Varying between $99,000 and $313,000, the neurologist salary is among the highest in the US. The wages are in the range of $200,000 per year, and they only get higher with time and experience.
Individuals with the neurologist salary and job description handle all aspects of a patient’s neurological system. This includes examination, diagnosing, and referring to other specialists. We are going to look at what factors influence the wage, and in what measure. So, how much does a neurologist get paid?
Factors that Influence the Neurologist Salary
The website payscale.com estimated the average neurologist salary at around $200,000 a year in 2015. The yearly and hourly neurologist salary sorted by percentile is as follows:
| Percentile | 10% | 25% | 50% (Median) |
75% | 90% |
| Hourly Wage | $27.21 | $53.67 | Higher than $90 | Higher than $90 | Higher than $90 |
| Annual Wage | $56,590 | $111,630 | Higher than $187,200 | Higher than $187,200 | Higher than $187,200 |
As it happens with most medical specialties, the neurologist annual salary is influenced by an array of factors. The most common such factors are the industry, each employee’s level of experience, and the geographical location of each workplace.
For example, the vascular, stroke, veterinary, or the pediatric neurologist salary all depend on the job description.
Just two or three of these factors can influence the neurologist salary by a couple hundred thousand dollars. So, let’s see which factors can make the biggest difference on the wages.
Geographic Area
Below, you can find a series of tables for areas and states with the highest neurologist salaries and employment rates. However, we are only going to look at the neurologist salary in the USA. For this, we will not mention the wages in countries such as Canada, the UK, or Australia, regardless of how many requests we’ve gotten.
The states with the highest levels of employment for the profession are the following:
| State | Employment | Employment per thousand jobs | Location quotient | Hourly mean wage | Annual mean wage |
| New York | 40,180 | 4.56 | 1.98 | $80.39 | $167,210 |
| California | 22,660 | 1.50 | 0.65 | $90.66 | $188,560 |
| Texas | 17,190 | 1.53 | 0.66 | $97.04 | $201,840 |
| Ohio | 16,080 | 3.09 | 1.34 | $87.58 | $182,160 |
| Illinois | 15,590 | 2.70 | 1.17 | $88.45 | $183,970 |
Meanwhile, the highest neurologist salary by state can be found as follows:
| State | Employment | Employment per thousand jobs | Location quotient | Hourly mean wage | Annual mean wage |
| Minnesota | 3,930 | 1.44 | 0.62 | $113.05 | $235,150 |
| South Dakota | 330 | 0.82 | 0.35 | $111.79 | $232,530 |
| New Hampshire | 1,810 | 2.88 | 1.25 | $111.32 | $231,550 |
| Montana | 1,120 | 2.52 | 1.09 | $110.04 | $228,880 |
| Wyoming | 340 | 1.19 | 0.52 | $108.80 | $226,310 |
The metropolitan areas with the highest neurologist employment levels are:
| Metropolitan area | Employment | Employment per thousand jobs | Location quotient | Hourly mean wage | Annual mean wage |
| New York – White Plains – Wayne, NY – NJ Metropolitan Division | 27,220 | 5.05 | 2.19 | $73.15 | $152,140 |
| Chicago – Joliet – Naperville, IL Metropolitan Division | 11,040 | 2.94 | 1.28 | $82.78 | $172,180 |
| Atlanta – Sandy Springs – Marietta, GA | 7,360 | 3.08 | 1.34 | $100.82 | $209,710 |
| Boston – Cambridge – Quincy, MA NECTA Division | 7,100 | 3.95 | 1.72 | $68.98 | $143,480 |
| Los Angeles – Long Beach – Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division | 6,610 | 1.63 | 0.71 | $103.23 | $214,720 |
| Nassau – Suffolk, NY Metropolitan Division | 5,850 | 4.63 | 2.01 | $100.27 | $208,570 |
| Bethesda – Rockville – Frederick, MD Metropolitan Division | 5,670 | 10.02 | 4.35 | $79.37 | $165,090 |
| Washington – Arlington – Alexandria, DC – VA – MD – WV Metropolitan Division | 5,040 | 2.12 | 0.92 | $97.50 | $202,800 |
| Cleveland – Elyria – Mentor, OH | 4,560 | 4.50 | 1.95 | $70.43 | $146,490 |
| Indianapolis – Carmel, IN | 4,360 | 4.65 | 2.02 | $100.35 | $208,720 |
The metropolitan areas with the highest neurologist salary are as follows:
| Metropolitan area | Employment | Employment per thousand jobs | Location quotient | Hourly mean wage | Annual mean wage |
| Terre Haute, IN | 140 | 2.03 | 0.88 | Higher than $90 | Higher than $187,200 |
| Pocatello, ID | 120 | 3.44 | 1.49 | Higher than $90 | Higher than $187,200 |
| Napa, CA | 80 | 1.25 | 0.54 | Higher than $90 | Higher than $187,200 |
| Michigan City – La Porte, IN | 110 | 2.67 | 1.16 | Higher than $90 | Higher than $187,200 |
| Merced, CA | Not Released | Not Released | Not Released | Higher than $90 | Higher than $187,200 |
| Kankakee – Bradley, IL | 30 | 0.81 | 0.35 | Higher than $90 | Higher than $187,200 |
| Houma – Bayou Cane – Thibodaux, LA | 80 | 0.76 | 0.33 | Higher than $90 | Higher than $187,200 |
| Florence – Muscle Shoals, AL | 110 | 2.16 | 0.94 | Higher than $90 | Higher than $187,200 |
| Elkhart – Goshen, IN | 80 | 0.64 | 0.28 | Higher than $90 | Higher than $187,200 |
| Eau Claire, WI | 100 | 1.21 | 0.53 | Higher than $90 | Higher than $187,200 |
The nonmetropolitan areas with the highest neurologist employment levels are:
| Nonmetropolitan area | Employment | Employment per thousand jobs | Location quotient | Hourly mean wage | Annual mean wage |
| Southwest Maine | 570 | 2.96 | 1.28 | $107.04 | $222,640 |
| Northeast Florida | 530 | 3.77 | 1.64 | $111.71 | $232,350 |
