Surgeons

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2019 Workforce

52.4k

Average Age

48.1

Average Salary

$334,038

Average Male Salary

$350,232

Average Female Salary

$254,994

About

Surgeons are most often employed by the General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals industry. The average yearly wage for Surgeons was $334,038 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Surgeons by wage are Physicians, Chief executives & legislators, and Dentists.

Surgeons are part of the Healthcare practitioners & technical occupations, along with Chiropractors, Dentists, Dietitians & nutritionists, Optometrists, Pharmacists, and 37 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Surgeons are San Diego City (Southwest/Central Coastal) PUMA, CA, Bethesda, Potomac & North Bethesda PUMA, MD, and Oyster Bay Town (North) & Glen Cove City PUMA, NY. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Surgeons are Oyster Bay Town (North) & Glen Cove City PUMA, NY, San Diego City (Southwest/Central Coastal) PUMA, CA, and Bethesda, Potomac & North Bethesda PUMA, MD.

Management, business, science, & arts occupations Healthcare practitioners & technical occupations

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Surgeons and on wages and locations for those in the field. General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals is the industry that employs the most Surgeons, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Surgeons, by average wage, is Offices of physicians. Surgeons are paid most in Oyster Bay Town (North) & Glen Cove City PUMA, NY but are relatively concentrated in Oyster Bay Town (North) & Glen Cove City PUMA, NY.

Wages

Yearly Wage

$334,038

AVERAGE SALARY

± $20,271

In 2019, Surgeons earned an average of $334,038, $278,514 more than than the average national salary of $55,524.

Surgeons are the highest paid occupation in the US followed by Physicians. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Surgeons as measured by average annual salary in the US.

In 2019, Surgeons had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.214, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Surgeons (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Surgeons.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Surgeons

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Surgeons.

Industries

Most Common

The most common industries employing Surgeons, by number of employees, are General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals, Offices of physicians, Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, Outpatient care centers, Other health care services, and Administration of human resource programs.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Surgeons, by average wage, are Offices of physicians, Administration of human resource programs, and General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals.

Industries by Share

52.4k

2019 Workforce

± 5,620

−1.08%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 15.3%

The number of people employed as Surgeons has been declining at a rate of −1.08%, from 52,986 people in 2018 to 52,416 people in 2019.

This graphic shows the share of Surgeons employed by various industries. General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals employs the largest share of Surgeons at 42%, followed by Offices of physicians with 39.2% and Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges with 7.18%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Surgeons in the US. The average age of male Surgeons in the workforce is 49.3 and of female Surgeons is 42, and the most common race/ethnicity for Surgeons is White (Non-Hispanic).

Composition by Sex

43.5k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 5,120

8.91k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 2,318

83% of Surgeons are Male, making them the more common sex in the occupation. This chart shows the sex breakdown of Surgeons.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Surgeons

White (Non-Hispanic)
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)

78.4% of Surgeons are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 10.4% of Surgeons, Asian (Non-Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Surgeons.

Age by Sex

49.3

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 1.5

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 2.6

The median age of Surgeons is 48.1, and Male employees are generally 7.3 years older than than their Female counterparts.

Education

Data on higher education choices for Surgeons from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Surgeons is Biology but a relatively high number of Surgeons hold a major in Biology.