How much do OB-GYNs make?

OB-GYN salary 2026 · BLS occupation: Obstetricians and Gynecologists (SOC 29-1218) · Updated October 28, 2026

Answer

OB-GYNs in the US earned a median of $292,910 a year ($140.82 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned $179,810 to $369,390.

Median annual pay: $292,910; Mean $279,040
Median hourly pay: $140.82; Mean $134.16
Typical range (10th–90th): $94.7K–$437K; $94,680 to $437,300
US jobs: 21,260; +1.7% projected, 2025–35

BLS OEWS, May 2025, released April 30, 2026. Wages include tips, commissions and production bonuses but not overtime premiums, shift differentials, other bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers are not included. Methodology

How to become an OB-GYN: steps, years and cost · Best-paying state after cost of living: North Dakota

OB-GYN pay range

Annual wages, May 2025

10th percentile$94,680
25th percentile$179,810
Median$292,910
75th percentile$369,390
90th percentile$437,300

Half of all OB-GYNs earned more than $292,910 and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% made under $94,680; the top 10% made over $437,300. The middle 50%, from the 25th to the 75th percentile, ran from $179,810 to $369,390.

These percentiles describe everyone in the occupation at one time. They are not pay steps by years of experience: they mix new and senior workers, different states, employers and hours. Pay generally rises with experience, credentials and specialization, but BLS does not publish pay by experience.

Percentile	Annual	Hourly	Monthly
10th	$94,680	$45.52	$7,890
25th	$179,810	$86.45	$14,984
Median (50th)	$292,910	$140.82	$24,409
75th	$369,390	$177.59	$30,783
90th	$437,300	$210.24	$36,442
Mean (average)	$279,040	$134.16	$23,253

OB-GYN salary by state

Median annual pay; cost of living from BEA regional price parities 2024

Median annual pay for OB-GYNs by state. Darker tiles pay more. A dash means BLS did not publish a figure.

Highest-paying states

1. Utah $437,170
2. Alaska $421,450
3. Vermont $418,760
4. North Dakota $414,060
5. Louisiana $404,550

Lowest-paying states

41. North Carolina $134,540
40. Rhode Island $166,390
39. Ohio $181,520
38. Connecticut $200,580
37. Illinois $208,000

Best after cost of living: North Dakota. Its median of $414,060 is worth about $465,450 at national-average prices, more than in Utah once prices are counted.


