Pathologist salary: $55.00/hr$2,200/wk$114,400/yr median.
Pay range $46.50$1,860$96,720–$62.50/hr$2,500/wk$130,000/yr across the middle 50% of active Clinical Physician (MD/DO) postings nationwide.
213 unique employers · 366 cities · 77 states. Pay moved -4.3% over the last 30 days.
How Pathologist pay is distributed.
10% of postings pay under $42.50/hr$1,700/wk$88,400/yr. The top 10% pay above $71.00/hr$2,840/wk$147,680/yr.
How Pathologist pay has moved month over month.
Median pay moved from $58.50 in Nov 2025 to $55.00 in Apr 2026 (-6.0%). Bars show monthly posting volume; the line tracks the posting-weighted median.
| Month | Median /hr/wk/yr | P25–P75 | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 2025 | $58.50$2,340$121,680 | $46.50$1,860$96,720–$65.25$2,610$135,720 | 83 |
| Dec 2025 | $50.50$2,020$105,040 | $44.50$1,780$92,560–$58.50$2,340$121,680 | 117 |
| Jan 2026 | $56.25$2,250$117,000 | $46.50$1,860$96,720–$66.50$2,660$138,320 | 78 |
| Feb 2026 | $52.50$2,100$109,200 | $47.00$1,880$97,760–$61.50$2,460$127,920 | 85 |
| Mar 2026 | $56.75$2,270$118,040 | $45.38$1,815$94,390–$63.50$2,540$132,080 | 192 |
| Apr 2026 | $55.00$2,200$114,400 | $47.38$1,895$98,550–$62.50$2,500$130,000 | 144 |
Pathologist pay across every state with live data.
Showing all 28 states with live data. Bars scale to the highest-paying state.
The metros writing the biggest Pathologist paychecks.
| City | State | Median /hr/wk/yr | P25–P75 | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nj | US · US | $70.50$2,820$146,640 | $70.50$2,820$146,640–$70.50$2,820$146,640 | 15 |
| los angeles | CA · CALIFORNIA | $62.50$2,500$130,000 | $59.75$2,390$124,280–$79.00$3,160$164,320 | 12 |
| tucson | AZ · ARIZONA | $48.50$1,940$100,880 | $46.50$1,860$96,720–$57.50$2,300$119,600 | 13 |
Where the top of the market is paying for Pathologist.
| Employer | Median /hr/wk/yr | Range | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adventist Health | $58.50$2,340$121,680 | $46.50$1,860$96,720–$60.50$2,420$125,840 | 19 |
| Alameda Health System | $69.50$2,780$144,560 | $66.50$2,660$138,320–$76.50$3,060$159,120 | 5 |
| Amedisys | $63.50$2,540$132,080 | $45.00$1,800$93,600–$85.00$3,400$176,800 | 69 |
| Aveanna Healthcare | $65.00$2,600$135,200 | $65.00$2,600$135,200–$65.00$2,600$135,200 | 6 |
| MultiCare Health System | $58.50$2,340$121,680 | $53.50$2,140$111,280–$62.00$2,480$128,960 | 16 |
| Nurse Next Door Home Care Services | $75.00$3,000$156,000 | $32.50$1,300$67,600–$90.00$3,600$187,200 | 17 |
| Nuvance Health | $58.50$2,340$121,680 | $58.50$2,340$121,680–$164.50$6,580$342,160 | 20 |
| Pediatric Developmental Services | $57.50$2,300$119,600 | $51.50$2,060$107,120–$62.50$2,500$130,000 | 15 |
| Summit Home Care | $70.50$2,820$146,640 | $70.50$2,820$146,640–$71.00$2,840$147,680 | 19 |
| Unknown | $56.50$2,260$117,520 | $38.00$1,520$79,040–$85.00$3,400$176,800 | 17 |
Showing all 10 employers with live pay data.
How Pathologist pay shifts by schedule and contract type.
Contract pays the most at $67.75/hr$2,710/wk$140,920/yr median — 33% above PRN at $51.00/hr$2,040/wk$106,080/yr. Fulltime drives the volume with 260 active postings.
How to become a Pathologist.
Physicians diagnose, treat, prescribe, and lead the medical decision-making for patients across every specialty in healthcare. US physicians hold either an MD (Doctor of Medicine) or DO (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine) — the two degrees are equivalent for licensure, residency, and practice. The pathway is the longest in clinical medicine: four years of medical school plus 3-7+ years of residency training before independent practice.
The full US pathway: 4-year bachelor's (with premed prerequisites) → MCAT → 4 years of medical school → USMLE Step 1 (P/F) and Step 2 CK → residency match → 3-7 years of residency → board certification → optional fellowship (1-3 years). Total time from college to independent practice ranges from 11 years (family medicine, internal medicine) to 15+ years (surgical sub-specialties, interventional radiology).
| Degree | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Doctor of MedicineMD | 4 years post-bachelor | Allopathic medical degree. Schools accredited by the LCME. Year 1-2 preclinical, year 3-4 clinical clerkships. USMLE Steps 1-2 taken during med school. |
| Doctor of Osteopathic MedicineDO | 4 years post-bachelor | Osteopathic medical degree. Schools accredited by the COCA. Equivalent clinical training plus osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM). Take USMLE or COMLEX (or both). |
| Combined MD/PhDMD/PhD | 7-8 years | Physician-scientist track. Common in academic-medicine careers. Most US MD/PhD spots are funded MSTP programs. |
| International medical graduate routeIMG | Variable | Foreign-trained physicians pursue ECFMG certification (USMLE Steps 1-2, OET/clinical skills) before applying to US residency through ERAS. |
Required in every state to practice medicine independently. Eligibility requires completing USMLE/COMLEX Steps 1-3, at least one year of accredited residency (usually three), and a background check.
