Emergency Medicine Physician Salary (2026)

The 2024 median base salary for a Emergency Medicine physician in the United States is approximately $385K, with the typical 25th-to-90th-percentile band running from $340K to $470K. These figures are composite benchmarks drawn from MGMA, AAMC, and AMGA compensation surveys and reflect base compensation only — productivity bonuses, signing bonuses, call stipends, partnership distributions, and quality incentives sit on top of base and materially shift total cash compensation in every Emergency Medicine offer I close.

Emergency Medicine compensation at a glance

Median base (2024): $385K
Typical range (25th–90th): $340K – $470K
National demand: high
Primary board: American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) or AOBEM
Common practice settings: hospital ED, freestanding ED, urgent care, locum tenens
Geographic concentration of top offers: every US hospital with a Level I-V trauma designation

What drives Emergency Medicine compensation up or down

Standard board-certified EM hourly rates I'm signing this year sit between $235 and $295 per clinical hour, with rural and critical-access work routinely clearing $320 per hour for nights. The lever physicians underuse in negotiation is the volume-based bonus structure — a per-patient stipend on top of hourly rate can add $40K-$80K annually in busier departments. I also negotiate productivity-bonus floor language so physicians aren't penalized for low-acuity nights they didn't choose to staff.

Emergency medicine combines high acuity, shift-based scheduling, and broad hospital exposure. Compensation is shift-driven; locum tenens supplementation is common.

Emergency Medicine salary by state

Base ranges for Emergency Medicine run inside the $340K–$470K band in most states, with rural and HPSA-designated counties producing offers at or above the upper end once signing bonuses, loan repayment, and rural premiums are stacked. Click a state below for the in-state Emergency Medicine comp picture, anchor employers, and incentive stacking.

How recruiters benchmark a Emergency Medicine offer

When I scope a Emergency Medicine engagement, I pull MGMA and AMGA percentiles for the region, layer in the specific employer's historical comp band, and pressure-test against active Emergency Medicine candidates we are already working. The $340K–$470K range above is the national reference; the actual offer for a given Emergency Medicine role is built bottom-up from RVU model assumptions, call rotation, and ramp expectations. For Emergency Medicine candidates evaluating an offer, the three numbers I tell people to focus on are base, wRVU conversion factor, and call-coverage stipend — not the headline salary alone.

Talk to a Emergency Medicine recruiter about your number

Email hire@physicianrecruitment.com or call 1-888-812-3452 for a 30-minute confidential Emergency Medicine compensation benchmarking call. We provide Emergency Medicine candidates a written market analysis of any offer at no cost.