Alabama	$210,380	35	$236,853	33	$101.15	120	0.06
Alaska	$421,450	2	$411,737	6	$202.62	50	0.14
Arizona	$369,720	9	$367,234	14	$177.75	130	0.04
Arkansas	$239,200+	—	—	—	$115.00+	160	0.12
California	$301,240	25	$272,074	30	$144.83	1,610	0.09
Colorado	$239,200+	—	—	—	$115.00+	410	0.14
Connecticut	$200,580	38	$193,591	39	$96.43	330	0.19
Delaware	$324,080	19	$324,703	20	$155.81	190	0.39
District of Columbia	$239,200+	—	—	—	$115.00+	70	0.09
Florida	—	—	—	—	—	1,620	0.16
Georgia	$354,000	12	$367,628	13	$170.19	350	0.07
Hawaii	$338,130	18	$307,528	25	$162.56	140	0.22
Idaho	$223,560	33	$234,109	34	$107.48	110	0.12
Illinois	$208,000	37	$208,087	37	$100.00	1,290	0.21
Indiana	$351,990	13	$377,150	12	$169.23	430	0.14
Iowa	$356,020	10	$405,665	7	$171.16	180	0.12
Kansas	$220,770	34	$245,115	32	$106.14	—	—
Kentucky	$317,110	21	$351,723	15	$152.46	240	0.12
Louisiana	$404,550	5	$458,637	2	$194.50	80	0.04
Maine	$379,930	7	$391,479	8	$182.66	100	0.15
Maryland	$306,310	22	$291,838	26	$147.27	160	0.06
Massachusetts	$272,240	29	$257,420	31	$130.88	620	0.17
Michigan	$209,650	36	$217,893	35	$100.79	880	0.20
Minnesota	$321,910	20	$326,411	19	$154.76	750	0.25
Mississippi	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Missouri	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Montana	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Nebraska	$342,570	17	$380,198	11	$164.70	180	0.18
Nevada	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
New Hampshire	$348,140	15	$334,220	18	$167.37	140	0.20
New Jersey	$228,870	32	$210,349	36	$110.03	740	0.17
New Mexico	$259,990	31	$281,948	27	$125.00	110	0.13
New York	$348,800	14	$323,199	22	$167.69	2,750	0.28
North Carolina	$134,540	41	$142,633	41	$64.68	590	0.12
North Dakota	$414,060	4	$465,450	1	$199.07	70	0.16
Ohio	$181,520	39	$195,658	38	$87.27	970	0.17
Oklahoma	$370,260	8	$421,502	5	$178.01	60	0.03
Oregon	$395,340	6	$382,485	10	$190.07	270	0.14
Pennsylvania	$239,200+	—	—	—	$115.00+	260	0.04
Rhode Island	$166,390	40	$162,681	40	$80.00	140	0.28
South Carolina	$302,340	24	$322,499	23	$145.36	350	0.15
South Dakota	$297,610	27	$335,956	17	$143.08	80	0.16
Tennessee	$354,580	11	$385,958	9	$170.47	360	0.11
Texas	$271,960	30	$280,206	28	$130.75	1,460	0.10
Utah	$437,170	1	$442,193	3	$210.18	200	0.11
Vermont	$418,760	3	$427,489	4	$201.33	90	0.29
Virginia	$282,410	28	$279,326	29	$135.77	—	—
Washington	$343,140	16	$320,653	24	$164.97	270	0.08
West Virginia	$300,810	26	$336,112	16	$144.62	100	0.15
Wisconsin	$304,990	23	$324,130	21	$146.63	450	0.15
Wyoming	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

BLS OEWS, May 2025, state estimates. Adjusted pay = median ÷ (state price level ÷ 100), using BEA regional price parities for 2024; it ignores taxes. Figures for states with few workers in the occupation have larger survey errors and can change sharply from one year to the next. “—” means BLS did not publish the figure (6 states). State names link to each state’s highest-paying jobs.

Best-paying metro areas for OB-GYNs

70 metro areas with published pay

Highest median pay
Metro area	Median	Adjusted	Jobs
Binghamton, NY	$239,200+	—	40
Colorado Springs, CO	$239,200+	—	60
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO	$239,200+	—	240
Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC	$239,200+	—	100
Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA	$239,200+	—	—
North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL	$239,200+	—	—
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA	$239,200+	—	180
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA	$239,200+	—	—
Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA	$239,200+	—	—
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	$239,200+	—	—

Most jobs
Metro area	Jobs	Median	Adjusted
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	2,470	$329,750	$292,947
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	1,120	$208,000	$200,782
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	770	$321,260	$311,631
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI	550	$209,550	$208,927
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	500	$235,460	$217,483
Columbus, OH	490	$179,810	$188,344
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI	490	$306,770	$292,658
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL	410	—	—
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX	300	$83,050	$84,204
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	280	$375,400	$352,680

BLS OEWS, May 2025, metropolitan statistical areas; adjusted with BEA metro price parities (2024).

What moves OB-GYN pay: employers and settings

OB-GYN pay depends heavily on how the practice is organized. Offices of physicians, which employ about two-thirds of OB-GYNs, have a median of $285,430. General medical and surgical hospitals pay a higher median, $323,180; outpatient care centers come in at $310,020. Colleges and universities, where OB-GYNs teach residents and do research alongside patient care, have a median of $223,850. Private employers pay a median of $296,200; local government pays $268,670 and state government $103,510.

Location creates a very wide spread. Utah has the highest state median at $437,170, followed by Alaska at $421,450, Vermont at $418,760, North Dakota at $414,060, and Louisiana at $404,550. At the bottom are Ohio at $181,520, Rhode Island at $166,390, and North Carolina at $134,540. North Dakota ranks first after adjusting for living costs.

