Locum Physician Compensation in Massachusetts
Survey benchmarks by specialty and facility setting.
Massachusetts — Benchmark Rates by Specialty
Median hourly rates in $/hr. Region: Northeast.
| Specialty | Urban Hospital — MedianUrban Median | Rural / Critical Access — MedianRural Median |
|---|---|---|
| Anesthesiology | $325/hr | $375/hr |
| Cardiology | $307/hr | $267/hr |
| Dermatology | $317/hr | $276/hr |
| Emergency Medicine | $251/hr | $272/hr |
| Family Medicine | $143/hr | $165/hr |
| Gastroenterology | $355/hr | $371/hr |
| General Surgery | $341/hr | $296/hr |
| Hematology-Oncology | $347/hr | $363/hr |
| Hospitalist | $176/hr | $203/hr |
| Internal Medicine | $146/hr | $165/hr |
| Neonatology | $198/hr | $236/hr |
| Neurology | $253/hr | $279/hr |
| Obstetrics & Gynecology | $287/hr | $324/hr |
| Orthopedic Surgery | $433/hr | $377/hr |
| Otolaryngology (ENT) | $349/hr | $366/hr |
| Pain Management | $343/hr | $358/hr |
| Pathology | $363/hr | $316/hr |
| Pediatrics | $156/hr | $172/hr |
| Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation | $184/hr | $192/hr |
| Psychiatry | $203/hr | $251/hr |
| Radiology | $412/hr | $358/hr |
| Urology | $332/hr | $347/hr |
Highest-Paying Specialties in Massachusetts
Urban median hourly rate
| Specialty | Urban Median |
|---|---|
| Radiology | $406/hr |
| Orthopedic Surgery | $396/hr |
| Pathology | $396/hr |
| Urology | $369/hr |
| General Surgery | $345/hr |
Massachusetts Market Overview
State income tax: 5% top marginal rate.
Massachusetts is home to some of the world's most prestigious academic medical centers — Mass General Brigham, Beth Israel Deaconess, and Boston Children's Hospital — anchoring one of the highest physician concentrations in the US. Despite this, community hospitals throughout the state and rural western Massachusetts (Berkshire County and the Pioneer Valley) regularly recruit locum physicians for coverage gaps. Massachusetts has a high cost of living and the nation's first near-universal insurance coverage, both of which support above-average locum rates.
Licensing: Massachusetts does not participate in the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (IMLC). A separate Massachusetts medical license is required to practice in the state.