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ICU Physician Salary in the United States

How much does an ICU Physician make in the United States?

As of September 01, 2026, the average salary for an ICU Physician in the United States is $399,490 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $192.

However, an ICU Physician's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $479,404
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $375,540 to $441,320
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $353,735
Salary Factors Salary-Boosting Skills Salary by Experience Related Job Salaries Top Paying Cities Explore Related Jobs

Key Factors That Influence ICU Physician Salaries

An ICU Physician's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects ICU Physician Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of an ICU Physician's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

  • Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $389,839
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $391,626
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $393,413
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $395,915
  • Expert (over 8 years): $402,612
Levels Salary
Entry Level ICU Physician$389,839
Intermediate Level ICU Physician$391,626
Senior Level ICU Physician$393,413
Specialist Level ICU Physician$395,915
Expert Level ICU Physician$402,612
View as Graph

How Do ICU Physician Salaries Vary from State to State?

Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract ICU Physicians. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
  • District of Columbia: $442,320.
  • California: $440,640.
  • Massachusetts: $434,770.

Top Paying Cities for ICU Physicians

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

  • San Jose: $503,880
  • San Francisco: $498,360
  • Oakland: $487,860

What Skills Can Increase an ICU Physician's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Leadership (Mentioned in 3.99% Job Postings): Knowledge of and ability to employ effective strategies that motivate and guide other members within our business to achieve optimum results.
  • Acute Care (Mentioned in 4.32% Job Postings): Acute care is a branch of secondary health care where a patient receives active but short-term treatment for a severe injury or episode of illness, an urgent medical condition, or during recovery from surgery. In medical terms, care for acute health conditions is the opposite from chronic care, or longer term care. Acute care services are generally delivered by teams of health care professionals from a range of medical and surgical specialties. Acute care may require a stay in a hospital emergency department, ambulatory surgery center, urgent care centre or other short-term stay facility, along with the assistance of diagnostic services, surgery, or follow-up outpatient care in the community. Hospital-based acute inpatient care typically has the goal of discharging patients as soon as they are deemed healthy and stable. Acute care settings include emergency department, intensive care, coronary care, cardiology, neonatal intensive care, and many general areas where the patient could become acutely unwell and require stabilization and transfer to another higher dependency unit for further treatment.
  • Medical Education (Mentioned in 2.98% Job Postings): Medical education is a course of study directed toward imparting knowledge and skills required for the prevention and treatment of diseases to persons seeking to become physicians.
Skills Demand Percentage
Leadership 3.99%
Acute Care 4.32%
Medical Education 2.98%
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What skills can make your compensation higher?

Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on an ICU Physician's salary.

  • Insight: Can increase your salary by up to 11%.
  • Hematology: Can increase your salary by up to 9%.
  • Coaching: Can increase your salary by up to 8%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Insight $443,434
11%
Hematology $435,444
9%
Coaching $431,449
8%
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ICU Physician Salary by Company Size: Startups vs. Enterprise

ICU Physician salary potential scales significantly with company size. Data shows that Enterprise companies (5,000+ employees) pay the highest average salary at around $449,128. While startup companies pay approximate $381,343.

ICU Physician Salary by Company Size

Company Size Employees Average Salary
Startup 1~50 $381,343
Growth Stage 51~500 $402,922
Established 501~5000 $434,048
Enterprise 5000+ $449,128

ICU Physician Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For ICU Physician roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential by as much as 45% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries). Data shows that the Biotechnology and Healthcare sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 25% above the average. In contrast, ICU Physician positions in Pharmaceuticals or Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit typically offer lower base pay, as these industries often view ICU Physician as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industries for an ICU Physician

Industry Sector Average Annual Salary Average Hourly Rate Pay vs.Avg
Biotechnology$499,362$240.025%
Healthcare$419,464$202.05%

ICU Physician Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how an ICU Physician's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on September 01, 2026
$375,540
Average $399,490/year
$441,320
$31,295
Average $33,291/month
$36,777
$7,222
Average $7,683/week
$8,487
$181
Average $192/hour
$212
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
75th Percentile $441,320 $36,777 $8,487 $212
Average $399,490 $33,291 $7,683 $192
25th Percentile $375,540 $31,295 $7,222 $181

Most common benefits for ICU Physician

  • Social Security
  • 401 (k)
  • Disability
  • Healthcare
  • Pension
  • Time Off (days)

Common company salaries for ICU Physician

Here are companies hiring for ICU Physician and their salaries, click below for more details.

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FAQ about ICU Physician

1. What industry pays the highest salary for ICU Physician?

The Biotechnology industry offers the highest average compensation for ICU Physician roles, with salaries approximately 25% above the market median.

Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.

We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

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