Milwaukee is the highest-paying city in the United States for physicians, and it’s making progress on narrowing the gender pay gap, according to a new report.
Milwaukee’s average physician compensation is $395,363, the highest among the 50 largest metro areas, according to Doximity’s new Physician Compensation Report.
According to the report, the top five cities with the highest average compensation are:
- Milwaukee: $395,363
- New Orleans: $384,651
- Riverside, California: $371,296
- Minneapolis: $369,889
- Charlotte, North Carolina: $368,205
Nationally, physician wages have plateaued for the first time since 2016 after years of steady pay increases, the report found.
Milwaukee is also the top-paying city for female physicians, who earn an average annual salary of $351,247, according to the report.
The top five cities with the highest female physician compensation are:
- Milwaukee: $351,247
- Bridgeport, Connecticut: $319,577
- Seattle: $306,310
- Minneapolis: $303,416
- Riverside, California: $302,937
The report notes that while Milwaukee female physicians make more than their counterparts in all other metros, they still earn on average $62,523 less than a male physician in the highest-paid metro area for men, New Orleans.
Milwaukee has a gender wage gap of 14 percent, or a difference of $57,077, which is the third narrowest gap in the country. Birmingham has the smallest gender wage gap, at 9 percent.
Nationally, the study indicates the gender pay gap is decreasing from previous years. Male physician pay has remained flat since 2017, while female physician pay has increased by 2 percent.
Across all major metros, male physicians still earn an average of $1.25 for every $1 female physicians earn.
“Compensation transparency is a powerful force,” said Christopher Whaley, lead author of the study. “As more data becomes available to us, exposing the pay gap between men and women, we see more movements to rectify this issue.”
The report examined the 50 largest cities and includes responses from 90,000 physicians.
Milwaukee has ranked highly among national metro areas in previous studies for the costliness of its hospital systems and medical services. A BizTimes cover story examined the factors that drive up costs in Wisconsin.
