What's the Average Salary of a Family Practice Doctor?

<h3 id="section---SalaryOverview">Salary Overview</h3> <p>According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the average annual salary for family general physicians as of May 2021 was $235,930 (<i>www.bls.gov</i>). Your location, experience level and employer can all influence how much you earn as a family practice doctor. </p> <h3 id="section---ImportantFactsAboutThisOccupation">Important Facts about this Occupation</h3> <p /> <table border="1"><tr><td>Required Education</td><td> Medical school</td></tr> <tr><td>Training</td><td> 3-8 years internship or residency</td></tr> <tr><td>Licensure</td><td> Required in all states</td></tr> <tr><td>Similar Occupations</td><td> Surgeons, Physician Assistants, Dentists, Podiatrists, Veterinarians, Registered Nurses, Physical Therapists</td></tr> </table><h3 id="section---SalaryByLocation">Salary by Location</h3> <p>If you're looking for high-paying regions to work, Idaho was the top-paying state for family medicine physicians, offering an annual mean wage of $305,960 as of May 2021, according to the BLS. Alaska's average wage was the second highest, with family practitioners earning an average yearly salary of $297,130. However, only 610 family practitioners worked in the state of Alaska in 2021. </p> <p>A larger state like California employed approximately 14,230 of these professionals in 2021 and paid them a mean annual salary of $261,260. Other states that contained a large number of these doctors were Pennsylvania, Florida, Texas, and Missouri where average salaries ranged from $203,740 (Missouri) to $221,020 (Florida) in May 2021. </p> <h3 id="section---SalaryByExperience">Salary by Experience</h3> <p>Your experience level can have a large impact on your earnings. <i>PayScale.com</i> reported that most entry-level family physicians earned a median of $196,559 annually as of February 2023. Most professionals mid-career earned median salaries of $198,901 per year, while the majority of experienced physicians made higher median wages of $204,346. </p> <h3 id="section---SalaryByEmployerType">Salary by Employer Type</h3> <p>As a family doctor, you might work at a hospital, physician's office, outpatient care center, and in many other settings. You also might start your own private practice. As of May 2021, the BLS reported that practitioners in physicians' offices earned an average of $244,420 per year. On the other hand, practitioners employed in outpatient care centers averaged $248,390 per year. Medical and surgical hospitals paid an average salary of $209,050. The highest-paying industry in 2021 was Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services, which paid family and general practitioners an average salary of $321,560 per year. </p> <h3 id="section---JobOutlook">Job Outlook</h3> <p>The BLS expects that there will be slower-than-average growth in the job market for this occupation, predicting an increase in employment of 3% for family physicians over the 2021-2031 decade. This growth will result in 3,700 new jobs by 2031. Some factors contributing to this growth include the expansion of the healthcare industry and the growing and aging population.</p>