By VitalPost Editorial · October 15, 2026
State-by-state neurologist wages from the May 2025 BLS release, in a specialty where subspecialty choice and stroke call shape the paycheck.
Neurology demand keeps climbing — an aging population means more stroke, more dementia, more movement disorders — while the supply of neurologists grows slowly. Wait times for new-patient neurology appointments are among the longest in medicine, and hospitals increasingly pay for dedicated stroke coverage, giving the specialty more compensation leverage than it historically enjoyed.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program (May 2025), neurologists in the United States earn an annual mean wage of $267,630 and an annual median wage of $248,560. The median is the midpoint — half earn more, half earn less — and it is usually the safer "typical" reference because the mean gets pulled around by the highest earners.
The table below breaks the same May 2025 BLS OEWS dataset down by state.
| Rank | State | Annual mean wage |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona | $358,190 |
| 2 | South Carolina | $354,250 |
| 3 | Vermont | $344,860 |
| 4 | Colorado | $336,450 |
| 5 | Alaska | $335,530 |
| 6 | Minnesota | $330,010 |
| 7 | Texas | $325,270 |
| 8 | California | $306,860 |
| 9 | Wisconsin | $305,290 |
| 10 | Indiana | $303,170 |
| 11 | Kentucky | $301,190 |
| 12 | Arkansas | $296,780 |
| 13 | Tennessee | $292,700 |
| 14 | North Carolina | $284,770 |
| 15 | Maryland | $281,640 |
| 16 | District of Columbia | $276,260 |
| 17 | Washington | $274,740 |
| 18 | Connecticut | $274,340 |
| 19 | Nebraska | $266,560 |
| 20 | Illinois | $258,020 |
| 21 | New Jersey | $243,370 |
| 22 | Florida | $241,970 |
| 23 | New York | $204,900 |
| 24 | West Virginia | $131,410 |
Figures are U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS annual mean wages, May 2025 (24 states/territories with published data; BLS suppresses states with samples too small to publish, and those are omitted rather than estimated).
Stroke call and subspecialty set the premium. Neurohospitalist and stroke-call coverage command stipends that clinic-based general neurology doesn't see, while procedure- and infusion-adjacent subspecialties (epilepsy monitoring, EMG, MS infusion practices) carry their own economics. Teleneurology — especially telestroke — adds a growing remote market on top.
Cost of living and real value. High-cost coastal markets often post strong nominal wages that buy less house and childcare than a smaller number in a lower-cost state. Compare offers after adjusting for local costs — our cost-of-living tool does exactly that, state versus state.
Supply, demand, and the rural premium. Hard-to-staff markets pay up. Rural hospitals, critical-access facilities, and fast-growing regions short on specialists routinely add premiums, sign-on bonuses, and loan repayment that never show up in a wage survey.
Setting and employer mix. A state dominated by large health systems prices differently than one with strong independent groups or academic centers. Academic roles often trade cash for protected time; employed positions trade upside for stability.
See who's hiring. Browse open Neurology roles on VitalPost — free for clinicians, and pay is shown on a listing whenever the employer posts it.
Treat the state figures as a well-sourced baseline, not a personal quote.
Mean vs. median. The mean (average) is pulled by the highest and lowest earners; the median better reflects a typical clinician. When the two diverge, anchor on the median and then ask where your experience, setting, and productivity would place you relative to it.
Every setting is blended. Each state figure averages academic centers, community hospitals, outpatient practices, and every experience level into one number. Your subspecialty focus, call burden, and seniority can put you well above or below it.
Wages aren't total compensation. OEWS captures wages and salaries — not sign-on bonuses, productivity (wRVU) upside, call pay, retirement contributions, malpractice coverage, or loan repayment. Two offers with the same base can differ by six figures in real value.
Owners and partners are undercounted. The survey primarily measures W-2 employees. Physicians with partnership distributions or independent-contractor income often out-earn what a wage survey shows. When you negotiate, pair this federal baseline with specialty compensation surveys and real numbers from colleagues — the BLS data tells you the neighborhood; your diligence prices the house.
Browse open roles or create a free, anonymous profile and let employers come to you.
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