Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 29-1222

Physicians, Pathologists

The published band from $92,540 to $449,970 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Pediatric Surgeons.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Physicians, Pathologists: Pediatric Surgeons ($559K) , General Internal Medicine Physicians ($257K) , Cardiologists ($496K) , Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric ($359K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Physicians, Pathologists publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 29-1222 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Examine microscopic samples to identify diseases or other abnormalities
  2. 2. Diagnose diseases or study medical conditions, using techniques such as gross pathology, histology, cytology, cytopathology, clinical che…
  3. 3. Write pathology reports summarizing analyses, results, and conclusions
  4. 4. Communicate pathologic findings to surgeons or other physicians
  5. 5. Identify the etiology, pathogenesis, morphological change, and clinical significance of diseases
  6. 6. Read current literature, talk with colleagues, or participate in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of development…
  7. 7. Consult with physicians about ordering and interpreting tests or providing treatments
  8. 8. Analyze and interpret results from tests, such as microbial or parasite tests, urine analyses, hormonal assays, fine needle aspirations (…
  9. 9. Review cases by analyzing autopsies, laboratory findings, or case investigation reports
  10. 10. Manage medical laboratories
  11. 11. Diagnose infections, such as Hepatitis B and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), by conducting tests to detect the antibodies tha…
  12. 12. Obtain specimens by performing procedures, such as biopsies or fine needle aspirations (FNAs) of superficial nodules

Physicians, Pathologists: O*NET ranks Reading Comprehension first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 29-1222 - lead skill Reading Comprehension at 4.3 ; lead knowledge Medicine and Dentistry. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Reading Comprehension 4.3
  2. 2. Writing 4.1
  3. 3. Critical Thinking 4.1
  4. 4. Active Listening 4.0
  5. 5. Science 4.0
  6. 6. Active Learning 4.0
  7. 7. Complex Problem Solving 4.0
  8. 8. Speaking 3.9

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Medicine and Dentistry 4.8
  2. 2. Biology 4.5
  3. 3. English Language 4.3
  4. 4. Education and Training 3.4
  5. 5. Customer and Personal Service 3.4
  6. 6. Chemistry 3.2
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$92,540 to $449,970
median $312,400 · ~4.9× spread
$312K
National median
↑ +4%
Growth 2024-2034
400
Annual openings
11,110
Estimated US jobs
Pediatric Surgeons
Highest-pay peer · $559K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Doctoral or professional degree

Top Paying States for Physicians, Pathologists

1. New Jersey $355,970
2. Arizona $338,290
3. Kentucky $324,390
4. Indiana $340,300
5. Illinois $381,770
6. Texas $345,830
7. Nevada $384,350
8. Pennsylvania $413,370
9. West Virginia $400,070
10. Minnesota $362,270

Other Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations titles

  1. 1. Cardiologists $496,010
  2. 2. General Internal Medicine Physicians $256,560
  3. 3. Pediatric Surgeons $559,030
  4. 4. Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric $358,550
  5. 5. Emergency Medicine Physicians $335,550
  6. 6. Physicians, All Other $265,930

The OEWS band for Physicians, Pathologists runs from $92,540 (10th) to $449,970 (90th), about 4.9× wide, with median $312,400. 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: New Jersey at $355,970. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Pediatric Surgeons at $559,030. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Physicians, Pathologists pay-rank #10 in Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations

Among 71 detailed Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations with a published OEWS median, Physicians, Pathologists is pay-rank #10, 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 Physicians, Pathologists is unusually wide, so the state map and peer comparison carry more signal than the median alone.

Physicians, Pathologists salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 29-1222

New Jersey · top state for Physicians, Pathologists

$356K published median

Arizona · #2 state pay

$338K · behind New Jersey

Pediatric Surgeons

Highest-pay peer vs Physicians, Pathologists · $559K

General Internal Medicine Physicians

Lower-pay peer beside Physicians, Pathologists · $257K

Compare Physicians, Pathologists

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Physicians, Pathologists 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 Physicians, Pathologists at the top of the pay table? ▼
Physicians, Pathologists is pay-rank #10 of 71 detailed Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations with an OEWS median, upper third. Nearest upper-third titles: Prosthodontists ($311K), Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric ($300K), Dermatologists ($329K), Obstetricians and Gynecologists ($293K). Rank is ROW_NUMBER on national median.
What do physicians, pathologists do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Physicians, Pathologists. Leading ones include: Examine microscopic samples to identify diseases or other abnormalities; Diagnose diseases or study medical conditions, using techniques such as gross pathology, histology, cytology, cytopathology, clinical che…; Write pathology reports summarizing analyses, results, and conclusions; Communicate pathologic findings to surgeons or other physicians. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for physicians, pathologists? ▼
For SOC 29-1222, O*NET importance scores lead with Reading Comprehension (4.3), Writing (4.1), Critical Thinking (4.1), Active Listening (4.0). Knowledge areas emphasize Medicine and Dentistry, Biology, English Language. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for Physicians, Pathologists? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $92,540 and the 90th at $449,970 for Physicians, Pathologists (4.9× spread). The national median is $312,400. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Physicians, Pathologists? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Physicians, Pathologists 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 Physicians, Pathologists? ▼
BLS assigns Doctoral or professional degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Physicians, Pathologists. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Physicians, Pathologists? ▼
New Jersey ($355,970), Arizona ($338,290), Kentucky ($324,390) 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 Physicians, Pathologists card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 29-1222. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Physicians, Pathologists. 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