There were approximately 103,000 family medicine physicians working in the U.S. as of May 2021 according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Most family medicine physicians are employed at physician offices, but smaller numbers can be found working in outpatient care centers, hospitals, educational institutions, and with local government entities. Like many other health professionals with advanced education and technical skills, family medicine physicians earn higher salaries than workers in most other occupations in the United States. As of May 2021, the BLS reported that the national mean salary for family medicine physicians was $235,930 annually. Pay for family medicine physicians varies widely from region to region, with practitioners in some states making 50% or more than what their counterparts earn elsewhere. This wage variation is readily visible in BLS data from May 2021, which shows the following about family medicine physician pay in the top 20 metro areas of the U.S.:
Family Medicine Physician Pay in the Top 20 Metro Areas
| Metropolitan Area | # Employed | Mean Annual Wage | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York-Newark-Jersey City | 3,130 | $220,640 | ||
| 2 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | 3,080 | $261,120 | ||
| 3 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | 2,010 | $252,490 | ||
| 4 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | 2,660 | $226,070 | ||
| 5 | Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land | n/a | $172,550 | ||
| 6 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria | 1,580 | $270,280 | ||
| 7 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington | 3,860 | $225,340 | ||
| 8 | Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach | 2,420 | $184,500 | ||
| 9 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta | 1,550 | $218,200 | ||
| 10 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton | 2,330 | $269,230 | ||
| 11 | Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler | 2,010 | $221,250 | ||
| 12 | San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley | 2,430 | $275,220 | ||
| 13 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | 1,230 | $269,070 | ||
| 14 | Detroit-Warren-Dearborn | 540 | $240,430 | ||
| 15 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue | 640 | $242,440 | ||
| 16 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington | 1,110 | $231,470 | ||
| 17 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | 1,550 | $217,910 | ||
| 18 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater | 840 | $227,250 | ||
| 19 | Denver-Aurora-Lakewood | 1,300 | $226,330 | ||
| 20 | Baltimore-Columbia-Towson | 580 | $229,540 | ||
| National | 102,930 | $235,930 | |||
Report Period: May 2021
Top 20 U.S. Metro areas from the 2020 Census
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Occupational Statistics
Data extracted on September 26, 2022
