Orthopedic pay in 2025: 5 notes

Orthopedics remains one of the top-paid specialties, according to reports from Medscape, AMN HealthCare and Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Five things to know:

1. The average salary for an orthopedic surgeon is $564,000, according to Medscape. Of 29 specialties included in a report, orthopedics had the highest average annual income.

2. Orthopedic surgeons saw a 1% increase in annual salary in 2024 from the previous year’s report. 

3. The average starting pay for orthopedics is also the highest among 20 specialties at $576,000, according to AMN Health’s 2025 “Review of Physician and Advanced Practitioner Recruiting Incentives” report. 

4. The average starting pay for orthopedic surgeons in academic settings is lower with $442,500. Non-academic orthopedic starting pay is an average $629,000.

5. In some of the most populated U.S. cities the top-paid orthopedic surgeon has an average salary of $800,000 to $1 million. The highest paid orthopedic surgeon in Los Angeles has an average annual salary of $1,011,500, and the highest paid orthopedic surgeon in New York City has an average annual salary of $982,2000. The highest paid orthopedic surgeon in Phoenix has an average annual salary of $858,700.

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