How much do hospitalists make in 2026?
Hospitalists are reported within SOC 29-1216, General Internal Medicine Physicians, which BLS OEWS May 2025 puts at a national median of $256,560 a year ($123.35 an hour), with a 25th percentile of $124,470 and a 90th percentile of $475,430. The published 10th percentile of $73,570 reflects internal medicine residents inside the same code. Hospitalist pay has its own structure rather than following outpatient internal medicine: it is built on a defined number of shifts — commonly seven on, seven off — with premiums for night work, admitting load and procedure coverage. Nocturnists earn the clearest premium in the specialty, and rural or single-coverage hospitals pay recruitment differentials on top. Employment across the series is projected to grow 3.3% through 2034 with roughly 2,100 openings a year. → Full hospitalist career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $256,560 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Hospitalists earn a national median $256,560/yr ($123.35/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 29-1216); the P10 to P90 range is $73,570 to $475,430.
- Hospitalist compensation is shift-based rather than panel-based, so the number of scheduled shifts and the night mix matter as much as the headline rate.
- Nocturnist work carries the clearest premium in hospital medicine, and rural or single-coverage hospitals add recruitment differentials on top of it.
- Read the $124,470 25th percentile as the attending floor: the published $73,570 P10 reflects internal medicine residents inside the same series.
US Hospitalist Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do hospitalists 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 29-1216; 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 29-1216, 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 hospitalist earn at each career stage?
Hospital medicine has no licence tiers above board certification, so the stages below follow shift structure and leadership rather than credential steps. Each median is anchored to the BLS distribution for SOC 29-1216.
By State
Which states pay hospitalists the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates — the series national median scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index — not BLS state observations. Hospitalist pay tracks coverage scarcity rather than local wage levels, and rural hospitals that cannot staff nights routinely pay above metropolitan academic programmes.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($295,040), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
hospitalist pay by state — all 2 state guides
By Metro
Which cities pay hospitalists the most?
Modeled metro estimates: the series national median scaled by the state wage index and then by the published metro index. They describe the internal medicine series and are not BLS metropolitan-area observations for hospital medicine.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a hospitalist’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 hospitalist pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Hospitalists 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 hospitalist wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a hospitalist 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
Hospitalist Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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