Neurologist Salary, Subspecialty Rates, and Locum Income

What Is the Average Neurologist Salary?

Most neurologists earn between $286,000 and $363,000 annually, with some compensation models pushing above $400,000.

That range is driven less by the specialty itself and more by practice setting, coverage type, and compensation structure.

National Salary Benchmarks

Why Neurologist Salaries Vary

Not all salary data measures the same thing. BLS reports employer-paid wages and excludes self-employed physicians, while AAN and Doximity capture physician-reported compensation that includes higher-paying hospital and group settings. Smaller self-reported datasets, like SalaryDr, tend to skew even higher. The result is a range, not a single definitive number.

The gap between BLS and physician-reported benchmarks largely comes down to practice setting and compensation structure. Academic and government roles pull averages lower, while hospital-based and inpatient-focused neurologists consistently earn more.

Neurologist Hourly Rates

Hourly rate comparisons are useful for evaluating locum opportunities against employed positions.

Hourly Pay Breakdown

Sources: BLS OES May 2024, ZipRecruiter (as of March 2026), Salary.com (as of April 2026)

Neurology Subspecialization Paths That Influence Compensation

Subspecialization in neurology changes the income profile, but not always upward. The AAN 2025 Compensation Report (2024 practice data) breaks out median compensation by subspecialty:

Salary by Practice Setting

Practice setting matters as much as subspecialty choice. The AAN 2025 report breaks out median compensation by practice setting:

Compensation by Practice Setting

Source: AAN 2025 Neurology Compensation and Productivity Report (2024 practice data)

Where Neurologists Earn More

The highest-paying neurology markets consistently cluster in smaller and mid-sized states where demand exceeds local supply. Indiana, New Mexico, and Colorado all report compensation levels well above national benchmarks, while many large coastal states fall below them despite higher costs of living.

Highest-Paying States

Lowest-Paying States

Source: BLS OES May 2024, State-Level Cross-Industry, SOC 29-1217

Neurology Workforce Trends

Demand continues rising as neurological disease burden grows alongside an aging population. While national workforce projections vary between balanced supply and moderate shortage scenarios, the local picture is much tighter, particularly in rural and underserved markets.

Starting salaries remain strong, and hospitals continue using signing bonuses and locum coverage to maintain access.

Neurology Locum Tenens Income Potential

Locum neurology gives physicians control over schedule, geography, and workload.

Locum rates range from $143 to $250+ per hour depending on demand, geography, and assignment urgency. Job-posting aggregators report averages in the $143 to $162 range, while practitioner interviews and staffing guides report $250 or more per hour for inpatient and weekend coverage.

There is no single society standard for neurology clinical workload that maps cleanly to shift-based scheduling. The scenarios below use representative scheduling assumptions grounded in the available rate data.

To exceed $450K:

• Focus on inpatient and stroke coverage
• Work weekends and urgent coverage blocks
• Target underserved markets

What 1099 Physicians Actually Take Home

A higher locum rate creates more than just additional income potential. 1099 psychiatrists gain flexibility in how income, taxes, and workload are structured over time.

While independent physicians manage their own benefits, retirement planning, and taxes, they also gain access to advantages unavailable in most employed models, including business deductions, larger retirement contribution limits, the Qualified Business Income deduction, and S-corp tax optimization at higher income levels.

For many psychiatrists, the larger shift is control. Schedule, patient mix, geography, and workload become variables they can actively design around their career goals.

Most physicians do not optimize this alone. Barton partners with Earned, a wealth and tax firm built specifically for doctors, to give locum clinicians entity formation, tax planning, and long-term financial strategy designed around how physicians earn.

Neurology Career Trajectory

The AAN practice setting data shows a clear compensation ladder from early career through established practice:

• Early career / academic: $277,288 median (academic medical center, the most common early-career setting)
• Mid-career / group practice: $315,489 to $350,000 median (neurology group or multispecialty group)
• Established / hospital-based: $362,500 median (hospital-based group, the highest-paying AAN setting)

The financial case for subspecialization is less about immediate compensation and more about long-term positioning in growing demand areas. Locum work offers a parallel trajectory: neurologists who build a locum practice in mid-career can exceed the hospital-based median while maintaining schedule control.

Choosing a Locum Tenens Partner You Can Trust

Smaller agencies often introduce friction through credentialing delays, licensing gaps, unclear malpractice coverage, and payment issues.

Barton differentiates through:

• Clinical leadership built by practicing physicians. A Chief Medical Officer ensures clinical context throughout the process.
• Financial strategy built for physicians. Through Earned, Barton supports tax planning and long-term financial optimization.
• Continuous learning integrated into the work. Reflective-practice CME tied to real clinical experience.