Internist Salary Guide

According to 2024 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, internal medicine physicians, or internists, make $262,710 in average annual compensation.

Locum tenens internists can upwards of $125 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 $260,000. 

Making direct salary comparisons can be complicated. While perm  internists are more likely to be salaried, locum tenens  internists are independent contractors earning an hourly rate, which can vary based on which assignments they take in a year. 

Furthermore, because locum tenens  internists are paid by the hour, the hours they work are directly reflected in their pay, while a salaried internist’s additional hours may not be reflected in their salary. Finally, paid time off and insurance may be reflected in the perm internists salary structure, but locum tenens providers do have options when it comes to health insurance.

The most recent state breakdown of internist 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, the top 5 highest paying states for internist salary are:

• Hawaii
• Georgia
• Missouri
• South Dakota
• Minnesota

Internists are in the bottom half of the 29 physician specialties surveyed in Medscape’s 2025 “Physician Compensation Report.” The top five specialties (orthopedics & orthopedic surgery, plastic surgery, radiology, cardiology, and gastroenterology) all reported average total pay greater than $500,000.

Internist salaries have increased over the last several years, with a 4% increase in reported pay from 2023 to 2024. A safe estimate is that internists will continue to increase with salaries, meaning that internists will make around $273,218 in annual salary in 2025, although compensation can vary depending on assignment location, experience, and other factors.