Occupation salary profile

Dermatologists

SOC 29-1213 BLS OEWS May 2025 H-1B LCAs, last 12 months

Diagnose and treat diseases relating to the skin, hair, and nails. May perform both medical and dermatological surgery functions.

National median · BLS
$328,730
All U.S. workers
H-1B sponsor median
$400,000
▲ +33.33% YoY · 20 LCAs
Average salary · BLS
$323,530
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
11,370
Jobs (BLS)
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Enter your pay and a location to see where you stand against BLS and H-1B pay, your estimated take-home pay, and your purchasing power.

Pay range for Dermatologists

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation; H-1B covers 20 certified Labor Condition Applications filed by sponsoring employers in the last 12 months.

Percentile All U.S. workers (BLS) H-1B sponsored
10th — entry pay$102,810$188,557
25th$139,990$259,705
Median (50th)$328,730$400,000
75th$452,450$450,000
90th — top pay$578,560$600,000
H-1B sponsors pay a median of $400,000 for Dermatologists — 21.7% above the BLS national median of $328,730.

Hourly ⇄ annual pay

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Based on hrs/week × weeks/year = 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035

Job outlook for Dermatologists

BLS projects employment of dermatologists to grow 6.8% from 2025 to 2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations. About 400 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
12,200 → 13,000
+800 jobs
Projected change
+6.8%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
400
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
Doctoral or professional degree
No related experience required
On-the-job training
Internship/residency
Self-employed
4% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 5)
Extensive Preparation Needed. Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Fastest-growing jobs → Best-paying jobs that need a doctoral or professional degree →

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035 · BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook →

H-1B sponsored pay

Pay by H-1B wage level

Employers assign every H-1B filing a Department of Labor prevailing-wage level, from Level I (entry) to Level IV (fully competent). Pay rises steeply with level.

H-1B median $400,000
Change vs prior year +33.33%
After inflation (CPI-U) +29.28%
Skills & tools

Skills needed for Dermatologists

How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.

Top skills
  • Critical Thinking4.1
  • Active Listening4.0
  • Service Orientation4.0
  • Reading Comprehension3.9
  • Social Perceptiveness3.9
  • Speaking3.9
  • Active Learning3.8
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.8
  • Science3.6
  • Complex Problem Solving3.5
Top knowledge areas
  • Medicine and Dentistry4.8
  • Customer and Personal Service4.6
  • English Language4.0
  • Administration and Management3.9
  • Education and Training3.8
  • Biology3.7
  • Personnel and Human Resources3.5
  • Psychology3.5
Software and technology used
Cisco WebexeClinicalWorks EHR softwareMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft WordZoomAllscripts PMathenahealth athenaCollectorAutomatic Data Processing AdvancedMD EHRBenchmark Systems Benchmark Clinical EHRBizmatics PrognoCIS EMRCalendar softwareCareCloud CentralCerner PowerWorks Practice Managementdoc2MDEmail softwareEncite Dermatology Electronic Health Records EHR SoftwareEpic Practice Management

Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

About the job

What dermatologists do

  • Conduct complete skin examinations.
  • Diagnose and treat pigmented lesions such as common acquired nevi, congenital nevi, dysplastic nevi, Spitz nevi, blue nevi, or melanoma.
  • Perform incisional biopsies to diagnose melanoma.
  • Perform skin surgery to improve appearance, make early diagnoses, or control diseases such as skin cancer.
  • Counsel patients on topics such as the need for annual dermatologic screenings, sun protection, skin cancer awareness, or skin and lymph node self-examinations.
  • Diagnose and treat skin conditions such as acne, dandruff, athlete's foot, moles, psoriasis, or skin cancer.
  • Record patients' health histories.
  • Recommend diagnostic tests based on patients' histories and physical examination findings.
Also called
Board Certified DermatologistDermatologist PhysicianMD (Medical Doctor)Mohs SurgeonDermatologist MD (Dermatologist Medical Doctor)DermatopathologistDoctorMohs Micrographic SurgeonPediatric DermatologistPracticing Dermatologist
More job titles for this occupation (8)
Clinical DermatologistDermatological SurgeonDermatologistDermatology PhysicianDO Physician (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine Physician)General DermatologistMedical DermatologistProcedural Dermatologist

Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.