How much do dermatologists make in 2026?
Dermatologists earn a national median of $328,730 a year ($158.04 an hour) per BLS OEWS May 2025 (SOC 29-1213). The 25th percentile is $139,990 and the 90th percentile reaches $578,560, while the published 10th percentile of $102,810 reflects residents and fellows counted in the same occupational code. Dermatology's spread is driven by revenue mix rather than by hours: medical dermatology paid by insurance sits in the middle, Mohs surgery and procedural dermatology above it, and practices with a substantial cosmetic and cash-pay component at the top. Supply is tightly limited by residency positions, which is why access waits are long. Employment is projected to grow 6.4% through 2034 with roughly 400 openings a year. → Full dermatologist career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $328,730 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Dermatologists earn a national median $328,730/yr ($158.04/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 29-1213); the P10 to P90 range is $102,810 to $578,560.
- Read the $139,990 25th percentile as the practical attending floor: the $102,810 P10 reflects dermatology residents inside the same occupational code.
- Revenue mix drives the top of the range — cash-pay cosmetic work and Mohs surgery sit above insurance-paid medical dermatology, and practice ownership sits above both.
- Employment growth of 6.4% through 2034 with roughly 400 openings a year reflects how small and residency-constrained the specialty is, which is what sustains its pay.
US Dermatologist Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do dermatologists earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 29-1213; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 29-1213, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does a dermatologist earn at each career stage?
Dermatology has no licence tiers above board certification, so the stages below follow training, procedural mix and ownership. Each median is anchored to the BLS distribution for SOC 29-1213.
By State
Which states pay dermatologists the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates — the BLS national median scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index — not BLS state observations. In dermatology the local market matters through patient mix rather than wage index: metros with dense cosmetic demand and areas with long access waits and heavy skin-cancer burden both support pay above the national median.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($378,040), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
dermatologist pay by state — all 5 state guides
By Metro
Which cities pay dermatologists the most?
Modeled metro estimates: the national median scaled by the state wage index and then by the published metro index for that state. They are wage-level estimates, not BLS metropolitan-area observations, and they do not capture cosmetic revenue mix.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a dermatologist’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does dermatologist pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Dermatologists sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify dermatologist wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a dermatologist actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Dermatologist Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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