Anesthesiologist Salary Guide

The average annual anesthesiologist salary is $302,970 per year in the U.S., according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. That being said, anesthesiologists make a total of $405,000 per year, according to Medscape’s 2023 physician compensation report.

Locum tenens anesthesiologists can make upwards of $263 per hour on average, however, there are many factors that impact rates including location, years of experience, and the level of demand.

If you were to extrapolate that rate over a year (at 40 hours per week), the average locum salary comes out to around $547,040. 

That means locum tenens anesthesiologists can make up to 35% more than the average provider. However, making direct salary comparisons can be complicated. While perm anesthesiologists are more likely to be salaried, locum tenens anesthesiologists are independent contractors earning an hourly rate, which can vary based on which assignments they take in a year. 

Furthermore, because locum tenens anesthesiologists are paid by the hour, the hours they work are directly reflected in their pay, while a salaried anesthesiologist additional hours may not be reflected in their salary.

Finally, paid time off and insurance may be reflected in the perm anesthesiologist salary structure, but locum tenens providers do have options when it comes to health insurance. 

The most recent state breakdown of anesthesiologist salaries comes from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, though the BLS was not able to collect enough data for all 50 states. That said, some of the top 5 highest paying states for Anesthesiologists salary are:

• Alaska
• Arkansas
• Delaware
• Georgia
• Maryland

Anesthesiologists are among the top ten physician specialties surveyed in the Medscape 2023 compensation report. The top five specialties (plastic surgery, orthopedics, cardiology, urology, gastroenterology) all reported annual income of greater than $500,000.

Anesthesiologists salaries have increased over the last several years, with a 25% increase in reported salary since 2015.  An estimate is that anesthesiologists will slightly increase their salaries each year, meaning that anesthesiologists will make around $415,935 in annual salary in 2024.