Dive Brief:
- An annual report from clinician network Doximity found that among its 90,000 physicians pay for male physicians has remained flat since 2017 while pay for female physicians increased. While the gender gap narrowed somewhat, male physicians earn an average of $1.25 for every $1 female physicians earn.
- In Louisville, for example, the gender wage gap was 40% in 2018. Birmingham, Alabama, has the smallest wage gap at 9%.
- National wages remained flat in 2018. In 2017, the rate of wage growth within the top 10 metro areas ranged between 6-12%, compared to 8-15% in 2018, according to Doximity.
Dive Insight:
Compensation across metropolitan statistical areas varies widely, with less populated areas tending to have a higher average compensation than large cities. Metro areas with lower average compensation also tend to house big academic institutions and academic hospitals, which Doximity notes pay less than private institutions. Having a prestigious medical school in town ensures a strong pipeline of physicians, but can oversaturate the job market.
Milwaukee does not seem to have this problem. Milwaukee, Dallas and Los Angeles were the only three cities to appear on Doximity's list of highest-compensation cities two years in a row, with Milwaukee being the only city to see an overall increase in compensation, topping out at $395,363, while the others experienced a decline.
But Doximity notes that some progress is being made. In 2017, the gap was at 27.7%, and female doctors earned $105,000 less than their male counterparts. The physician pay gap dropped to 25.2% in 2018, or $90,490 less than the average male doctor.
"In terms of compensation, while it's better to be a female physician in Milwaukee than in any of the other 50 metro areas, she still earns on average $62,523 less than a male physician in the highest paid metro area for men," the report notes.