How much do orthopedic surgeons make?

Orthopedic Surgeon salary 2026 · BLS occupation: Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric (SOC 29-1242) · Updated October 28, 2026

Answer

Orthopedic surgeons in the US earned a median of $358,550 a year ($172.38 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned $180,610 to $530,700.

Median annual pay: $358,550; Mean $373,570
Median hourly pay: $172.38; Mean $179.60
Typical range (10th–90th): $84.2K–$659K; $84,170 to $659,290
US jobs: 14,100; +4.0% 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 orthopedic surgeon: steps, years and cost · Best-paying state after cost of living: Missouri

Orthopedic Surgeon pay range

Annual wages, May 2025

10th percentile$84,170
25th percentile$180,610
Median$358,550
75th percentile$530,700
90th percentile$659,290

Half of all orthopedic surgeons earned more than $358,550 and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% made under $84,170; the top 10% made over $659,290. The middle 50%, from the 25th to the 75th percentile, ran from $180,610 to $530,700.

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	$84,170	$40.46	$7,014
25th	$180,610	$86.83	$15,051
Median (50th)	$358,550	$172.38	$29,879
75th	$530,700	$255.15	$44,225
90th	$659,290	$316.97	$54,941
Mean (average)	$373,570	$179.60	$31,131

Orthopedic Surgeon salary by state

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

Median annual pay for orthopedic surgeons by state. Darker tiles pay more. A dash means BLS did not publish a figure.

Highest-paying states

1. Missouri $842,800
2. West Virginia $597,740
3. Wisconsin $572,060
4. Montana $560,820
5. Arizona $558,970

Lowest-paying states

31. Indiana $177,710
30. Iowa $189,410
29. Texas $200,780
28. California $253,430
27. Arkansas $262,470

Best after cost of living: Missouri. Its median of $842,800 is worth about $928,020 at national-average prices.


Alabama	$324,570	23	$365,412	20	$156.04	380	0.18
Alaska	$239,200+	—	—	—	$115.00+	30	0.10
Arizona	$558,970	5	$555,211	8	$268.73	110	0.03
Arkansas	$262,470	27	$301,908	27	$126.19	350	0.27
California	$253,430	28	$228,893	28	$121.84	—	—
Colorado	$385,410	19	$373,996	18	$185.30	410	0.14
Connecticut	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Delaware	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
District of Columbia	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Florida	$473,750	14	$458,110	14	$227.76	580	0.06
Georgia	$474,820	13	$493,099	12	$228.28	490	0.10
Hawaii	—	—	—	—	—	50	0.07
Idaho	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Illinois	$426,580	15	$426,759	16	$205.09	170	0.03
Indiana	$177,710	31	$190,412	31	$85.44	500	0.15
Iowa	$189,410	30	$215,822	29	$91.06	260	0.17
Kansas	$311,630	26	$345,994	24	$149.82	—	—
Kentucky	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Louisiana	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Maine	—	—	—	—	—	150	0.23
Maryland	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Massachusetts	$392,300	18	$370,945	19	$188.60	—	—
Michigan	$413,450	17	$429,706	15	$198.77	200	0.05
Minnesota	$537,830	9	$545,350	9	$258.57	320	0.11
Mississippi	$544,130	8	$625,775	3	$261.60	—	—
Missouri	$842,800	1	$928,020	1	$405.19	—	—
Montana	$560,820	4	$592,551	6	$269.62	—	—
Nebraska	$507,770	11	$563,544	7	$244.12	200	0.20
Nevada	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
New Hampshire	$555,670	6	$533,452	10	$267.15	80	0.12
New Jersey	$341,430	21	$313,800	26	$164.15	420	0.10
New Mexico	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
New York	$414,290	16	$383,883	17	$199.18	1,450	0.15
North Carolina	$323,630	24	$343,097	25	$155.59	560	0.11
North Dakota	$239,200+	—	—	—	$115.00+	40	0.09
Ohio	$323,480	25	$348,675	23	$155.52	500	0.09
Oklahoma	$530,070	10	$603,429	5	$254.84	30	0.02
Oregon	$239,200+	—	—	—	$115.00+	140	0.07
Pennsylvania	$354,020	20	$362,830	21	$170.20	240	0.04
Rhode Island	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
South Carolina	$239,200+	—	—	—	$115.00+	100	0.04
South Dakota	$239,200+	—	—	—	$115.00+	—	—
Tennessee	$325,520	22	$354,327	22	$156.50	180	0.06
Texas	$200,780	29	$206,868	30	$96.53	490	0.04
Utah	$239,200+	—	—	—	$115.00+	80	0.05
Vermont	$239,200+	—	—	—	$115.00+	50	0.17
Virginia	$478,710	12	$473,483	13	$230.15	170	0.04
Washington	$553,310	7	$517,049	11	$266.01	290	0.08
West Virginia	$597,740	2	$667,888	2	$287.38	120	0.17
Wisconsin	$572,060	3	$607,960	4	$275.03	290	0.10
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 (13 states). State names link to each state’s highest-paying jobs.

