Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 29-1242

Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric

The published band from $84,170 to $659,290 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Radiologists.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric: Radiologists ($421K) , General Internal Medicine Physicians ($257K) , Anesthesiologists ($391K) , Physicians, All Other ($266K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 29-1242 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Analyze patient's medical history, medication allergies, physical condition, and examination results to verify operation's necessity and…
  2. 2. Conduct research to develop and test surgical techniques that can improve operating procedures and outcomes related to musculoskeletal in…
  3. 3. Diagnose bodily disorders and orthopedic conditions, and provide treatments, such as medicines and surgeries, in clinics, hospital wards…
  4. 4. Diagnose or treat disorders of the musculoskeletal system
  5. 5. Direct and coordinate activities of nurses, assistants, specialists, residents, and other medical staff
  6. 6. Examine instruments, equipment, and operating room to ensure sterility
  7. 7. Examine patient to obtain information on medical condition and surgical risk
  8. 8. Follow established surgical techniques during the operation
  9. 9. Manage surgery services, including planning, scheduling and coordination, determination of procedures, or procurement of supplies and equ…
  10. 10. Operate on patient's musculoskeletal system to correct deformities, repair injuries, prevent and treat diseases, or improve or restore pa…
  11. 11. Order and interpret the results of laboratory tests and diagnostic imaging procedures
  12. 12. Prepare case histories
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$84,170 to $659,290
median $358,550 · ~7.8× spread
$359K
National median
↑ +4%
Growth 2024-2034
400
Annual openings
14,100
Estimated US jobs
Radiologists
Highest-pay peer · $421K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Doctoral or professional degree

Top Paying States for Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric

1. Mississippi $544,130
2. Oklahoma $530,070
3. Missouri $842,800
4. Montana $560,820
5. West Virginia $597,740
6. Washington $553,310
7. Arizona $558,970
8. New Hampshire $555,670
9. Minnesota $537,830
10. Wisconsin $572,060

Other Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations titles

  1. 1. Anesthesiologists $391,490
  2. 2. Radiologists $420,860
  3. 3. General Internal Medicine Physicians $256,560
  4. 4. Physicians, All Other $265,930
  5. 5. Physicians, Pathologists $312,400
  6. 6. Emergency Medicine Physicians $335,550

The OEWS band for Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric runs from $84,170 (10th) to $659,290 (90th), about 7.8× wide, with median $358,550. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect +4% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as 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: Mississippi at $544,130. 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.

Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric pay-rank #6 in Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations

Among 71 detailed Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations with a published OEWS median, Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric is pay-rank #6, 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 Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric is unusually wide, so the state map and peer comparison carry more signal than the median alone.

Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 29-1242

Mississippi · top state for Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric

$544K published median

Oklahoma · #2 state pay

$530K · behind Mississippi

Radiologists

Highest-pay peer vs Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric · $421K

General Internal Medicine Physicians

Lower-pay peer beside Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric · $257K

Compare Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric 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 Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric at the top of the pay table? ▼
Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric is pay-rank #6 of 71 detailed Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations with an OEWS median, upper third. Nearest upper-third titles: Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons ($352K), Emergency Medicine Physicians ($336K), Dermatologists ($329K), Anesthesiologists ($391K). Rank is ROW_NUMBER on national median.
What do orthopedic surgeons, except pediatric do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric. Leading ones include: Analyze patient's medical history, medication allergies, physical condition, and examination results to verify operation's necessity and…; Conduct research to develop and test surgical techniques that can improve operating procedures and outcomes related to musculoskeletal in…; Diagnose bodily disorders and orthopedic conditions, and provide treatments, such as medicines and surgeries, in clinics, hospital wards…; Diagnose or treat disorders of the musculoskeletal system. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
How wide is the published pay band for Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $84,170 and the 90th at $659,290 for Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric (7.8× spread). The national median is $358,550. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric is +4%. Projected annual openings: about 400. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric? ▼
BLS assigns Doctoral or professional degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric? ▼
Mississippi ($544,130), Oklahoma ($530,070), Missouri ($842,800) 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 Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 29-1242. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric. 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