What is the Average Salary of a Sports Medicine Physician?

<p>According to <i>PayScale.com</i>, if you're a sports medicine physician, you would have earned a median annual salary of $182,994 as of July 2019. The same source also reported salary figures by percentile, which demonstrated possible variations in income. According to those numbers, the bottom-paid 10% of sports medicine physicians earned $60,000 or less, while the top-paid 10% earned $242,000 or more. A number of factors can affect your salary as a sports medicine physician. Three of the most common include years of experience, location and type of employer. Below is an overview of the required skills, training, and <a href="https://learn.org/articles/What_are_the_Basics_of_a_Sports_Medicine_Degree.html">education you need to work in sports medicine</a>. </p> <h3 id="section---ImportantFactsAboutSportsMedicinePhysicians">Important Facts About Sports Medicine Physicians</h3> <p /> <table border="1"><tr><td> Required Education </td><td> Doctoral degree</td></tr> <tr><td> On-the-Job Training </td><td> Required residency lasting 3 to 7 years</td></tr> <tr><td> Key Skills </td><td> Attention to detail, problem solving, critical thinking, leadership, situational awareness, manual dexterity, patience, clear spoken and written communication, organization</td></tr> <tr><td> Similar Occupations </td><td> Chiropractors; dentists; optometrists; physicians assistants; podiatrists; veterinarians</td></tr> </table><h3 id="section---HowMuchDoSportsMedicineDoctorsMake">How Much Do Sports Medicine Doctors Make?</h3> <h3 id="section---SalaryByExperience">Salary by Experience</h3> <p>The number of years you've worked as a sports medicine physician can affect your income. For example, according to <i>PayScale.com</i> in July 2019, sports medicine doctors at the entry level earned 8% less than the national average of $182,994, while mid-career physicians earned 2% above the average. In contrast, experienced sports medicine physicians earned 3% more than the national average, as of 2019. </p> <h3 id="section---SalaryByLocation">Salary by Location</h3> <p>As of July 2019, <i>Payscale.com</i> reports that several of the highest-paying locations for sports medicine physicians in the U.S. are Los Angeles, California; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Atlanta, Georgia. Los Angeles offers individuals in this profession an average of 5.7% more than the national average salary for this occupation. This is followed by Philadelphia, offering a 5% higher-than-average salary, and Atlanta, offering 1.2% more. </p> <h3 id="section---SalaryByEmployerType">Salary by Employer Type</h3> <p>Professionals on this career path can choose to practice in a number of fields - the highest-paying ones including medicine/surgery, sports nutrition, and orthopedics (according to <i>Payscale.com</i>). Those working in orthopedics earn an average of $200,000 a year; followed by those who work in medicine and surgery, earning $192,176 a year; and finally, sports nutrition - earning an average of $184,608 a year. Other high-paying industries include training and physical therapy, offering an average of $169,161 and $101,736 average per year, respectively. </p> <h3 id="section---SalaryInformationForOrthopedicSurgeons">Salary Information for Orthopedic Surgeons</h3> <p>Like sports medicine physicians, orthopedic surgeons may attend to sports-related injuries. However, these are distinct career paths since, as an orthopedic surgeon, you also would treat a number of other conditions associated with the musculoskeletal system. According to <i>PayScale.com</i>, as of July 2019, orthopedic surgeons earned a median annual salary of $376,957. That same month, the bottom-paid 10% of orthopedic surgeons earned $144,000 or less, while the top-paid 10% brought home $569,000 or more. </p> <h3 id="section---JobOutlook">Job Outlook</h3> <p>According to the BLS, there will be good job prospects for physicians and surgeons as a whole, encompassing those who hold <a href="https://learn.org/articles/Sports_Medicine_Careers_Your_Job_and_Salary_Questions_Answered.html">sports medicine jobs</a>, over the 2016-2026 decade. Healthcare expansion and population growth both are expected to be factors that influence the faster than average 13% employment growth over that decade.</p>