Intensivists, or critical care physicians, employed in the United States generally earn salaries in the range from $202,630 to $392,657 a year not including bonuses.
Based on the salary data reported by Salary.com, 10% of critical care physicians earn $392,657 a year or more, and the 10% on the lower end of the pay scale report earning an annual salary of up to $202,630. The middle 50% of ICU doctors typically earn salaries in the range from $239,968 to $339,436 a year.
With significant work experience in critical care medicine, intensivists can eventually expect to earn up to $320,000 a year based on the salary figures reported by ValueMD.com.
Medscape’s 2013 Critical Care Physician Compensation Report reveals that 23% of these professionals saw their salaries increase by up to 10% from the previous year, and 10% reported a salary increase by more than 10%. 48% of intensive care doctors reported that their salaries remained the same, and 19% reported a decrease from the previous year.
Average salary
The average salary for critical care physicians working in the United States is $258,750 a year according to the recruitment agency Profiles, $215,000 a year according to ValueMD.com, $264,750 a year according to the recruitment firm MD & DDS Resources, $280,980 a year according to Salary.com, and $268,000 a year according to the Critical Care Physician Compensation Report: 2013, released by Medscape.
The average annual salary for intensivists including bonus earnings, as reported by Salary.com, is $292,707 a year. 10% of the best paid critical care physicians earn $396,164 or more annually, and the 10% on the lower end of the pay scale are paid up to $223,592 a year. The middle 50% report an annual income in the range from $256,529 to $396,164. Critical care medicine specialists are paid $11,727 a year on average in bonus money according to Salary.com’s data.
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Critical care physicians’ salaries depend on geographical location among other factors, and can vary considerably from region to region.
The top salaries for intensivists are in the Southeast, where the median annual pay for this profession is $311,000, followed by the West, where intensive care physicians earn $286,000 a year on average, and the Northwest, where they are paid $285,000 annually on average.
Intensive care doctors employed in the Southwest and the South Central regions earn an average annual salary of $277,000, and those employed in the Great Lakes region make $276,000 a year on average. Physicians working in the Mid-Atlantic region earn $263,000 a year on average, and those employed in the North Central region are paid around $245,000 annually. The lowest annual income for this profession is in the North East region, where intensivists earn an average yearly pay of $220,000 according to Medscape.
The average salaries can also vary significantly depending on the work setting. Critical care physicians working in multispecialty group practices have the highest salaries — $375,000 a year on average – followed by doctors employed in solo practices, who earn $352,000 a year on average.
Critical care specialists working in single-specialty group practices make $292,000 a year on average, those employed at hospitals are typically paid around $277,000 a year, and physicians employed by healthcare organizations earn an average yearly salary of $275,000. Critical care physicians working in an academic setting generally have the lowest annual salary: they earn $188,000 a year on average according to Medscape.
Work situation is another factor that can significantly affect an intensive care physicians’ yearly salary. Doctors who own solo practices have the highest salaries – $335,000 a year on average – followed by those who are partners in their organization, who earn an average yearly income of $330,000. Physicians who are employees at their organization make $258,000 annually, and those who work as independent contractors earn a median yearly wage of $234,000 according to Medscape’s 2013 salary report.
Starting salary
The average starting salary for intensivists in their first year on the job is $198,000 a year according to the salary data reported by the recruitment firm Profiles, and $187,000 a year according to ValueMD.com.
Salary range
Based on the salary data in Medscape’s 2013 Critical Care Physician Compensation Report, 2% of intensivists earn $600,000 a year or more, and 9% are paid an income of $100,000 a year or less. The highest percentage of critical care doctors (21%) report earning salaries in the range from $200,000 to $250,000 a year. 16% make between $250,000 and $300,000 annually, and 15% are paid between $300,000 and $350,000 a year.
On the higher end of the pay scale, 2% of critical care physicians earn salaries in the range from $500,000 to $600,000 a year, and 3% are paid between $450,000 and $500,000 annually. 8% report earning an annual wage in the range from $400,000 to $450,000 a year, and 9% of physicians make between $350,000 and $400,000 a year.
On the lower end of the scale, 4% of critical care medicine specialists earn salaries in the range from $100,000 to $150,000 a year, and 12% are paid an annual income in the range from $150,000 to $200,000 according to Medscape’s salary report.
Salary by state
Intensivists’ annual salaries can vary significantly from state to state. Physicians employed in California typically earn around $217,000 a year, those based in New York are paid $243,000 a year on average, and professionals working in Texas earn an average yearly salary of $194,000 according to the salary data reported by Indeed.
Intensive care doctors working in Montana earn $189,000 a year on average, those based in Massachussets are paid around $237,000 a year, and physicians employed in Illinois earn around $221,000 a year.
Salary by city
Intensive care physicians’ salaries can also vary from city to city. Doctors based in New York earn $259,000 a year on average, those working in Los Angeles make $205,000 a year on average, and physicians employed in Houston are paid around $214,000 a year according to Indeed’s salary data.
Intensivists working in Chicago earn around $226,000 annually, those based in Detroit and Philadelphia make $199,000 a year on average, and physicians employed in Miami are paid an average annual salary of $183,000.
Critical care physicians employed in Dallas earn around $196,000 a year, those working in Boston are paid $239,000 a year on average, and doctors based in Phoenix earn a median yearly income of $163,000 according to Indeed’s data.
Benefits
Along with the basic annual salary and yearly bonus earnings, critical care doctors typically get a variety of perks and benefits. The average value of benefits packages for intensivists, as reported by Salary.com, typically exceeds $81,000 a year.
The benefits packages for these professionals usually include 401(k) or 403(b) plans, social security, disability insurance, healthcare, pension, and time off.