specialty, with physicians earning an average of $617,000 annually.
Doximity's report was compiled from surveys completed by 90,000 licensed, full-time U.S. physicians who work at least 40 hours a week. Physicians who own their practices received more than $100,000 more on average than employed physicians.
The top 20 physician specialties and their average annual earnings:
1. Neurosurgery - $617,000
2. Thoracic surgery - $584,000
3. Orthopedic surgery - $526,000
4. Radiation oncology - $486,000
5. Vascular surgery - $485,000
6. Dermatology - $455,000
7. Cardiology - $454,000
8. Plastic surgery - $433,000
9. Gastroenterology - $432,000
10. Radiology - $429,000
11. Urology - $427,000
12. Anesthesiology - $405,000
13. General surgery - $403,000
14. Otolaryngology - $398,000
15. Oncology - $383,000
16. Colon and rectal surgery - $373,000
17. Ophthalmology - $371,000
18. Pulmonology - $344,000
19. Emergency medicine - $336,000
20. OB-GYN - $335,000