Anesthesiologist Salary 2026: Pay, Training & Growth 

Last updated: 3 October 2026. Data year: May 2025 for official wage data; 2025 earnings for the main surveys.

Anesthesiologists are among the highest-paid physicians in the United States, but the number you see depends on who measured it. The official federal median is lower than the figures in physician surveys, because they count different things. This guide shows each figure with its source and what it includes.

Anesthesiologist Salary: Quick Answer

• Official median: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) lists a median annual wage of $391,490 for anesthesiologists in May 2025. That is roughly $32,600 per month (approximate monthly equivalent). bls
• Survey averages run higher: a report on Medscape’s 2026 compensation survey puts average anesthesiologist pay at $543,000 for 2025. Doximity’s 2025 report, based on 2024 data, lists $523,277. weatherbyhealthcaredoximity
• Residents earn far less. The 2025 AAMC survey puts the average first-year resident stipend at $68,166. goelective
• Pay varies by state, employer type, subspecialty, hours and whether you are an employee or a practice partner.

Salary varies by employer, experience, location, qualifications and compensation structure. Check current employer offers before making decisions.

Anesthesiologist Salary Table (Annual, Reported)

Measure	Annual figure	Approx. monthly equivalent	Data type
BLS median wage, May 2025	$391,490	~$32,600	Official federal survey of employees
Medscape 2026 report (2025 pay), average	~$543,000	~$45,250	Physician self-reported survey, as relayed by a staffing firm
Doximity 2025 report (2024 data), average	$523,277	~$43,600	Physician-submitted survey data
SalaryDr median total compensation	$535,000 (middle half: 470,000–603,750)	~$44,600	User-submitted reports, 161 as of September 2026
Advertised average, ZipRecruiter (May 2026)	$393,215	~$32,800	Job-posting average, via a recruiter blog

Sources: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook (official); Medscape, Doximity and SalaryDr (survey or self-reported); ZipRecruiter (advertised). The Medscape, SalaryDr and ZipRecruiter figures were retrieved through secondary pages, not the original reports. Monthly figures are annual ÷ 12 and are not take-home pay.

Reported percentiles (unverified). Two third-party sites citing BLS list the national 10th percentile at $101,460, the 25th at $207,000 and the 75th at $490,530. I could not confirm these against the BLS table itself, so treat them as indicative only.

Why the official number is lower than surveys

• BLS counts wage-and-salary workers only: its OEWS program excludes the self-employed. Practice owners and partners are not captured. asra
• Physician surveys typically measure total compensation including bonuses and incentives, and respondents choose to participate. One recruiter blog says physician surveys land $130,000 to $200,000 above BLS for this reason.
• Earlier BLS releases were capped. In May 2024, third-party summaries say the median was suppressed above $239,200 and the mean was $336,640. The May 2025 BLS handbook now shows a published median. salary-atlas

Anesthesiologist Salary Per Month and Per Hour

All monthly figures below are approximate monthly equivalents (annual ÷ 12), not guaranteed pay:

Source	Approx. monthly equivalent
BLS median ($391,490)	~$32,600
Doximity 2025 report ($523,277)	~$43,600
SalaryDr median ($535,000)	~$44,600
Medscape 2026 report (~$543,000)	~$45,250

Hourly pay. A career-data site citing BLS lists the median at $188.22 an hour. A staffing blog puts employed hourly pay between $173 and $213 per hour, and ZipRecruiter’s advertised average is about $189. nuecareer

Gross vs in-hand. These figures are gross. Take-home pay depends on federal, state and local taxes, retirement contributions, insurance premiums and whether you are paid a salary, a salary plus bonus, or partnership income.

Anesthesiologist Salary for Freshers (Residents and New Attendings)

Training pay and attending pay are different. Doctors cannot practice as anesthesiologists without residency, and resident pay is a stipend.

Training stage	Average annual stipend (AAMC 2025)	Approx. monthly equivalent
PGY-1 (intern year)	$68,166	~$5,681
PGY-2	$70,499	~$5,875
PGY-3	$73,301	~$6,108
PGY-4	$77,593	~$6,466

Source: AAMC Survey of Resident/Fellow Stipends and Benefits, 2025, as relayed by medical-education sites. Gross, before tax.

