Today we have brought for you the list of the top 5 highest paid medical specialties in the US.
Salaries even inside the same specialty, can vary significantly based on factors like the physician’s years of experience, the region or city in which they practice, and whether they work in a private practice, hospital, or academic setting.
his list has been prepared according to the data published in the 2023 Physician Compensation Report by Doximity.
Doximity is a prominent digital platform for U.S. medical professionals. It serves as a professional network for physicians and other healthcare professionals. It is known for maintaining a large physician network, and its membership includes a significant percentage of doctors in the United States.
According to the report, the top 5 specialties with the Highest salary tend to be surgical and procedural specialties treating adult patients.

Specialties with the highest Annual compensation are :
1. Neurosurgery – $ 788,313
Neurosurgeons receive high salaries due to their extensive training period, involvement in complex and critical surgical procedures on the brain and spinal cord, and the limited number of practitioners in the field. If you are a medical student then you are probably familiar with the difficulty level of just studying neuroanatomy, let alone applying it in clinical procedures.
2. Thoracic surgery – $ 706,775
Thoracic surgeries are one of the longest and most extensive surgeries to be performed by surgeons. Subspecialties including interventional cardiology, where the large number of procedures like angioplasty, stent placement, and coronary bypass are performed have some of the highest paying jobs as these procedures cost a lot too.
3. Orthopedic surgery – $ 624,043
Orthopedic surgeons often have high earning potential due to the complexity of their surgical interventions and the demand for musculoskeletal expertise. In the treatment of musculoskeletal conditions with surgeries for joint replacements, spinal surgeries, bone grafting, and fracture repairs and the average cost for a knee replacement in the United States is somewhere between $15,000 and $75,000, there is no wonder orthopedic surgery is the third highest paid surgical specialty.
4. Plastic surgery – $ 571,373
Plastic surgeons, especially those with a focus on cosmetic procedures like breast augmentation, rhinoplasty, and facial rejuvenation have one of the most lucrative incomes.
5. Vascular surgery – $ 557,632
Vascular surgeons are considered high-paying due to the complexity of the procedures they perform and the specialized skills required like Aneurysm Repairs, Endarterectomies, and Peripheral Vascular Bypass Surgeries.
Final Verdict
If you are planning to select a specialty then let me tell you that it’s more important to consider factors such as personal interest, lifestyle, and the length of training when choosing a medical specialty as neurosurgery is for sure the highest paying specialty but it has the longest and toughest training period.