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Hand Surgeon Salary in the United States

How much does a Hand Surgeon make in the United States?

As of September 01, 2026, the average salary for a Hand Surgeon in the United States is $536,196 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $258.

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

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $668,752
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $479,273 to $605,581
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $427,448
Salary Factors Salary-Boosting Skills Salary by Experience Related Job Salaries Top Paying Cities Explore Related Jobs

Key Factors That Influence Hand Surgeon Salaries

A Hand 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 Hand Surgeon Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Hand 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): $526,709
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $530,662
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $550,403
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $583,275
  • Expert (over 8 years): $589,145
Levels Salary
Entry Level Hand Surgeon$526,709
Intermediate Level Hand Surgeon$530,662
Senior Level Hand Surgeon$550,403
Specialist Level Hand Surgeon$583,275
Expert Level Hand Surgeon$589,145
View as Graph

How Do Hand 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 Hand Surgeons. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
  • District of Columbia: $593,676.
  • California: $591,424.
  • Massachusetts: $583,542.

Top Paying Cities for Hand 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: $676,304
  • San Francisco: $668,899
  • Oakland: $654,803

What Skills Can Increase a Hand Surgeon's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Leadership (Mentioned in 4.08% 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 4.37% 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 3.02% 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 4.08%
Acute Care 4.37%
Medical Education 3.02%
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 a Hand Surgeon's salary.

  • Scheduling: Can increase your salary by up to 8%.
  • Oncology: Can increase your salary by up to 3%.
  • Leadership: Can increase your salary by up to 2%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Scheduling $579,092
8%
Oncology $552,282
3%
Leadership $546,920
2%
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Hand Surgeon Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For Hand Surgeon roles, the industry you choose can impact your earning potential by as much as 40% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries). Data shows that the highest-paying industry, Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit, offers compensation 20% above the average. Conversely, Hand Surgeon positions in Healthcare typically offer lower base pay, as this sector often view Hand Surgeon as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industry for a Hand Surgeon

Industry Sector Average Annual Salary Average Hourly Rate Pay vs.Avg
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit$643,435$309.020%

How Education impacts a Hand Surgeon's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Hand Surgeons enter the field with a JD, MD, PhD or Equivalent degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.

According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for a Hand Surgeon with a JD, MD, PhD or Equivalent is between $521,234 and $600,245).

Hand Surgeon Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Hand Surgeon
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 0.7%
High School 3.9%
Associates 2.0%
Bachelors 1.3%
Masters 2.6%
Doctorate 89.5%
View as Graph

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

Understanding how a Hand 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
$479,273
Average $536,196/year
$605,581
$39,939
Average $44,683/month
$50,465
$9,217
Average $10,311/week
$11,646
$230
Average $258/hour
$291
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
75th Percentile $605,581 $50,465 $11,646 $291
Average $536,196 $44,683 $10,311 $258
25th Percentile $479,273 $39,939 $9,217 $230

Most common benefits for Hand Surgeon

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

Common company salaries for Hand Surgeon

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

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FAQ about Hand Surgeon

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

The Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit industry offers the highest average compensation for Hand Surgeon roles, with salaries approximately 20% 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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