Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 29-1213

Dermatologists

The published band from $102,810 to $578,560 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Radiologists.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Dermatologists: Radiologists ($421K) , General Internal Medicine Physicians ($257K) , Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons ($352K) , Orthodontists ($289K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Dermatologists publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 29-1213 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Conduct complete skin examinations
  2. 2. Diagnose and treat pigmented lesions such as common acquired nevi, congenital nevi, dysplastic nevi, Spitz nevi, blue nevi, or melanoma
  3. 3. Perform incisional biopsies to diagnose melanoma
  4. 4. Perform skin surgery to improve appearance, make early diagnoses, or control diseases such as skin cancer
  5. 5. Counsel patients on topics such as the need for annual dermatologic screenings, sun protection, skin cancer awareness, or skin and lymph…
  6. 6. Diagnose and treat skin conditions such as acne, dandruff, athlete's foot, moles, psoriasis, or skin cancer
  7. 7. Record patients' health histories
  8. 8. Recommend diagnostic tests based on patients' histories and physical examination findings
  9. 9. Prescribe hormonal agents or topical treatments such as contraceptives, spironolactone, antiandrogens, oral corticosteroids, retinoids, b…
  10. 10. Conduct or order diagnostic tests such as chest radiographs (x-rays), microbiologic tests, or endocrinologic tests
  11. 11. Read current literature, talk with colleagues, and participate in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of developmen…
  12. 12. Provide dermatologic consultation to other health professionals

Dermatologists: O*NET ranks Critical Thinking first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 29-1213 - lead skill Critical Thinking at 4.1 ; lead knowledge Medicine and Dentistry. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Critical Thinking 4.1
  2. 2. Active Listening 4.0
  3. 3. Service Orientation 4.0
  4. 4. Reading Comprehension 3.9
  5. 5. Speaking 3.9
  6. 6. Social Perceptiveness 3.9
  7. 7. Active Learning 3.8
  8. 8. Judgment and Decision Making 3.8

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Medicine and Dentistry 4.8
  2. 2. Customer and Personal Service 4.6
  3. 3. English Language 4.0
  4. 4. Administration and Management 3.9
  5. 5. Education and Training 3.8
  6. 6. Biology 3.7
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$102,810 to $578,560
median $328,730 · ~5.6× spread
$329K
National median
↑ +6%
Growth 2024-2034
400
Annual openings
11,370
Estimated US jobs
Radiologists
Highest-pay peer · $421K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Doctoral or professional degree

Top Paying States for Dermatologists

1. Wisconsin $440,710
2. Washington $526,170
3. Minnesota $625,790
4. New Hampshire $516,230
5. Delaware $442,120
6. Arkansas $422,060
7. Iowa $424,970
8. Illinois $435,750
9. Maryland $442,210
10. Tennessee $433,630

Other Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations titles

  1. 1. Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons $352,220
  2. 2. Orthodontists $289,140
  3. 3. Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric $358,550
  4. 4. Radiologists $420,860
  5. 5. General Internal Medicine Physicians $256,560
  6. 6. Psychiatrists $281,870

The OEWS band for Dermatologists runs from $102,810 (10th) to $578,560 (90th), about 5.6× wide, with median $328,730. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect +6% change between 2024 and 2034 (faster than average vs baseline 3.1%). About 400 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Doctoral or professional degree as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Wisconsin at $440,710. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Radiologists at $420,860. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Dermatologists pay-rank #9 in Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations

Among 71 detailed Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations with a published OEWS median, Dermatologists is pay-rank #9, the upper third of that major group. The order is ROW_NUMBER on national median (title as tiebreak), not a worker-level percentile.

Other upper-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

The 10th-to-90th percentile spread for Dermatologists is unusually wide, so the state map and peer comparison carry more signal than the median alone.

Dermatologists salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 29-1213

Wisconsin · top state for Dermatologists

$441K published median

Washington · #2 state pay

$526K · behind Wisconsin

Radiologists

Highest-pay peer vs Dermatologists · $421K

General Internal Medicine Physicians

Lower-pay peer beside Dermatologists · $257K

Compare Dermatologists

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Dermatologists with another occupation →

Pay-band next reads

Entry-Level vs Experienced Pay

What percentile bands reveal

Using Salary Data for Negotiation

Leverage BLS percentiles

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations titles sit near Dermatologists at the top of the pay table? ▼
Dermatologists is pay-rank #9 of 71 detailed Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations with an OEWS median, upper third. Nearest upper-third titles: Emergency Medicine Physicians ($336K), Physicians, Pathologists ($312K), Prosthodontists ($311K), Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons ($352K). Rank is ROW_NUMBER on national median.
What do dermatologists do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Dermatologists. Leading ones include: Conduct complete skin examinations; Diagnose and treat pigmented lesions such as common acquired nevi, congenital nevi, dysplastic nevi, Spitz nevi, blue nevi, or melanoma; Perform incisional biopsies to diagnose melanoma; Perform skin surgery to improve appearance, make early diagnoses, or control diseases such as skin cancer. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for dermatologists? ▼
For SOC 29-1213, O*NET importance scores lead with Critical Thinking (4.1), Active Listening (4.0), Service Orientation (4.0), Reading Comprehension (3.9). Knowledge areas emphasize Medicine and Dentistry, Customer and Personal Service, English Language. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for Dermatologists? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $102,810 and the 90th at $578,560 for Dermatologists (5.6× spread). The national median is $328,730. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Dermatologists? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Dermatologists is +6%. Projected annual openings: about 400. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: faster than average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Dermatologists? ▼
BLS assigns Doctoral or professional degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Dermatologists. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Dermatologists? ▼
Wisconsin ($440,710), Washington ($526,170), Minnesota ($625,790) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Dermatologists card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 29-1213. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Dermatologists. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics