Orthopedic Surgery Physician Salary (2026)

The 2024 median base salary for a Orthopedic Surgery physician in the United States is approximately $625K, with the typical 25th-to-90th-percentile band running from $525K to $815K. 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 Orthopedic Surgery offer I close.

Orthopedic Surgery compensation at a glance

Median base (2024): $625K
Typical range (25th–90th): $525K – $815K
National demand: high
Primary board: American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS)
Fellowship pathways: Sports, Joints, Spine, Hand, Foot & Ankle, Trauma, Pediatric Ortho
Common practice settings: single-specialty ortho group, hospital-employed orthopedic service line, ambulatory surgery centers
Geographic concentration of top offers: every metro plus growing rural and outpatient ASC markets nationwide

What drives Orthopedic Surgery compensation up or down

Subspecialty orthopedic offers run $625K-$775K base with significant productivity overlay; total compensation in mature joints, sports, and spine practices regularly clears $1M by year three. ASC ownership distributions and ancillary income (imaging, physical therapy, DME) are the most under-modeled component of these offers — a partnership-track offer with 20-30 percent ASC ownership equity can outpay a higher-base hospital-employed offer by year five. PE platform offers commonly include rolled equity that should be valued separately.

Orthopedic surgery is among the highest-paid surgical specialties and one of the most active in private equity-backed practice consolidation. Subspecialty fellowship is now the norm.

Orthopedic Surgery salary by state

Base ranges for Orthopedic Surgery run inside the $525K–$815K 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 Orthopedic Surgery comp picture, anchor employers, and incentive stacking.

How recruiters benchmark a Orthopedic Surgery offer

When I scope a Orthopedic 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 Orthopedic Surgery candidates we are already working. The $525K–$815K range above is the national reference; the actual offer for a given Orthopedic Surgery role is built bottom-up from RVU model assumptions, call rotation, and ramp expectations. For Orthopedic 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 Orthopedic Surgery recruiter about your number

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