• At the same institution, residents at the same level generally get the same base stipend regardless of specialty.
• The median education debt for the class of 2025 was $215,000 according to the AAMC. medicalaid
• Starting attending pay: I did not find a reliable, sourced figure for first-year attending pay specifically. Expect new attendings to be offered figures in the range of the surveys above, depending on the employer. Check offers directly.

Anesthesiologist Salary by Experience

I found no reliable, sourced breakdown of anesthesiologist pay by years of experience, so I am not publishing junior, mid-level and senior figures. What the data does show:

• Pay steps up sharply at the move from residency to attending.
• Doximity’s methodology controls for years in practice and hours worked, which shows these affect pay, but the report summary does not publish an experience ladder.
• Medscape’s 2026 average for anesthesiology was reported as up 8.4% from the year before, and Doximity reported 5.8% growth in its 2025 report.

Anesthesiologist Salary After Tax (In-Hand)

I cannot give an exact take-home figure without assumptions about state, filing status and deductions. Actual take-home pay depends on:

• Federal income tax and payroll taxes
• State and local income tax (varies widely)
• Retirement plan contributions
• Health and disability insurance
• Whether the physician is an employee or a business owner or partner (tax treatment differs)
• Bonuses, call pay and locum income

For a personal estimate, use a payroll calculator with your state and filing status, or ask an accountant who works with physicians.

Anesthesiologist Salary by Sector and Setting

• Private practice and group practice: BLS lists offices of physicians as the biggest employer. Its May 2023 industry table showed 26,460 anesthesiologists in offices of physicians with a mean wage of $358,560. That is an older year and a mean, not a median. bls
• Academic vs non-academic: one recruiter blog reports academic total compensation around $450,000 and non-academic above $500,000, attributing it to MGMA and industry surveys. I could not verify this with MGMA, whose data is behind a paywall.
• MGMA: a physician-pay aggregator lists $400,000 to $460,000 for anesthesiology under MGMA 2025. This is secondhand and unverified. medmoneyguide
• Government (for example VA) and locum tenens: I found no sourced pay figures for federal roles. Locum pay is reported as higher than employed hourly rates by a staffing firm, but the figures were not retrievable.

Anesthesiologist Salary by State

State pay differs because of the local supply of anesthesia providers, employer mix, payer mix, cost of living and how many anesthesiologists work as employees. Third-party sites citing the BLS May 2025 state tables report these medians. I did not confirm them against the BLS state table, and some look inconsistent with the national figure, so verify before relying on them:

State	Reported median	Note
Washington	$499,990	Highest reported
Minnesota	$496,510
Virginia	$488,310
Florida	$465,370
Indiana	$394,060
South Carolina	$238,970	Reported low
Texas	$215,230	Reported low; its reported mean is higher, so check

Source: third-party summaries of BLS OEWS May 2025. Not verified against the official state table.

Anesthesiologist Salary by Subspecialty

A recruiter blog compiling several sources lists these typical market figures. Treat them as indicative. They are a secondary compilation, not official data:

Subspecialty	Reported market range
Cardiothoracic anesthesia	~590,000–610,000
Regional / acute pain	~$557,000
Critical care	~$548,000
Pain management	~$539,000
General anesthesiology	~472,000–535,000
Obstetric anesthesia	~393,000–451,000

Subspecialties generally require a one-year fellowship after residency.

Factors That Affect Anesthesiologist Salary

• Employment model: employee, partner, group owner or locum tenens.
• Practice setting: hospital, surgery center, academic center, private group.
• Location: state, metro area, rural vs urban and local demand.
• Hours and call: overtime and call burden change total pay.
• Subspecialty and fellowship: cardiac, pain and critical care are reported at higher levels.
• Experience and seniority: partnership track and leadership roles.
• Payer mix and reimbursement: Doximity noted several years of reimbursement pressure across medicine.
• Staffing shortages: one report attributes rising anesthesiology pay in part to anesthesia staffing shortages and growing procedural demand.

What Does an Anesthesiologist Do?

BLS describes anesthesiologists as focusing on the care of surgical patients and pain relief, administering drugs that reduce or remove the sensation of pain during an operation. During surgery they adjust anesthetic doses and monitor heart rate, breathing, blood pressure and temperature. 

Many also work outside the operating room, providing pain management, critical care and obstetric pain relief. They work with surgeons, nurses and, in many settings, nurse anesthetists and anesthesiologist assistants.

Anesthesiologist Qualification and Eligibility

The requirements below are standard for U.S. physicians. Confirm details with the American Board of Anesthesiology, the ACGME and your state medical board.

