Dive Brief:
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New Hampshire, Wyoming, and Minnesota physicians made the most money, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ May 2016 figures. New Hampshire doctors’ average annual wage was $272,820, Wyoming’s was $259,940 and Minnesota’s was $253,440.
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The average annual wage for physicians across the country was $205,560 in May 2016. In jobs classified under “physicians and surgeons,” BLS found that “offices of physicians” positions averaged $235,400. Those classified as “general medical and surgical hospitals” averaged $168,760.
- In other Bureau of Labor Statistics news, healthcare employment continued to trend over the previous month, picking up 20,000 more jobs in April. The numbers are similar to previous months for the healthcare sector in the first quarter of 2017 but are less than the average 32,000 jobs gained per month in 2016.
Dive Insight:
The Bureau of Labor Statistics found that rural states tended to have higher physician compensation than states with big cities, such as New York. This finding mirrors another recent report by Doximity that found rural and lower-cost cities had higher physician compensation.
BLS’ top state salaries for 2016 differed slightly from the 2014 list. Minnesota, South Dakota and New Hampshire topped the 2014 numbers. Minnesota had a $235,150 average that year.
Regarding the other Bureau of Labor Statistics news, the latest employment numbers show the overall unemployment rate was 4.4% in April this year.
Unease in the healthcare industry is likely connected to the fewer added healthcare jobs in 2017. Healthcare officials are waiting to see how possible changes from the federal government, such as potentially repealing the Affordable Care Act, may affect healthcare. Health leaders from health insurers to hospitals are rightly cautious.
Healthcare has been a major job creator since 2007. Over the past 10 years, healthcare created 35% of new jobs in the U.S. Healthcare job growth helped the country get out of the recession. So, federal leaders are likely watching that whatever changes they make to healthcare avoids any further slowdown of job creation.