Practice mix matters too: doing obstetrics with call, surgical volume, and subspecialty training all shape pay. Pay at the 25th percentile is $179,810, and at the 75th percentile, $369,390, so the middle half of OB-GYNs falls within that range.

Where OB-GYNs work
Industry	Share of jobs	Median pay
Offices of Physicians	66.8%	$285,430
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	21.6%	$323,180
Outpatient Care Centers	5%	$310,020
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools	5%	$223,850
Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals	0.4%	$388,370
Management of Companies and Enterprises	0.2%	$253,520

Private employers and government
Employer type	Jobs	Median pay
Private employers	19,890	$296,200
State government (incl. schools and hospitals)	930	$103,510
Local government (incl. schools and hospitals)	430	$268,670

BLS OEWS, May 2025, national industry-specific and ownership estimates (4-digit NAICS).

What OB-GYNs do

An OB-GYN, short for obstetrician-gynecologist, is a physician who cares for women's reproductive health across their lives, from first gynecology visits through pregnancy, childbirth and menopause. The obstetrics half covers prenatal care, labor and delivery, cesarean sections and care after birth. The gynecology half covers contraception, cancer screening, infertility workups, abnormal bleeding, pelvic pain, and surgery such as hysterectomy, often done laparoscopically or robotically.

Most OB-GYNs split their week between an office and a hospital. Clinic days are a stream of short visits: prenatal checks, annual exams, ultrasounds and follow-ups. Hospital time means scheduled surgeries and labor and delivery shifts, where an uncomplicated birth can turn into an emergency within minutes.

They work with labor and delivery nurses, certified nurse-midwives, nurse practitioners, anesthesiologists, neonatologists and pediatricians. Because babies arrive at all hours, obstetrics brings night calls, weekend shifts and missed plans; some OB-GYNs later drop obstetrics and practice gynecology only, while others work as laborists who cover hospital births in fixed shifts.

A typical day

See patients for prenatal visits, annual exams, contraception and gynecologic problems
Manage labor, perform vaginal deliveries and decide when a cesarean section is needed
Perform surgery such as hysterectomy, laparoscopy and procedures for fibroids or bleeding
Order and read ultrasounds, Pap and HPV tests, and lab work
Take overnight call for the labor and delivery unit and handle emergencies
Counsel patients on high-risk pregnancies, menopause, infertility and cancer risk
Supervise and consult with midwives, nurses, residents and other physicians

Also called: obgyn, ob gyn, obstetrician, gynecologist, obstetrician gynecologist, gyn (gynecologist), md (medical doctor), ob (obstetrician).

How to become an OB-GYN

Full guide

To become an OB-GYN you need a bachelor's degree, four years of medical school (MD or DO), passing scores on the USMLE or COMLEX, and a 48-month obstetrics and gynecology residency. That is about 12 years after high school, followed by ABOG's written and oral board exams.

Typical time: 12 years; Fastest: About 10 years
Minimum education: MD or DO degree followed by a 48-month ACGME-accredited obstetrics and gynecology residency
License: Medical license required in all 50 states and DC; board certification is voluntary but widely expected by hospitals and employers
Typical training cost: $300K–$411K; See the guide for what it includes

Read the step-by-step guide to becoming an OB-GYN: each step with its time and cost, education options, exams, licensing and advancement.

Is it worth it? Training cost against pay

Compare careers

Training time: 12 years; Typical path in our guide
Training cost: $300K–$411K; Tuition and exam fees, before aid
Median pay: $292,910; $241,930 above the all-jobs median ($50,980)
Cost vs. one year's pay: 103–140%; Training cost as a share of a year at the median

Once qualified, the pay difference over the typical US job at the median ($241,930 a year before tax) would repay the training cost in about 1.2–1.7 years after training ends (12 years in our guide). This is a rough guide: it ignores taxes, financial aid, interest, earnings given up while training and how pay changes over a career. How we calculate ROI.

