Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 29-1217

Neurologists

The published band from $83,370 to $450,780 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Surgeons, All Other.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Neurologists: Surgeons, All Other ($414K) , Orthodontists ($289K) , Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric ($300K) , Obstetricians and Gynecologists ($293K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Neurologists publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 29-1217 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Interview patients to obtain information, such as complaints, symptoms, medical histories, and family histories
  2. 2. Examine patients to obtain information about functional status of areas, such as vision, physical strength, coordination, reflexes, sensa…
  3. 3. Perform or interpret the outcomes of procedures or diagnostic tests, such as lumbar punctures, electroencephalography, electromyography…
  4. 4. Order or interpret results of laboratory analyses of patients' blood or cerebrospinal fluid
  5. 5. Diagnose neurological conditions based on interpretation of examination findings, histories, or test results
  6. 6. Prescribe or administer medications, such as anti-epileptic drugs, and monitor patients for behavioral and cognitive side effects
  7. 7. Identify and treat major neurological system diseases and disorders, such as central nervous system infection, cranio spinal trauma, deme…
  8. 8. Develop treatment plans based on diagnoses and on evaluation of factors, such as age and general health, or procedural risks and costs
  9. 9. Inform patients or families of neurological diagnoses and prognoses, or benefits, risks and costs of various treatment plans
  10. 10. Prepare, maintain, or review records that include patients' histories, neurological examination findings, treatment plans, or outcomes
  11. 11. Communicate with other health care professionals regarding patients' conditions and care
  12. 12. Counsel patients or others on the background of neurological disorders including risk factors, or genetic or environmental concerns

Neurologists: O*NET ranks Active Listening first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 29-1217 - lead skill Active Listening at 4.3 ; lead knowledge Medicine and Dentistry. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Active Listening 4.3
  2. 2. Reading Comprehension 4.1
  3. 3. Speaking 4.1
  4. 4. Critical Thinking 4.1
  5. 5. Social Perceptiveness 4.1
  6. 6. Complex Problem Solving 4.1
  7. 7. Writing 4.0
  8. 8. Monitoring 4.0

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Medicine and Dentistry 4.8
  2. 2. English Language 4.2
  3. 3. Psychology 4.1
  4. 4. Biology 4.1
  5. 5. Therapy and Counseling 4.0
  6. 6. Education and Training 3.7
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$83,370 to $450,780
median $248,560 · ~5.4× spread
$249K
National median
↑ +5%
Growth 2024-2034
300
Annual openings
10,590
Estimated US jobs
Surgeons, All Other
Highest-pay peer · $414K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Doctoral or professional degree

Top Paying States for Neurologists

1. Arizona $409,610
2. Wisconsin $342,520
3. California $357,080
4. South Carolina $352,680
5. Vermont $434,730
6. Texas $360,640
7. Colorado $356,250
8. Kentucky $338,850
9. Alaska $354,760
10. Minnesota $381,670

Other Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations titles

  1. 1. Orthodontists $289,140
  2. 2. Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric $300,080
  3. 3. Obstetricians and Gynecologists $292,910
  4. 4. Emergency Medicine Physicians $335,550
  5. 5. Dermatologists $328,730
  6. 6. Surgeons, All Other $414,010

The OEWS band for Neurologists runs from $83,370 (10th) to $450,780 (90th), about 5.4× wide, with median $248,560. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect +5% change between 2024 and 2034 (faster than average vs baseline 3.1%). About 300 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: Arizona at $409,610. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Surgeons, All Other at $414,010. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Neurologists pay-rank #18 in Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations

Among 71 detailed Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations with a published OEWS median, Neurologists is pay-rank #18, 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 Neurologists is unusually wide, so the state map and peer comparison carry more signal than the median alone.

Neurologists salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 29-1217

Arizona · top state for Neurologists

$410K published median

Wisconsin · #2 state pay

$343K · behind Arizona

Surgeons, All Other

Highest-pay peer vs Neurologists · $414K

Orthodontists

Lower-pay peer beside Neurologists · $289K

Compare Neurologists

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Neurologists 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 Neurologists at the top of the pay table? ▼
Neurologists is pay-rank #18 of 71 detailed Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations with an OEWS median, upper third. Nearest upper-third titles: Family Medicine Physicians ($244K), General Internal Medicine Physicians ($257K), Nurse Anesthetists ($237K), Physicians, All Other ($266K). Rank is ROW_NUMBER on national median.
What do neurologists do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Neurologists. Leading ones include: Interview patients to obtain information, such as complaints, symptoms, medical histories, and family histories; Examine patients to obtain information about functional status of areas, such as vision, physical strength, coordination, reflexes, sensa…; Perform or interpret the outcomes of procedures or diagnostic tests, such as lumbar punctures, electroencephalography, electromyography…; Order or interpret results of laboratory analyses of patients' blood or cerebrospinal fluid. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for neurologists? ▼
For SOC 29-1217, O*NET importance scores lead with Active Listening (4.3), Reading Comprehension (4.1), Speaking (4.1), Critical Thinking (4.1). Knowledge areas emphasize Medicine and Dentistry, English Language, Psychology. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for Neurologists? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $83,370 and the 90th at $450,780 for Neurologists (5.4× spread). The national median is $248,560. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Neurologists? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Neurologists is +5%. Projected annual openings: about 300. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: faster than average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Neurologists? ▼
BLS assigns Doctoral or professional degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Neurologists. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Neurologists? ▼
Arizona ($409,610), Wisconsin ($342,520), California ($357,080) 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 Neurologists card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 29-1217. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Neurologists. 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