| North Central West Virginia | 460 | 3.26 | 1.41 | $110.95 | $230,780 |
| Southern West Virginia | 450 | 3.57 | 1.55 | $86.46 | $179,830 |
| South Illinois | 450 | 3.19 | 1.39 | $107.45 | $223,490 |
Finally, the nonmetropolitan areas with the highest neurologist salary are the following:
| Nonmetropolitan area | Employment | Employment per thousand jobs | Location quotient | Hourly mean wage | Annual mean wage |
| Northern Wisconsin | Not Released | Not Released | Not Released | Higher than $90 | Higher than $187,200 |
| Southwest Mississippi | Not Released | Not Released | Not Released | Higher than $90 | Higher than $187,200 |
| South Central Kentucky | 140 | 0.85 | 0.37 | Higher than $90 | Higher than $187,200 |
| Sussex County, Delaware | 130 | 1.74 | 0.75 | Higher than $90 | Higher than $187,200 |
| Southern Indiana | 190 | 1.19 | 0.52 | $124.09 | $258,110 |
Experience
As is the case for all medical specialties, the experience levels for all employees greatly influence the neurologist salary. In fact, twenty years in the business can raise the average salary of a neurologist by more than $50,000.
Not as big a determinant as other factors, experience is still pretty important. So, we’ve compiled an estimated salary path for someone in the profession. Payscale.com placed the average neurologist starting salary at $183,000 per year in 2015. The estimated path is as follows:
- From $183,000 to $200,000 over the first five to ten years on the job;
- Between $200,000 and $221,000 over the first ten to twenty years on the job;
- From $221,000 to $236,000 after more than twenty years of experience.
Industry
Finally, the neurologist salary can be greatly influenced by the industry to which the profession belongs. For example, someone can teach neurology or be a consultant. Meanwhile, someone else can just as well be a chiropractic neurology doctor or a neurologist specialized in clinical trials. They will, of course, get different wages.
The industries with the highest levels of employment for neurologists are the following:
| Industry | Employment | Percent of industry employment | Hourly mean wage | Annual mean wage |
| Physicians’ Offices | 140,920 | 5.74 | $107.49 | $223,580 |
| General Surgical and Medical Hospitals | 97,820 | 1.86 | $69.65 | $144,870 |
| Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) | 31,990 | 1.62 | $95.16 | $197,930 |
| Universities, Colleges, and Professional Schools | 9,840 | 0.33 | $51.33 | $106,760 |
| Outpatient Care Centers | 9,800 | 1.40 | $105.03 | $218,460 |
Last, but certainly not least, the highest neurologist salary can be found in the following industries:
| Industry | Employment | Percent of industry employment | Hourly mean wage | Annual mean wage |
| Dentists’ Offices | 140 | 0.02 | $115.89 | $241,060 |
| Company and Enterprise Management | 450 | 0.02 | $111.91 | $232,770 |
| Diagnostic and Medical Laboratories | 5,070 | 2.03 | $111.07 | $231,040 |
| Physicians’ Offices | 140,920 | 5.74 | $107.49 | $223,580 |
| Computer System Designs and Other Such Services | Not Released | Not Released | $105.39 | $219,200 |
Work Hours
In 2012, the work week for someone with the neurologist salary had somewhere between 25 to 49 patient visits. About 21% of all neurologists had work weeks of 30 hours or less, while 13% worked around 45 hours. Meanwhile, 10% of all neurologists saw work weeks of more than 60 hours.
As with other medical specialties, the neurologist salary and job description go hand-in-hand with the on-call rotation. Shifts are similarly present throughout the profession, as are overtimes. But of course, it all depends on each workplace and employer.
Bonuses and Benefits Packages
Most of the time, the neurologist salary is joined by a number of extra sources of income. They most frequently take the form of bonuses and profit sharing opportunities. Bonuses can range from $0 to $50,000 a year. Profit sharing opportunities, meanwhile, can go as high as $45,000 a year. This can bring the neurologist salary to more than $400,000.
Neurologists also benefit from a wide array of benefits packages. For one, they receive a decent number of sick and paid leave days. About 87% of neurologists get medical insurance, 64% get dental, and 49% get vision. Only 11% receive no insurance whatsoever. Pretty much all neurologists working in hospitals get malpractice insurance.
Job Outlook
The majority of individuals with the neurologist salary and job description are very happy with their jobs. In fact, the rate of employment for the profession will go up 14% by 2024. That is owed to several factors, intrinsically and extrinsically tied to the profession.
Most importantly, the levels of employment are going up thanks to the near-constant medical advances we’ve been making. The constant increase of the elderly population is yet another factor that contributes. The increased prevalence of some neurological conditions is also a factor.
With one of the best-paid jobs in healthcare, neurologists deserve their high wages. The neurologist salary is owed to the function’s many responsibilities, as well as to the occupation’s high education standards. Despite their many responsibilities and work-related stress, most neurologists report very high levels of job satisfaction.
All the tables in this article about the neurologist salary were provided courtesy of the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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