Primary care physicians – which is to say family doctors and general internists – earn an average annual salary of $216,462 according to the salary information reported by the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA). These professionals’ salaries typically vary depending on a wide range of factors, from specialty and work experience to location, employer type, hospital setting, and industry.
Based on a 2013 report from the health care staffing firm Merritt Hawkins, primary care physicians were the most recruited group among physicians and advanced practitioners and were the most requested professionals among hospitals, healthcare organizations, and medical groups in the period between April 1, 2012 and March 31, 2013.
Average salary
The average salary for primary care physicians working in the United States is $152,000 a year according to the salary data provided by Indeed, and $216,462 a year according to the Physician Compensation and Production Survey: 2013 Report Based on 2012 Data, released by the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA).
Based on Medscape’s Physician Compensation Report for 2012, primary care doctors working in family medicine earned an average annual salary of $158,000 in 2011 and $175,000 in 2012. Physicians specializing in pediatrics made $173,000 a year in 2012, up from $156,000 in 2011, and primary care doctors specializing in internal medicine were paid $185,000 a year in 2012, also an increase from 2011, when these professionals made $165,000 a year on average.
Based on the Hay Group’s 2013 Physician Compensation Survey, primary care physicians, especially those employed in hospital-based settings, are expected to see their salaries increase more than those of physician specialists in the same period.
Starting salary
Primary care physicians who are in their first year of practice earn an average starting salary of $180,000 a year based on the salary data reported in the Physician Placement Starting Salary Survey: 2013 Report Based on 2012 Data, released by the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA). The median starting wage for primary care doctors is up from 2011, when they reported earning $175,000 a year on average.
Salary by state
Primary care physicians’ annual pay depends on geographical location among other factors and can vary considerably from state to state. Physicians employed in California typically earn around $164,000 a year, those based in New York make $184,000 a year on average, and professionals working in Illinois are paid around $167,000 annually.
Primary care physicians working in Washington earn an average annual income of $150,000, those based in Michigan earn $153,000 a year on average, and professionals employed in Florida and Montana make $143,000 a year on average. Physicians in Nevada earn an average yearly income of $126,000, those based in Ohio are paid around $146,000 a year, and professionals working in Maine earn a median salary of $130,000 a year based on the salary figures reported by Indeed.
Primary care physicians based in Massachusetts are paid $179,000 a year on average, those working in Texas and Indiana earn around $147,000 annually, and professionals employed in New Mexico and North Dakota earn an average annual pay of $135,000. Physicians in New Hampshire earn around $149,000 a year, those working in Idaho earn $101,000 a year on average, and professionals employed in Alaska earn an average annual salary of $119,000 according to Indeed.
Physicians employed in Georgia earn $173,000 a year on average, those based in Virginia are paid a median yearly income of $153,000, and professionals working in New Jersey make $163,000 a year on average.
Primary care physicians based in Oregon earn an average annual pay of $144,000, those working in Hawaii earn around $98,000 a year, and professionals working in Tennessee are paid $142,000 a year on average based on Indeed’s salary data.
Primary care doctors working in Arizona make $129,000 a year on average, those employed in Alabama are paid $151,000 a year on average, and physicians based in Vermont earn around $136,000 annually.
Salary by city
Primary care physicians’ annual pay can also vary significantly from city to city. Doctors working in Houston earn around $162,000 a year, those based in Los Angeles and Seattle make $155,000 a year on average, and professionals employed in New York and San Francisco earn an average yearly salary of $196,000 according to the salary data reported by Indeed.
Physicians working in Philadelphia and Detroit are paid $151,000 a year on average, those employed in Washington and Boston earn around $181,000 annually, and professionals based in Miami and Denver make $138,000 a year on average. Primary care doctors based in Baltimore earn an average annual pay of $152,000, those working in Chicago earn around $171,000 a year, and professionals employed in San Diego make $147,000 a year on average.
Primary care physicians employed in Phoenix earn $123,000 a year on average, those based in Dallas make $148,000 a year on average, and professionals working in San Antonio earn around $130,000 a year. Doctors employed in Santa Fe typically make about $156,000 a year, those working in Memphis are paid around $131,000 a year, and physicians based in Austin earn an average annual salary of $136,000. Physicians in Atlanta make $180,000 a year on average, those based in Tampa are paid around $125,000 a year, and professionals employed in Jacksonville earn an average yearly income of $135,000 according to Indeed’s salary data.