Primary Care Doctor Pay Hits $330,000 But Increase Lags U.S. Inflation

InnovationHealthcarePrimary Care Doctor Pay Hits $330,000 But Increase Lags U.S. InflationByBruce Japsen,Senior Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Bruce Japsen writes about healthcare business and policy.Follow AuthorJun 10, 2026, 08:00am EDTPrimary care physician compensation reached nearly $330,000 last year but “increases generally trailed the cost of living,” a new report from the Medical Group Management Association released June 10, 2026 shows.gettyPrimary care physician compensation reached nearly $330,000 last year but “increases generally trailed the cost of living,” a new report on doctor pay shows.A new report by the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) shows median primary care physician compensation rose 2.23% to $329,543 in 2025 compared to $322,343 in 2024. That compensation growth was about the same as surgical specialist compensation that rose 2.9% to $601,973 from $584,998. Nonsurgical specialist compensation rose only 1.79% to $461,647 last year compared to $453,515.The MGMA’s 2026 Provider Compensation and Productivity Data report comes amid an ongoing doctor shortage and need for primary care physicians, in particular. The Association of American Medical Colleges projects a U.S. physician shortage of up to 86,000 by 2036. “Compensation continued to rise across all three physician groupings in 2025, but the pace slowed,” the report, which draws on 2025 data from more than 245,900 physicians and advanced practice providers nationwide, said.“On a one-year basis, increases generally trailed the cost of living — only surgical specialists kept pace with the 2.7% rise in (the consumer price index),” the MGMA report said. “Over five years, surgical specialists essentially matched the 16.4% cumulative increase in consumer prices, primary care physicians trailed slightly, and nonsurgical specialists lagged more meaningfully. Nominal pay is still climbing; real pay is closer to flat.”MGMA said the repor...