Mandatory:

• A bachelor’s degree, then a medical degree (MD or DO)
• Passing the national licensing exams (USMLE or COMLEX)
• Completing an accredited anesthesiology residency (typically four years including a clinical base year)
• A state medical license

Commonly expected:

• Board certification through the American Board of Anesthesiology
• Optional one-year fellowship for a subspecialty

BLS lists a doctoral or professional degree as the typical entry-level education, with internship/residency as training. bls

How to Become an Anesthesiologist

1. Complete a bachelor’s degree with pre-medical requirements.
2. Take the MCAT and attend medical school (MD or DO).
3. Pass licensing exams and match into an anesthesiology residency.
4. Complete residency, with resident pay as shown above.
5. Obtain a state license and pursue board certification.
6. Optionally complete a fellowship in a subspecialty.
7. Apply for attending positions, then progress to partnership, leadership or academic roles.

Anesthesiologist Career Growth

A typical path runs: resident → attending anesthesiologist → senior attending or partner → medical director, department chair or practice leader. Some move into academic careers or hospital administration. No source documented fixed salary steps between these levels, and I am not predicting future pay.

Job outlook. BLS projects physicians and surgeons overall to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035. A third-party site citing BLS projections puts anesthesiologists at 3.6% growth with about 1,100 annual openings.

Anesthesiologist Salary, Benefits and Allowances

My sources did not document specific benefit packages for anesthesiologists, so I am not listing benefit values. When comparing offers, ask about:

• Base pay vs bonus and incentive structure
• Sign-on or retention bonus, if any
• Malpractice coverage type (claims-made vs occurrence) and tail coverage
• Retirement contributions and health insurance
• Paid leave, call schedule and CME allowance
• Path to partnership, if applicable

Anesthesiologist vs CRNA Salary

Many searchers compare the two roles. They differ in training, scope and pay structure.

	Anesthesiologist	CRNA (nurse anesthetist)
BLS median wage, May 2025	$391,490	$236,590
Typical entry education	Doctoral or professional degree plus residency	Advanced nursing degree and certification
Role	Physician; medical management, supervision and complex cases	Advanced practice nurse administering anesthesia

Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, which lists nurse anesthetists at $236,590. Scope of practice and supervision rules vary by state.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do anesthesiologists make per year?
BLS reports a median of $391,490 (May 2025). Physician surveys report higher averages: about $543,000 (Medscape 2026) and $523,277 (Doximity 2025 report, 2024 data).

How much do anesthesiologists make per month?
Roughly $32,600 per month at the BLS median and $44,000–45,000 at survey averages. These are approximate equivalents (annual ÷ 12) before tax.

What is the hourly rate?
Around 173–213 an hour for employed anesthesiologists, per one staffing firm citing BLS and Salary.com. A career-data site citing BLS lists $188.22.

How much do anesthesiology residents make?
The average PGY-1 stipend was $68,166 in the 2025 AAMC survey, rising to about $77,600 by PGY-4. This is training pay, not attending salary.

Why is the BLS number lower than other sources?
BLS covers employees only and excludes self-employed physicians, while surveys capture total compensation and attract self-selected respondents.

Which states pay anesthesiologists the most?
Washington, Minnesota and Virginia lead in third-party summaries of BLS data, but verify against the BLS state table.

How long does it take to become an anesthesiologist?
Typically four years of undergraduate study, four of medical school and about four of residency, with an optional one-year fellowship.

Do anesthesiologists earn more than CRNAs?
Yes. BLS medians were $391,490 and $236,590 in May 2025. Roles, training and scope differ.

Which subspecialty pays the most?
A recruiter compilation lists cardiothoracic anesthesia highest, at roughly 590,000–610,000. This is indicative, not official.

Is anesthesiology a growing field?
BLS projects 4% growth for physicians and surgeons overall from 2025 to 2035. Anesthesia-specific projections come from third-party summaries and show slower growth.

Conclusion

Anesthesiologist pay is high, but the exact figure depends on the source: roughly $391,000 by BLS and 520,000–545,000 in physician surveys. Practice setting, location, subspecialty, hours and employment model drive the variation. 

The path is long, with medical school, a roughly four-year residency, licensing and optional fellowship, and pay during training is modest. Before accepting a job, compare the written offer against current BLS data and recent surveys.