General Surgery Physician Salary (2026)

The 2024 median base salary for a General Surgery physician in the United States is approximately $425K, with the typical 25th-to-90th-percentile band running from $370K to $535K. 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 General Surgery offer I close.

General Surgery compensation at a glance

Median base (2024): $425K
Typical range (25th–90th): $370K – $535K
National demand: high
Primary board: American Board of Surgery (ABS)
Fellowship pathways: Surgical Oncology, Vascular, Colorectal, MIS, Trauma/Critical Care, Breast, Pediatric
Common practice settings: hospital-employed general surgery, surgical partnership, rural critical-access hospital
Geographic concentration of top offers: rural critical-access hospitals nationwide drive the highest demand and compensation

What drives General Surgery compensation up or down

Metro hospital-employed general surgery offers run $400K-$465K base with surgical productivity overlay. Rural broad-scope general surgery (with endoscopy, basic ortho, and cesarean coverage) clears $575K-$700K in many critical-access offers I close, plus housing and significant loan repayment. Subspecialty general surgery (MIS, colorectal, surgical oncology, breast) varies but rarely exceeds rural broad-scope comp. The biggest negotiating lever in general surgery is call frequency and back-up call expectations.

General surgery is foundational to community hospitals and one of the most acute recruitment needs in rural and critical-access markets. Broad-scope rural general surgery commands top-tier compensation.

General Surgery salary by state

Base ranges for General Surgery run inside the $370K–$535K 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 General Surgery comp picture, anchor employers, and incentive stacking.

How recruiters benchmark a General Surgery offer

When I scope a General Surgery engagement, I pull MGMA and AMGA percentiles for the region, layer in the specific employer's historical comp band, and pressure-test against active General Surgery candidates we are already working. The $370K–$535K range above is the national reference; the actual offer for a given General Surgery role is built bottom-up from RVU model assumptions, call rotation, and ramp expectations. For General Surgery 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 General Surgery recruiter about your number

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