Medscape's 2025 Physician Compensation Report: Small Pay Gains, Increasing Financial Pressures

Report Shines Light on Pay Trends and Economic Challenges Physicians are Facing 

NEWARK, N.J., April 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Medscape, the leading online resource for healthcare professionals,  announced findings from its latest survey on physician compensation, shedding light on the evolving landscape of pay for physicians. The report, "Comparing Your Pay Against Your Peers': Medscape Physician Compensation Report 2025" found that while there have been small pay increases recently, the overall sentiment among physicians regarding fair compensation is declining.

The report reveals the average total compensation among U.S. physicians rose 3.6% during 2024, marking one of the lower raises since Medscape began tracking physicians' compensation in 2011, although it aligns with trends observed over the past 3 years. 

Specifically, primary care physicians (PCPs) saw an average pay increase of only 1.4%, while specialists experienced an even smaller increase of 1.0%. These were the lowest raises recorded since the 2021 report published during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, findings reveal a widening gender pay gap among physicians, underscoring the need to promote equitable pay across all demographics in the medical profession.  

Click here to view the full report.

Key insights from the report include:

Declining Perception of Fairness: A concerning trend is emerging, with a decreasing percentage of physicians (47% in the latest survey) feeling fairly compensated for their work's demands. 

Limited Pay Growth Across Specialties: The data shows that a low share of medical specialties reported any pay increase last year, as specialists' compensation was affected by payer reimbursement cuts and other factors.

Supplementing Income: Approximately 40% of physicians are seeking paid work outside of their primary roles, reflecting the financial pressures many are facing and both the ability and necessity to supplement their income.

"These findings reflect the economic pressures that physicians are currently facing," said Jon McKenna, Executive Editor of Reports, Medscape Business of Medicine. "As the landscape of healthcare continues to change, physicians should be aware of these trends and what may be impacting their earnings. Now may be the time for physicians to reassess their financial strategies given post-pandemic salary increases have leveled off, an apparent slowdown in compensation growth and regulatory uncertainties."

For more information about the report and to access the full findings, please visit www.medscape.com/2025-compensation-overview.

Medscape Survey Methods
The "Comparing Your Pay Against Your Peers': Medscape Physician Compensation Report 2025" was completed by 7,322 U.S. physicians representing more than 29 specialty areas. Respondents were invited to respond to an online survey. The margin of error for the survey was +/- 1.15% at a 95% confidence level, using a point estimate of 50%.

About Medscape
Medscape is the leading source of clinical news, health information, and point-of-care tools for health care professionals. Medscape offers specialists, primary care physicians, and other health professionals the most robust and integrated medical information and educational tools. Medscape Education (medscape.org) is the leading destination for continuous professional development, consisting of more than 30 specialty-focused destinations offering thousands of free C.M.E. and C.E. courses and other educational programs for physicians, nurses, and other health care professionals. Medscape is a subsidiary of WebMD Health Corp.

About Medscape 2050
In 2025, Medscape marks its 30th anniversary, a milestone that highlights three decades of commitment to providing healthcare professionals with the latest medical news, clinical information, and educational resources. To commemorate this milestone, Medscape has launched Medscape 2050: The Future of Medicine, a dedicated hub on its platform that explores the future of medicine. This hub will be continually updated with a range of insights, videos and resources focused on the advancements shaping the medical landscape.

About WebMD Health Corp.
WebMD Health Corp., an Internet Brands company, is at the heart of the digital health revolution that is transforming the healthcare experience for consumers, patients, healthcare professionals, employers, health plans and health systems. Through public and private online portals, mobile platforms, and health-focused publications, WebMD delivers leading-edge content and digital services that enable and improve decision-making, support and motivate health actions, streamline and simplify the healthcare journey, and improve patient care.

The WebMD Health Network includes WebMD Health, Medscape, WebMD Ignite (encompassing Krames, The Wellness Network and Mercury Healthcare), Jobson Healthcare Information, MediQuality, Frontline, Vitals Consumer Services, Aptus Health, PulsePoint, The Wellness Network, SanovaWorks, MNG Health, MedicineNet, eMedicineHealth, RxList, OnHealth, Medscape Education, and other owned WebMD sites. WebMD®, Medscape®, CME Circle®, Medpulse®, eMedicine®, MedicineNet®, theheart.org® and RxList® are among the trademarks of WebMD Health Corp. or its subsidiaries.

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SOURCE Medscape