Required to prescribe controlled substances. Standard for any patient-facing role.
Technically optional but required by virtually every hospital and payer to credential. Maintained by completing CME and recertification (MOC/OCC) every 7-10 years.
Set varies by specialty. Hospital medicine and EM typically require BLS + ACLS; pediatrics adds PALS; trauma/EM adds ATLS.
| Credential | Issued by | Pay impact |
|---|---|---|
| ABMS / AOABOS board certification Specialty board certification Taken after residency. Required in practice by virtually all employers and payers. Examples: ABIM (internal medicine), ABEM (EM), ABS (surgery), ABFM (family medicine). | ABMS or AOABOS member board | Effectively required |
| Fellowship sub-specialty certification Subspecialty board certification Completed after a 1-3 year fellowship in a sub-specialty (e.g. cardiology, GI, hem/onc, interventional radiology, surgical sub-specialties). Sub-specialty pay is typically materially higher than the parent specialty. | ABMS member board | +30-100% |
- Year 1 of residencyIntern (PGY-1)
First post-graduate year. Highly supervised inpatient and outpatient rotations. Eligible to take USMLE Step 3 mid-year.
- Years 2-3 (or 2-7 for surgical/long programs)Resident (PGY-2 to PGY-3+)
Progressive clinical autonomy. Chief resident year in some programs. Residency length varies: 3 years (IM, FM, peds), 4 years (EM, OB, anesthesiology), 5+ years (general surgery and surgical sub-specialties).
- 1-3 years post-residencyFellow (optional)
Sub-specialty training in fields like cardiology, GI, ICU, hem/onc, interventional radiology, surgical sub-specialties. Adds materially to lifetime earning potential.
- 0-5 years post-trainingAttending physician (early career)
Independent practicing physician. Often a mix of clinical work, supervising trainees, and (in academic centers) teaching/research.
- 5-12 yearsSenior attending / specialty lead
Owns a clinical service line or sub-specialty within a department. Mentors junior attendings. Common point at which partnership or buy-in happens in private practice.
- 12+ yearsDepartment chair / Chief Medical Officer
Department leadership in academic or community systems. CMOs own clinical strategy, quality, and physician workforce for a hospital or system.
Schedule. Highly specialty-dependent. Outpatient specialties (derm, FM, primary care IM) run business hours. Hospital-based (hospitalists, EM, ICU) work 7-on/7-off or shift work including nights and weekends. Surgical specialties carry call. Procedural specialties (cardiology, GI, IR) split between scheduled procedure days and call.
Physical demands. Cognitively demanding above all. Procedural and surgical specialties add long stretches standing, sterile-field positioning, and lead aprons in fluoroscopy. Call burden is a major lifestyle factor in surgical and hospital-based specialties.
Aggregate physician growth looks modest, but specialty-level demand is uneven. Primary care, psychiatry, hospital medicine, EM, and rural specialties all face persistent shortages. Surgical sub-specialty and procedural roles continue to command the highest pay. AI-augmented diagnostics and APP expansion are reshaping the workload mix but have not reduced demand for trained physicians.
What clinicians ask about Pathologist pay.
What is the average Pathologist salary in 2026?
The median Pathologist salary is $55.00/hr (approximately $114,400/yr) based on 699 active job postings.
What is the pay range for Pathologist?
Hourly pay ranges from $46.50 at the 25th percentile to $62.50 at the 75th percentile, with the top 10% earning above $71.00/hr.
Which state pays Pathologist roles the most?
Alabama currently leads with a median of $50.18/hr across 0 postings.
How many employers are hiring Pathologists?
Our dataset shows 213 unique employers posting Pathologist roles across 77 states.
Where does TrueRounds get Pathologist salary data?
All salary figures are computed from active US healthcare job postings with listed pay ranges, collected over a rolling 180-day window and weighted by posting volume.
Explore other Physician (MD/DO) tracks.
Pathologist sits inside the Clinical track. Here are sibling tracks across Physician (MD/DO) — same category, different clinical focus and pay envelope.
Active US healthcare postings. Weighted by volume. Refreshed daily.
Pay benchmarks are computed from active job postings with listed pay ranges, collected on a rolling 180-day window. Each role's percentiles are weighted by posting volume so a metro with two postings doesn't outweigh a metro with two hundred. Outliers (postings priced more than 4× the role median) are dropped to avoid contract-line distortion.
Use the data, then push back.
Bring these numbers into your next contract conversation. Recruiters know what the market pays — now you do too.