Best-paying metro areas for orthopedic surgeons

44 metro areas with published pay

Highest median pay
Metro area	Median	Adjusted	Jobs
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	$239,200+	—	400
Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL	$239,200+	—	30
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI	$239,200+	—	90
Ithaca, NY	$239,200+	—	40
Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI	$239,200+	—	90
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI	$239,200+	—	120
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL	$239,200+	—	—
Raleigh-Cary, NC	$239,200+	—	120
Salt Lake City-Murray, UT	$239,200+	—	40
Sebastian-Vero Beach-West Vero Corridor, FL	$239,200+	—	—

Most jobs
Metro area	Jobs	Median	Adjusted
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	1,520	$341,430	$303,323
Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN	420	—	—
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	400	$239,200+	—
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	230	$204,290	$182,586
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	180	$576,130	$518,415
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX	150	$83,160	$84,316
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC	140	$572,910	$588,517
Boulder, CO	130	$211,600	$201,137
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO	130	—	—
Omaha, NE-IA	130	$534,820	$581,889

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

What moves orthopedic surgeon pay: employers and settings

Orthopedic surgery is one of the highest-paid medical fields. The national median is $358,550, and most orthopedic surgeons work for offices of physicians, where the median is $356,070. The small group employed by colleges, universities and professional schools earns a far lower median of $115,620; that reflects academic salaries and the mix of teaching and research. Local government employers, a group that includes public hospitals, report a median of $517,440.

Location moves the figures more than in most careers. Missouri tops the state list at $842,800, and West Virginia ($597,740, second) and Wisconsin ($572,060, third) follow. At the low end are Texas at $200,780, Iowa at $189,410, and Indiana at $177,710. After adjusting for living costs, Missouri remains first at $928,020 adjusted.

The spread is very wide: the 10th percentile is $84,170, while the 90th is $659,290, more than seven times higher. It reflects employer, region, part-time work and how pay is structured, not years in practice. Subspecialty, surgical volume, ownership of a practice or surgery center, and the payer mix of a region also shape individual pay, though our data does not break pay out by those factors.

Where orthopedic surgeons work
Industry	Share of jobs	Median pay
Offices of Physicians	73%	$356,070
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools	4.6%	$115,620
Outpatient Care Centers	1.3%	$239,200+

Private employers and government
Employer type	Jobs	Median pay
Private employers	13,180	$361,010
Local government (incl. schools and hospitals)	290	$517,440

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

What orthopedic surgeons do

An orthopedic surgeon (also spelled orthopaedic surgeon) is a physician who treats the bones, joints, muscles, ligaments and tendons. The work covers fractures from falls and car crashes, worn-out hips and knees, torn ACLs and rotator cuffs, spine problems, sports injuries and bone tumors. Much of it is not surgery at all: many patients are treated with bracing, injections, medication or physical therapy, and the surgeon decides who actually needs an operation.

A typical week splits between clinic days, where the surgeon examines patients and reads X-rays and MRIs, and operating days in a hospital or outpatient surgery center. Joint replacements, fracture fixation and arthroscopic repairs are common cases. Most orthopedic surgeons narrow their practice to an area such as hand, spine, sports medicine, foot and ankle or joint replacement. They work with physician assistants, nurses, surgical technologists and physical therapists. About three in four in our data work in offices of physicians, which includes the large private orthopedic groups, and trauma call can bring them in at night.

A typical day

See patients in clinic, examine injured or painful joints and order X-rays, MRIs or CT scans
Decide between surgery and options such as casting, bracing, injections or physical therapy
Operate: replace hips and knees, set and plate broken bones, and repair ligaments through a scope
Take trauma call for fractures and dislocations that come through the emergency room
Check on patients after surgery, review healing on follow-up X-rays and adjust rehab plans
Dictate operative notes, complete charts and handle insurance authorizations for procedures
Teach and supervise residents, physician assistants and surgical staff

Also called: orthopaedic surgeon, general surgeon, hand surgeon, physician, surgeon.

How to become an orthopedic surgeon

Full guide

To become an orthopedic surgeon, you earn a bachelor's degree, finish 4 years of medical school (MD or DO), pass the USMLE or COMLEX licensing exams and complete a 5-year orthopaedic surgery residency, then get a state medical license. That is about 13 years after high school; board certification and an optional fellowship come after.

