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Attending Surgeon Salary in the United States

How much does an Attending Surgeon make in the United States?

As of September 01, 2026, the average salary for an Attending Surgeon in the United States is $117,293 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $56.

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

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $132,068
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $107,691 to $125,027
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $98,949
Salary Factors Salary-Boosting Skills Salary by Experience Related Job Salaries Top Paying Cities Explore Related Jobs

Key Factors That Influence Attending Surgeon Salaries

An Attending Surgeon'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, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Attending Surgeon Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of an Attending Surgeon'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): $116,360
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $117,027
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $119,879
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $122,219
  • Expert (over 8 years): $122,804
Levels Salary
Entry Level Attending Surgeon$116,360
Intermediate Level Attending Surgeon$117,027
Senior Level Attending Surgeon$119,879
Specialist Level Attending Surgeon$122,219
Expert Level Attending Surgeon$122,804
View as Graph

How Do Attending Surgeon 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 Attending Surgeons. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
  • District of Columbia: $129,867.
  • California: $129,374.
  • Massachusetts: $127,650.

Top Paying Cities for Attending Surgeons

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: $147,942
  • San Francisco: $146,322
  • Oakland: $143,238

What Skills Can Increase an Attending Surgeon's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Collaboration (Mentioned in 4.12% Job Postings): Works cooperatively and shares ideas with coworkers and managers to achieve common goals and objectives.
  • Acute Care (Mentioned in 3.45% 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 Services (Mentioned in 2.8% Job Postings): A service that provides medical treatment to people within an area or country: In poorer countries without a reliable health service, 90% of care for people with Aids-related illnesses is carried out in the home. health services.
Skills Demand Percentage
Collaboration 4.12%
Acute Care 3.45%
Medical Services 2.8%
See More Skills

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 Attending Surgeon's salary.

  • Wound Care: Can increase your salary by up to 11%.
  • Team Building: Can increase your salary by up to 11%.
  • Diagnostic Tests: Can increase your salary by up to 9%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Wound Care $130,195
11%
Team Building $130,195
11%
Diagnostic Tests $127,849
9%
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Attending Surgeon Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For Attending Surgeon roles, the industry you choose can impact your earning potential by as much as 60% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries). Data shows that the highest-paying industry, Healthcare, offers compensation 30% above the average. Conversely, Attending Surgeon positions in Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit typically offer lower base pay, as this sector often view Attending Surgeon as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industry for an Attending Surgeon

Industry Sector Average Annual Salary Average Hourly Rate Pay vs.Avg
Healthcare$152,481$73.030%

How Education impacts an Attending Surgeon's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Attending Surgeons enter the field with a Bachelor's Degree degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.

According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for an Attending Surgeon with a Bachelor's Degree is between $125,465 and $133,530).

Attending Surgeon Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Attending Surgeon
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 7.1%
High School 7.1%
Associates 3.6%
Bachelors 19.1%
Masters 66.4%
Doctorate 3.8%
View as Graph

Attending Surgeon Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how an Attending Surgeon'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
$107,691
Average $117,293/year
$125,027
$8,974
Average $9,774/month
$10,419
$2,071
Average $2,256/week
$2,404
$52
Average $56/hour
$60
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
75th Percentile $125,027 $10,419 $2,404 $60
Average $117,293 $9,774 $2,256 $56
25th Percentile $107,691 $8,974 $2,071 $52

Most common benefits for Attending Surgeon

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

Common company salaries for Attending Surgeon

Here are companies hiring for Attending Surgeon and their salaries, click below for more details.

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FAQ about Attending Surgeon

1. What industry pays the highest salary for Attending Surgeon?

The Healthcare industry offers the highest average compensation for Attending Surgeon roles, with salaries approximately 30% 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.)

With the most extensive online, real-time compensation data available, Salary.com helps you pinpoint your exact pay target.

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