Job outlook for OB-GYNs

BLS Employment Projections 2025–35

Projected growth: +1.7%; All occupations +3.5%
Jobs in 2025: 22,800; 23,200 projected for 2035
Openings each year: 500; New jobs plus replacements
Self-employed: 3.8%; Not in the pay figures above

BLS expects slow growth for OB-GYNs. Employment is projected to rise 1.7% from 2025 to 2035, from 22,800 to 23,200 jobs, below the 3.5% average for all occupations. That works out to about 500 openings a year, mostly to replace OB-GYNs who retire or leave.

The small growth figure does not mean jobs are hard to find for trained OB-GYNs. The occupation is small, and many openings come from retirements. Across all physicians, BLS points to more older adults and higher rates of chronic illness as the main sources of demand.

Related careers and their pay

Related occupations from O*NET 31.0; median annual pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.

OB-GYN salary FAQ

How much do OB-GYNs make an hour?

The median hourly wage for OB-GYNs was $140.82 in May 2025. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $45.52 an hour and the highest-paid 10% more than $210.24. Hourly figures are BLS estimates for all workers in the occupation, full-time and part-time.

Which state pays OB-GYNs the most?

Utah has the highest median pay for OB-GYNs, $437,170 a year, followed by Alaska ($421,450) and Vermont ($418,760). After adjusting for each state's price level, North Dakota comes out ahead at about $465,450 in national-average dollars.

Do OB-GYNs make $200,000 a year?

Most do: based on the BLS percentiles, between 50% and 75% of OB-GYNs earn more than $200,000 a year. The median is $292,910, and the top 10% earn more than $437,300. Pay generally rises with experience, specialization and location.

What is the difference between an obstetrician and a gynecologist?

An obstetrician cares for women during pregnancy, childbirth and the weeks after. A gynecologist treats the female reproductive system outside pregnancy, including screening, contraception, menopause and gynecologic surgery. In the US, both are trained in the same four-year residency and certified by the same board, so most doctors practice both as OB-GYNs. Some later choose to practice gynecology only.

Is an OB-GYN a surgeon?

Yes. Obstetrics and gynecology is a surgical specialty. Residents learn cesarean sections, hysterectomies, laparoscopic and robotic procedures, and operations for fibroids, ovarian cysts and pelvic floor problems. ABOG requires a case list of the candidate's own patients for the oral Certifying Exam, and residents who finished in 2020 or later must complete FLS or EMIGS, programs that test minimally invasive surgery skills, before applying.

What is the difference between an OB-GYN and a midwife?

An OB-GYN is a physician with a medical degree and a four-year residency who can manage high-risk pregnancies and perform surgery, including cesarean sections. A certified nurse-midwife is an advanced practice nurse who focuses on normal pregnancies, births and routine gynecologic care, and refers or co-manages complications with physicians. See our nurse-midwife page for that route.

Sources

Data updated October 28, 2026 · Text checked against its sources October 28, 2026

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates, released April 30, 2026, SOC 29-1218
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035, released September 2026
O*NET 31.0 Database (29-1218.00), U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0; tasks rewritten by Careers and Salaries
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by state and metro area, 2024
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, May values
U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study and institution data, most recent cohorts, released 2026-10-15
Physicians and Surgeons, Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · checked October 28, 2026
MCAT Scheduling Fees, Association of American Medical Colleges · checked October 28, 2026
Apply for the USMLE, United States Medical Licensing Examination (FSMB and NBME) · checked October 28, 2026
Frequently Asked Questions, National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners · checked October 28, 2026
You Can Afford Medical School, Association of American Medical Colleges · checked October 28, 2026
Qualifying Exam Eligibility Requirements, American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology · checked October 28, 2026
License Finder, CareerOneStop, U.S. Department of Labor · checked October 28, 2026
Certifying Exam Eligibility Requirements, American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology · checked October 28, 2026
Specialty Certification, American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology · checked October 28, 2026
Subspecialty Certification, American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology · checked October 28, 2026
Continuing Certification, American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology · checked October 28, 2026

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