Which field of doctor makes the most money?

The field of medicine that makes the most money is Neurosurgery, with doctors earning over $700,000 annually, followed closely by Thoracic Surgery and Orthopedic Surgery, primarily because these specialties involve highly complex, high-risk, and technically demanding procedures on critical body parts like the brain, spine, heart, and lungs, requiring extensive training and high patient demand.

What type of doctors make the most money?

The doctors who make the most money are typically surgeons, with Neurosurgery, Thoracic Surgery, and Orthopedic Surgery consistently ranking at the top, often earning over $600,000 to nearly $750,000 annually, reflecting the demanding training and high-stakes nature of their work. Other high-paying specialties include Plastic Surgery, Cardiology, and Radiology. 

What is the most highest paid type of doctor?

The highest-paid doctors are typically in surgical specialties, with Neurosurgery consistently ranking first, earning around $750,000 to over $760,000 annually, followed closely by Cardiothoracic Surgery and Orthopedic Surgery, according to recent (2025) reports from sources like Doximity and Premed Catalyst, Premed Catalyst, Doximity, and IMG Helping Hands. These fields command high salaries due to extensive training, complexity, high risk, and revenue generation from lengthy, specialized procedures, IMG Helping Hands.
 

What jobs in the US pay $300,000 a year?

What jobs pay $300,000 a year non-medical?

• Investment Banker. ...
• Hedge Fund Manager or Portfolio Manager. ...
• Corporate Lawyer (Partner Track) ...
• Software Engineering Director / VP of Engineering. ...
• Tech Entrepreneur / Startup Founder. ...
• Real Estate Developer. ...
• Management Consultant (Partner or Director Level) ...
• Private Equity Executive.

What jobs allow you to make $500,000 a year?

Earning a 500K salary is most commonly achievable in executive leadership roles (such as CEO, CFO, or CTO), highly specialized medical or legal professions, senior investment roles in finance, or top-performing sales and business development positions, often within major corporations or high-growth startups.

5 RISKIEST Doctor Specialties

What job pays $400,000 a year without a degree?

Jobs that can pay $400K a year without a degree include commercial real estate brokers, successful YouTubers or influencers, self-employed software developers, high-stakes sales roles like enterprise tech sales, and business owners. These roles rely on skill, market demand, and performance rather than formal education.

Who is the lowest paid doctor?

The lowest-paid doctor is often in a pediatric subspecialty, with Pediatric Endocrinology frequently cited as the lowest-paying overall, followed closely by Pediatric Rheumatology, Infectious Disease, and general Pediatrics, according to recent 2024-2025 reports from Doximity and Financial Residency. Public Health & Preventive Medicine and Medical Genetics also rank among the lowest-compensated fields, often due to shorter training and better work-life balance.
 

What's the most high paid doctor?

The highest-paid doctors are typically in surgical specialties, with Neurosurgery consistently ranking first, earning around $750,000 to over $760,000 annually, followed closely by Cardiothoracic Surgery and Orthopedic Surgery, according to recent (2025) reports from sources like Doximity and Premed Catalyst, Premed Catalyst, Doximity, and IMG Helping Hands. These fields command high salaries due to extensive training, complexity, high risk, and revenue generation from lengthy, specialized procedures, IMG Helping Hands.
 

How rich is the average doctor?

The average doctor's net worth varies, but a significant portion (around 60%) reaches $1 million or more, often by retirement, with many older physicians holding $2M-$5M, thanks to high incomes, though many start with substantial debt. While high-earners, doctors aren't always "rich" early on due to loans, but successful investing can make them multimillionaires, with specialties like Plastic Surgery, Orthopedics, and Cardiology often leading in wealth.
 

What is the hardest doctor to become?

The hardest doctor to become is widely considered to be a Neurosurgeon, due to extremely long training (7+ years residency), intense competitiveness for residency spots, high-stakes complex brain/spine surgery, and massive research demands. Other top contenders for difficulty include Plastic Surgery, Dermatology, Orthopedic Surgery, and ENT (Otolaryngology) for similar reasons of surgical skill, demanding training, and fierce competition for limited residency slots. 

Do you get paid during residency?

Do Medical Residents Make Money? Yes, medical residents are paid to work at their hospitals or clinics. Although there is some debate about whether residents should be considered students or employees, most residents consider themselves employees due to the significant difference between school and residency.

Which doctor is most in demand?

Strong demand in all specialties

• Internal medicine.
• Radiology.
• Gastroenterology.
• Cardiology.
• Obstetrics and gynecology.
• Hematology/oncology.
• Psychiatry.
• Hospital medicine.

What is the easiest doctor to become with a high salary?

The "easiest" doctor to become with a high salary often points to Dermatology or Anesthesiology, offering great work-life balance and high pay, though Dermatology is highly competitive, while Family Medicine, Psychiatry, and Internal Medicine are in high demand with good compensation and manageable hours for good quality of life, balancing the "easiest" path with high income potential, according to Research.com and Sermo. 

Do surgeons make more than doctors?

As you can see, surgeons tend to make more money than nonsurgical physicians. In fact, the five highest-paying medical specialties are all surgical specialties—oral and maxillofacial surgery, plastic surgery, orthopedic surgery, thoracic surgery, and neurosurgery.

What profession makes $300,000 a year?

Jobs with high earning potential around 300,000 per year often include specialized medical professionals, senior executives, experienced legal practitioners, and technology leaders.

Which job pays $1 million per year?

Entrepreneurship, Healthcare and CEOs

About 1% of U.S. small business owners, roughly 300,000, achieve this annually, per IRS data. Healthcare, especially highly specialized medicine, enables seven-figure incomes, with top neurosurgeons and cardiac surgeons often exceeding $1 million in private practice.

What is the richest doctor position?

1. Neurosurgery. Neurosurgeons specialize in the surgical treatment of disorders affecting the brain, spinal cord, and nervous system. This highly demanding field requires extensive training, typically including a residency lasting 7+ years.

Who are the most overpaid doctors?

The highest-paid doctors in the U.S. are neurosurgeons, thoracic surgeons, and orthopedic surgeons. These surgical specialists earn average annual salaries between $650,000 and $760,000, making them the top earners among physicians.

What type of doctor works the least?

Public Health & Preventive Medicine

Because they are more likely to work in academic, governmental, nonprofit, or corporate settings, these jobs offer a similar work/life balance to many professions outside of medicine, working the fewest hours of many doctors.

What is the highest paying job that's not a doctor?

21 highest-paying nonmedical jobs

• Judge.
• Nuclear engineer.
• Risk manager.
• Compensation and benefits manager.
• Statistician.
• Finance manager.
• Front-end developer.
• Economist.

What skill pays $100 an hour?

To earn $100 an hour, professionals typically need specialized expertise in high-demand fields such as executive consulting, advanced IT services, legal counsel, or medical specializations, often backed by advanced degrees or certifications.

Which is the no. 1 high salary job?

The #1 highest-paying job consistently falls within specialized medicine, with Pediatric Surgeons, Neurosurgeons, and Anesthesiologists often topping lists, earning well over $400,000 annually due to extensive training and high stakes, though specific rankings vary slightly by source and year, with CEOs and other surgeons also high on the list. 

How much is $60,000 a year hourly?

$60,000 a year is approximately $28.85 per hour, assuming a standard 40-hour workweek (2080 work hours per year). You calculate this by dividing your annual salary by 2080 (52 weeks x 40 hours/week).