Which cities offer the best pay for radiologists?
Radiology recently rose to the second highest paid specialty in medicine, but new data reveals that readers in some cities enjoy significantly higher compensation.
Orthopedic surgeons are currently the highest paid specialists in the United States, making around $543,000, which includes base salary, incentive bonuses and other income such as profit-sharing contributions. Radiologists rank second with this respect, bringing in approximately $520,000 after all compensation is factored in.
These numbers are based on responses to a recent Medscape survey released earlier in April. Publicly available data from the National Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that the figures shared by Medscape’s survey respondents are higher due to the inclusion of benefits, bonuses, profit-sharing etc. The data included in this article is based on base pay alone.
That said, the average salary for radiologists in the U.S. is wide-ranging based on region, practice type and size, experience and the cost of living. Here are the top 10 Metropolitan areas where readers are the highest paid:
Portland and South Portland, Maine: $486,860
Lewiston and Auburn, Maine: $466,700
Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, Florida: $459,110
Phoenix, Mesa and Chandler, Arizona: $455,580
Des Moines and West Des Moines, Iowa: $441,120
Bangor, Maine: $422,380
Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts: $412,930
St. Louis, Missouri: $400,160
Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater, Florida: $398,400
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: $381,080
Out of all the physician specialties, radiology saw the sixth highest year-over-year growth, at 4%—higher than the overall average physician pay increase of 3.6%. Despite recent pay increases, data indicate that raises are not outpacing inflation. As such, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission has been lobbying for physician pay increases to align with the Medicare Economic Index, though Congress has ignored these recommendations in the past.
In addition to her background in journalism, Hannah also has patient-facing experience in clinical settings, having spent more than 12 years working as a registered rad tech. She began covering the medical imaging industry for Innovate Healthcare in 2021.