How much do orthopedic surgeons make in 2026?
Orthopaedic surgeons earn a national median of $358,550 a year ($172.38 an hour) per BLS OEWS May 2025 (SOC 29-1242). The 25th percentile is $180,610 and the 90th percentile reaches $659,290, while the published 10th percentile of $84,170 reflects residents and fellows counted inside the same code. Subspecialty and case mix drive the attending range: general orthopaedics and trauma sit around the median, sports medicine and joint replacement above it, and spine surgery at the top. Ownership matters as much as subspecialty, because orthopaedic groups with a stake in an ambulatory surgery centre capture facility revenue that employed surgeons do not. Employment growth is 4.1% through 2034 with roughly 400 openings a year. → Full orthopedic surgeon career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $358,550 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Orthopedic Surgeons earn a national median $358,550/yr ($172.38/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 29-1242); the P10 to P90 range is $84,170 to $659,290.
- The $180,610 25th percentile is the realistic attending floor; the published $84,170 P10 reflects orthopaedic residents and fellows inside the same occupational code.
- Spine surgery and joint replacement sit above general orthopaedics, and ambulatory-surgery-centre ownership is what separates the top decile near $659,290 from strong employed pay.
- Employment growth is 4.1% through 2034 with roughly 400 openings a year — a very small annual intake, since residency and fellowship capacity is the constraint.
US Orthopedic Surgeon Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do orthopedic surgeons 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 29-1242; 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 29-1242, 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 an orthopedic surgeon earn at each career stage?
Orthopaedics has no licence tiers above board certification, so the stages below follow training, subspecialty and ownership. Each median is anchored to the BLS distribution for SOC 29-1242.
By State
Which states pay orthopedic surgeons the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates — the BLS national median scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index — not BLS state observations. Orthopaedic earnings follow elective case volume, payer mix and facility ownership rules, which differ by state in ways a wage index cannot capture; states that restrict physician-owned facilities remove one of the specialty's main income levers.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($412,330), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
orthopedic surgeon pay by state — all 4 state guides
By Metro
Which cities pay orthopedic surgeons the most?
Modeled metro estimates: the national median scaled by the state wage index and then by the published metro index for that state. For a procedure-driven specialty these are illustrative wage levels, not BLS metropolitan-area observations.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise an orthopedic surgeon’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 orthopedic surgeon pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Orthopedic Surgeons 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 orthopedic surgeon wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does an orthopedic surgeon 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
Orthopedic Surgeon Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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