BagMask.com Releases Anesthesiologist Salary by State 2026 Q1 Report

Advertised W2 base salaries for anesthesiologists pushed sharply higher, the top-paying states reshuffled, and one Southern market posted the largest single-quarter average increase in the country.

GAMBRILLS, Md., May 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- BagMask.com, the only anesthesia job board dedicated to empowering anesthesia professionals with transparent data, has released its Anesthesiologist Salary by State 2026 Q1 Report. Built from thousands of real job postings collected from January through March 2026, the report delivers state-by-state advertised averages, minimums, maximums, and rankings for physician anesthesiologists — and the first quarter of the year did not look like the end of the last one.

In Q4 2025, advertised anesthesiologist salaries typically ran from roughly $400,000 to more than $650,000 for W2 positions. The Q1 2026 data tells a different story at the top of the market. Several states pushed advertised maximums to new highs, the highest-paying states reshuffled, and a handful of regions posted average increases well into six figures in a single quarter.

What's New in the Q1 2026 Report

• A new W2 base ceiling: peak advertised maximums have climbed to levels not previously tracked — and the state setting the new high-water mark may surprise you.
  
  
• A reshuffled top of the rankings: long-standing leaders shifted, and new markets entered the top tier.
  
  
• The largest single-quarter jumps: the report ranks the ten states with the biggest advertised increases since Q4 2025, led by a Southern market where the average jumped more than $70,000.
  
  
• New base-pay floors: certain markets are establishing minimum entry points well above $500,000, signaling premium pricing even for baseline W2 positions.

"Q4 2025 closed with a fairly stable physician anesthesia market. Q1 2026 did not stay stable," said Patrick Flaherty, Founder of BagMask.com. "Facilities are pushing advertised W2 base pay to levels we have not tracked before, with peak offers now reaching seven figures. Anyone evaluating an offer or benchmarking a compensation plan should be reading Q4 and Q1 side by side."

The report focuses on advertised W2 base pay from active job postings, but actual anesthesiologist earnings are typically higher. Call pay, callback pay, extra OR blocks, signing and retention bonuses, loan repayment, and CME and retirement benefits all sit outside the posted range — where real negotiation happens.

Both the Q4 2025 and Q1 2026 reports are available free in the Anesthesiologist Salary Data Center for side-by-side comparison: https://bagmask.com/anesthesiologist-salary-data-center/

About BagMask.com

Founded in 2017, BagMask.com is a leading career platform for the anesthesia community, serving anesthesiologists, CRNAs, and CAAs with job listings, salary insights, educational resources, and scholarship opportunities. BagMask.com is the only anesthesia job board that gives back to the community through its national scholarship fund.

Media Contact

Patrick Flaherty, Founder, BagMask.com
443.239.2533 | [email protected]

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SOURCE BagMask.com