How Much Money Do U.S. Doctors Make Per Year?

By: Patricia Salber MD, MBA (@docweighsin)

Doximity’s Physician Compensation report revealed that income growth slowed and the gender wage gap grew in 2020 due to the pandemic.

Like many other people in the U.S., physicians took a financial hit in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo source: iStock)

Have you been wondering how much money US doctors made in 2020? It was, after all, a year marked by one of the worst health crises in modern history — the COVID-19 pandemic. The impact on our healthcare system has been profound, including impacts on physician compensation.

Not only were hospitals inundated with extremely ill patients in certain parts of the country but their most lucrative source of income, elective surgeries, evaporated overnight[1]. This affected everyone who works in hospitals, including surgeons, radiologists, and other hospital-based-physicians.

Furthermore, visits to primary care doctors dropped precipitously as we were confined to our homes [2]. And, the fear of catching COVID at our doctor’s office scared the bejeezus out of many. Even oncologists and other specialists experienced patients staying away even when they urgently needed the care[3].

Related content: Poor Payer Reimbursement and Practice Viability during COVID-19