California is the dream state for many, right?
It has a vibrant lifestyle, great weather, and some of the highest salaries in the country—at least for the stars.
Doctors, on the other hand? That’s a different story.
California doesn’t have the doctors it needs to sufficiently help the entire populace, leading to higher salaries for some of those who are settled there. But that doesn’t mean every doctor is earning their worth.
California’s physician shortage is real, and it needs at least 8,000 more physicians by 2030 to compensate for the lack of physicians per capita, specifically primary care workers, who are already overburdened.
Between that and the high cost of living, it’s easy to see why some doctors avoid living in the sand and surf land. However, it can’t be all bad, right? California also calls home a city that ends up paying the highest wages in the country, so there is that.
However, that’s just one place, and California is pretty big. So, how are physician salaries all across California? How do doctors feel about the work there? What needs to change? Let’s break it all down.
- Physician salaries in California
- The highest available specialties in the state
- What do doctors have to say about working in California
The Figures: What Are California Physicians Earning?
So here’s the deal: Young doctors in California aren’t doing the best.

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For one thing, 80 hours of work per week for what is essentially minimum wage after going through medical school sounds like a bad joke. But that’s what is happening in California right now, with things being bad enough that early-career doctors have to unionize, of all things.
But what are they earning, exactly? Well, a resident in California can expect to earn $66,000 per annum when going at the $16 per hour rate. And at 80 hours per week, that amount feels criminal.
That’s exactly why more young doctors opt for specialization. California actually has the highest share of medical students who complete residency compared to any other state in the country.
So, how exactly are the numbers working? Considering California ranks 46th out of the 50 states when it comes to annual wages for physicians after they are adjusted for the absurd cost of living, it isn’t looking too good. But here are some of the highest-paid specialties in California.
Specialty | Median Wage |
Anesthesiology | $451,000 |
Gastroenterology | $351,000 |
Pain Management | $321,000 |
Psychiatrist | $312,000 |
Plastic Surgeon | $300,000 |
It’s important to note that salary data can vary widely based on factors such as geographic location, years of experience, specialty, and employer type. It’s important to remember that average salaries are just that – averages.
The average physician salary in California is around $222,000, which is on the lower end of the country average. However, that workload does not equate to a fair salary.
The Salary Doesn’t Reflect The Work Load
A $400k salary sounds like a dream, especially for an in-demand field like anesthesiology. And, of course, plastic surgery was always going to be profitable when you live in a state known for the rich and famous. But there are some caveats here.
For example, the highest-paid anesthesiologist in California earned a whopping $1.3 million last year, which is fantastic on paper — except when you realize that they also work 94 hours per week. So, an average of more than 15 hours per day. At that point, you’re practically living at the hospital, but I guess that saves rent money.
Jokes aside, you see this a lot in California. Doctors who do earn above minimum wage do it at the cost of a work-life balance. It isn’t sustainable in the long run, especially when a nationwide physician shortage has already started affecting things. There are too many patients and not enough doctors to deal with them.
That burden is immense, both physically and mentally. Speaking of, what specialties have the most active physicians in California? Considering everything that’s going down there, psychiatrists topping the list won’t be shocking. But here are the rest of them.
Specialty | Active Physicians |
Psychiatry | 7895 |
Emergency Medicine | 7303 |
Anesthesiologists | 6534 |
Surgery | 5629 |
Radiology | 5529 |
California has 65,752 active specialty doctors. However, the number of primary care physicians is lesser, with 59,814 currently active. That figure is one of the highest in the country, yet it is nowhere near sufficient to accommodate the state’s 39 million total population.
And let’s talk about disparity when it comes to areas in California itself, too. San Jose actually boasts some of the highest physician salaries in the country due to its close links to Silicon Valley. But that salary mirrors the actual cost of living in the city, which is also high to reflect the big spenders that live there.
Not all doctors will reside in high-profile places like that. Most primary care physicians work in clinics in the more average areas of California, such as the Greater Bay Area, Sacramento, and San Diego. But rural California is going through its own massive physician shortage.
And the doctors there are speaking up, quoting burnout as one of the main reasons they leave the field.
Physician Well-being in California
For all the doom and gloom regarding work hours and physician salaries, California is at least trying to address the issue.
Considering that 55% of doctors in California are reaching retirement age, the physician shortage isn’t all that shocking.
However, California also happens to be the state that ranks first when it comes to medical graduates and residents staying in their home state and working locally. So, that means there is something to supplement the doctors who are aging out.
It is also being discussed whether medical school capacity can be expanded. An increase of just 3% would be able to cover most of California’s primary care shortages. However, the one thing students would prefer most themselves is having their student debt forgiven, though that is still pretty far off.
But it does help that California ended up cutting the MD degree time down by 2 years. It’s also placing an intense focus on getting more resources and scholarships for the state’s underrepresented communities, allowing for more representation in the medical community.
Bottom Line
Things are less than great in California right now, with the average salary stagnance. People just don’t want to get into medicine when they feel exploited and overworked, despite all the other reasons, such as research and caregiving that might prompt them into opting in.
However, changes are being implemented with a more at-home stance. So, if you’re a Californian born and raised and want to work in medicine, it’s worth a shot. Remember that this decision, like most, will ultimately be deeply personal and requires introspection.
1 thought on “Physician Salaries in California”
that’s awesome bro