Pediatric Surgeons
Pediatric Surgeons (SOC 29-1243) earn a median $559,030 a year ($268.76 an hour) in the United States, with 1,190 employed as of May 2025; the highest-paying state is Ohio.
What pediatric surgeons do
Pediatric surgeons diagnose and perform surgery to treat fetal abnormalities and birth defects, diseases and injuries in fetuses, premature and newborn infants, children and adolescents. The SOC counts every pediatric surgical specialty and subspecialty in this code, so a surgeon who operates on children is classed here rather than with the adult specialty. The exceptions are oral and maxillofacial surgeons, non-pediatric ophthalmologists and non-pediatric orthopedic surgeons, who have codes of their own and are excluded. The packet lists no task list or education data, so the day-to-day description stays general: evaluating a young patient, deciding whether an operation is called for, performing it, and managing recovery with the child's family and the other physicians involved. O*NET alternate titles range across cardiac, cardiothoracic, cardiovascular, colon and rectal, colorectal and cosmetic surgery, and include brain surgeon and eye surgeon, which indicates how many body systems the code covers. General pediatricians, who care for children without operating, are counted in a different code.
Also called: Brain Surgeon, Cardiac Surgeon, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Cardiovascular Surgeon, Colon and Rectal Surgeon.
National wage percentiles, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| United States | Hourly | $103.56 | $161.72 | $268.76 | $280.38 | $349.35 | $241.37 | 1,190 |
| Annual | $215,410 | $336,380 | $559,030 | $583,200 | $726,660 | $502,050 | ||
Employment per 1,000 jobs and the location quotient are area measures; they appear in the state and metro tables below. To see what a wage in this range leaves after tax, use FastCalc's take-home pay calculator.
Where pediatric surgeons earn and work most
Five highest-paying states
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Ohio | Hourly | $86.62 | $110.85 | $234.69 | $271.29 | $271.29 | $190.00 | ** | ** | ** |
| Annual | $180,170 | $230,560 | $488,160 | $564,270 | $564,270 | $395,190 | ||||
| New York | Hourly | $107.83 | $141.08 | $181.79 | $282.79 | $282.79 | $208.38 | 90 | 0.01 | 1.18 |
| Annual | $224,280 | $293,440 | $378,110 | $588,210 | $588,210 | $433,430 | ||||
| New Jersey | Hourly | $70.08 | $118.89 | $138.91 | $138.98 | $235.96 | $134.63 | ** | ** | ** |
| Annual | $145,760 | $247,280 | $288,930 | $289,090 | $490,790 | $280,020 | ||||
Five states with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Texas | Hourly | # | # | # | # | # | # | 300 | 0.02 | 2.82 |
| Annual | # | # | # | # | # | # | ||||
| New York | Hourly | $107.83 | $141.08 | $181.79 | $282.79 | $282.79 | $208.38 | 90 | 0.01 | 1.18 |
| Annual | $224,280 | $293,440 | $378,110 | $588,210 | $588,210 | $433,430 | ||||
Five highest-paying metropolitan areas
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | Hourly | $70.08 | $138.89 | $141.08 | $279.53 | $282.79 | $186.69 | 110 | 0.01 | 1.49 |
| Annual | $145,760 | $288,880 | $293,440 | $581,420 | $588,210 | $388,320 | ||||
Five metropolitan areas with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | Hourly | $70.08 | $138.89 | $141.08 | $279.53 | $282.79 | $186.69 | 110 | 0.01 | 1.49 |
| Annual | $145,760 | $288,880 | $293,440 | $581,420 | $588,210 | $388,320 | ||||
Top industries employing pediatric surgeons
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals employ 30.3% of pediatric surgeons nationally (360 jobs) at a median $565,720 a year ($271.98 an hour), followed by Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (8.4%) and Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals (4.2%).
| Industry | Employment | Share of occupation | Median annual | Median hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals NAICS 622100 | 360 | 30.3% | $565,720 | $271.98 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools NAICS 611300 | 100 | 8.4% | $223,880 | $107.64 |
| Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals NAICS 622300 | 50 | 4.2% | $583,320 | $280.44 |
Share is the industry's employment over the occupation's national employment (1,190). Industries whose employment BLS withheld are not ranked.
Every state, by median wage
4 states and DC publish a row for this occupation. A linked state has its own page with the within-state metro table and comparison; the others appear here only.
| Rank | State | Median hourly | Median annual | 10th pct (annual) | 90th pct (annual) | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ohio profile | $234.69 | $488,160 | $180,170 | $564,270 | ** | ** | ** |
| 2 | New York profile | $181.79 | $378,110 | $224,280 | $588,210 | 90 | 0.01 | 1.18 |
| 3 | New Jersey profile | $138.91 | $288,930 | $145,760 | $490,790 | ** | ** | ** |
| – | Texas profile | # | # | # | # | 300 | 0.02 | 2.82 |
Related occupations
Occupations in the same SOC broad group (29-1240), with their national median annual wage.
Part of Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations. Compare any area in the wage explorer.
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS 29-1243 Pediatric Surgeons.
#- Equal to or greater than the top code (BLS publishes no wage above it).
**- Employment estimate not available.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.
- Top industries: nat4d_M2025_dl.xlsx in oesm25in4.zip (BLS OEWS May 2025, national, 4-digit NAICS, cross-ownership). Employment is the industry's rounded total for this occupation; industries whose employment BLS withheld (**) are not ranked.
Sources
- BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018, definition of 29-1243, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- O*NET 30.1 Database, 29-1243.00, National Center for O*NET Development, USDOL/ETA (CC BY 4.0).
- OEWS May 2025 national industry-specific estimates, 4-digit NAICS (oesm25in4.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
Includes information from O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, used under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Description written 2026-10-17 in our own words from the sources above.