How Much Money Do Primary Care Doctors Make?

Primary care doctors are physicians who provide basic medical care to patients; they are the doctors you see most often, the doctors you visit initially before receiving a referral to a specialist. The salary for a primary care doctor is often less than those of surgeons or other specialist doctors.

Salary Data

• The median salary for primary care physicians stood at $186,044 in 2008, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In 2009, the most recent year for which the BLS has data as of 2010, the median salary was $160,530, approximately an 8.6 percent decrease.

Comparison to Other Doctors' Wages

• Doctors in specialties consistently make more than primary care physicians, as pointed out by the Physorg website; this website asserts that some clinicians make as much as 48 percent more. A similar figure is reflected in 2008 data from the BLS. For that year, specialized doctors made a median salary of $339,738, compared to the median salary of $186,044 for general practitioners. Payment reform thus is an issue for primary care doctors.

Geographical Impact

• Wages for primary care doctors are not consistent according to geographical region. For example, Arkansas and Wisconsin both boast primary care wages above $200,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Because doctors tend to work in more urbanized areas where there are clinics and hospitals, wages also are higher in cities than in rural communities.

Private Practices

• If you want to make the highest wages as a primary care physician, you'll have the best chances if you open your own practice. The BLS indicates that those who operate their own business or are partners in private medical facilities earn more than those in general clinics or hospitals.

Salary Range

• The annual salary for the lowest 10th percentile of general practitioners was $82,630 in 2009, according to the BLS. Those in the 90th percentile earned $166,400. Top earners thus earn just over double what the lowest earners make. The median salary is close to the 90th percentile.