Typical time: 14-15 years; Fastest: About 13 years after high school
Minimum education: MD or DO degree plus a 5-year ACGME-accredited orthopaedic surgery residency
License: Medical license required in all 50 states and DC; board certification is voluntary but expected by hospitals and practices
Typical training cost: $304K–$415K; See the guide for what it includes

Read the step-by-step guide to becoming an orthopedic surgeon: 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: 14-15 years; Typical path in our guide
Training cost: $304K–$415K; Tuition and exam fees, before aid
Median pay: $358,550; $307,570 above the all-jobs median ($50,980)
Cost vs. one year's pay: 85–116%; Training cost as a share of a year at the median

Once qualified, the pay difference over the typical US job at the median ($307,570 a year before tax) would repay the training cost in less than a year to 1.3 years after training ends (14-15 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 orthopedic surgeons

BLS Employment Projections 2025–35

Projected growth: +4.0%; All occupations +3.5%
Jobs in 2025: 15,500; 16,100 projected for 2035
Openings each year: 400; New jobs plus replacements
Self-employed: 5.5%; Not in the pay figures above

BLS projects orthopedic surgeon jobs to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, from 15,500 to 16,100, a little faster than the 3.5% for all occupations. That works out to about 400 openings a year, most from surgeons who retire or stop practicing. An aging population with more arthritis, joint replacements and fall-related fractures drives demand, along with chronic conditions that affect mobility. Because only a few hundred positions open each year nationally, competition is mainly at the residency stage rather than in the job market afterward.

Related careers and their pay

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

Orthopedic Surgeon salary FAQ

How much do orthopedic surgeons make an hour?

The median hourly wage for orthopedic surgeons was $172.38 in May 2025. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $40.46 an hour and the highest-paid 10% more than $316.97. Hourly figures are BLS estimates for all workers in the occupation, full-time and part-time.

Which state pays orthopedic surgeons the most?

Missouri has the highest median pay for orthopedic surgeons, $842,800 a year, followed by West Virginia ($597,740) and Wisconsin ($572,060). After adjusting for each state's price level, Missouri comes out ahead at about $928,020 in national-average dollars.

Do orthopedic surgeons make $200,000 a year?

Most do: based on the BLS percentiles, between 50% and 75% of orthopedic surgeons earn more than $200,000 a year. The median is $358,550, and the top 10% earn more than $659,290. Pay generally rises with experience, specialization and location.

What is the difference between an orthopedic surgeon and an orthopedist?

In everyday use they mean the same thing: a physician who completed an orthopedic surgery residency. Some orthopedists focus on nonsurgical care in their practice, but they trained as surgeons. Sports medicine doctors who came through family medicine or another primary care residency also treat musculoskeletal injuries but do not operate. If you need a joint replaced or a fracture fixed, you want a board-certified orthopedic surgeon.

Do orthopedic surgeons work long hours?

Usually, yes. Days often start with early morning cases or rounds, and a clinic day can mean seeing many patients. Most orthopedic surgeons also share trauma call for fractures that arrive through the emergency department at night and on weekends. Surgeons in outpatient practices that focus on elective joint or sports surgery tend to have more predictable hours than those at trauma centers.

Is orthopedic surgery physically demanding?

Yes. Surgeons stand for hours in the operating room, often wearing lead aprons for cases that use live X-ray imaging. Joint replacements and fracture surgery take physical strength to position limbs, use power tools and seat implants. Long cases also strain the neck, back and shoulders, so many surgeons pay close attention to posture, operating table height and fitness to keep working for decades.

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 29-1242
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035, released September 2026
O*NET 31.0 Database (29-1242.00), 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
ABOS Rules and Procedures for Residency Education, Part I and Part II Examinations (March 2026), American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery · checked October 28, 2026
Part I Examination; Part I Fees; Part II Oral Examination; Part II Fees, American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery · checked October 28, 2026
Subspecialties, American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery · checked October 28, 2026
You Can Afford Medical School, Association of American Medical Colleges · checked October 28, 2026
United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE), NBME · checked October 28, 2026
MCAT Scheduling Fees, Association of American Medical Colleges · checked October 28, 2026
Frequently Asked Questions (COMLEX-USA fees), National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners · checked October 28, 2026
License Finder, CareerOneStop, U.S. Department of Labor · checked October 28, 2026
Orthopedic Surgery Certification Process, American Osteopathic Board of Orthopedic Surgery (AOA Certification) · checked October 28, 2026

Careers and Salaries is not affiliated with the Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Found an error? Tell us; corrections are listed on the editorial policy page.