There were approximately 109,000 family medicine physicians working in the U.S. as of May 2019 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 educations and technical skills, family medicine physicians earn higher salaries than workers in most other occupations in the United States. As of May 2019, the BLS reported that the national mean salary for family medicine physicians was $213,270 annually, significantly more than the $53,490 annual mean wage for workers in all occupations in the country. 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 2019, which shows the following about family medicine physician pay in the top 20 metro areas of the U.S.:
| Metropolitan Area | # Employed | Annual Mean Wages | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York-Newark-Jersey City | 3,820 | $198,780 | ||
| 2 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | 2,880 | $152,040 | ||
| 3 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | 5,690 | $205,330 | ||
| 4 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | 2,410 | $213,390 | ||
| 5 | Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land | 1,980 | $218,660 | ||
| 6 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria | 2,300 | $198,890 | ||
| 7 | Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach | 2,920 | $209,710 | ||
| 8 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington | 1,990 | $203,760 | ||
| 9 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta | 1,260 | $235,660 | ||
| 10 | Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler | 3,020 | $229,320 | ||
| 11 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton | 1,920 | $223,250 | ||
| 12 | San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley | 1,720 | $213,960 | ||
| 13 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | 760 | $252,970 | ||
| 14 | Detroit-Warren-Dearborn | 1,620 | $191,830 | ||
| 15 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue | 630 | $241,310 | ||
| 16 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington | 1,470 | $236,120 | ||
| 17 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | 750 | $214,240 | ||
| 18 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater | 1,520 | $229,420 | ||
| 19 | Denver-Aurora-Lakewood | 990 | $207,530 | ||
| 20 | St. Louis | 2,680 | $179,260 | ||
| National | 109,370 | $213,270 | |||
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on November 13, 2020