Doctors' hourly wages vary widely depending on specialty, experience, location, and work setting. In the United States in 2025:
- The average hourly wage for doctors ranges from about $64 to $164 per hour.
- The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates a mean average hourly wage of around $115.
- Medscape reports an average salary translating to about $164 per hour.
- Specialized fields such as neurosurgery, cardiology, and orthopedic surgery often earn at the higher end, with some specialists making several hundred thousand dollars annually.
- Resident doctors typically earn less, around $30 to $36 per hour if calculated from their annual salaries.
In general:
- Primary care physicians earn less on average than specialists.
- Doctors often work long hours (50-60+ hours a week), which affects the hourly wage calculation.
- The hourly wage can vary significantly with geography; for example, doctors in Wisconsin earn more on average than those in Maryland.
Summary of average hourly wages reported:
- General average: approximately $64 to $164 per hour
- BLS estimate: about $115 per hour
- Specialized roles: can go above $200 per hour in some cases
- Residents: lower hourly earnings due to less pay and more hours worked
This gives a good overview that doctors typically make somewhere in the $60 to $160+ per hour range, depending on many factors including specialty and experience.
