Occupation salary profile

Physicians, Pathologists

SOC 29-1222 BLS OEWS May 2025 H-1B LCAs, last 12 months

Diagnose diseases and conduct lab tests using organs, body tissues, and fluids. Includes medical examiners.

National median · BLS
$312,400
All U.S. workers
H-1B sponsor median
$250,046
▲ +0.35% YoY · 192 LCAs
Average salary · BLS
$285,420
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
11,110
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 Physicians, Pathologists

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation; H-1B covers 192 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$92,540$81,716
25th$186,300$207,969
Median (50th)$312,400$250,046
75th$372,780$316,529
90th — top pay$449,970$360,000
H-1B sponsors pay a median of $250,046 for Physicians, Pathologists — 20% below the BLS national median of $312,400.

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

Job outlook for Physicians, Pathologists

BLS projects employment of physicians, pathologists to grow 4.8% from 2025 to 2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations. About 300 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
11,800 → 12,400
+600 jobs
Projected change
+4.8%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
300
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
Doctoral or professional degree
No related experience required
On-the-job training
Internship/residency
Self-employed
3.6% 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 $250,046
Change vs prior year +0.35%
After inflation (CPI-U) -2.7%
Wage level LCAs Share P25 Median P75
Level I 46 24% $81,851 $166,018 $240,000
Level II 58 30.2% $226,300 $267,300 $313,750
Level III 26 13.5% $227,500 $251,472 $319,529
Level IV 22 11.5% $277,670 $326,690 $360,000
H-1B job titles

Salaries by job title in Physicians, Pathologists

The 2 most-filed job titles inside SOC 29-1222, from 192 H-1B filings. Seniority words and level numbers are grouped (“Senior Data Engineer II” counts as Data Engineer). Tap a title for its full range, wage levels and the exact titles employers used.

Job title LCAs Share P25 Median P75 YoY
Pathologist 43 22.4% $256,441 $315,000 $360,000 +8.62%
Assistant Professor 19 9.9% $215,000 $226,300 $247,138 -11.25%

Titles are cleaned from the employer's own LCA text (codes and typos removed, nothing invented). Rows need 10+ filings in this SOC.

Skills & tools

Skills needed for Physicians, Pathologists

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
  • Reading Comprehension4.3
  • Critical Thinking4.1
  • Writing4.1
  • Active Learning4.0
  • Active Listening4.0
  • Complex Problem Solving4.0
  • Science4.0
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.9
  • Speaking3.9
  • Monitoring3.5
Top knowledge areas
  • Medicine and Dentistry4.8
  • Biology4.5
  • English Language4.3
  • Education and Training3.4
  • Customer and Personal Service3.4
  • Chemistry3.2
  • Administration and Management3.1
  • Computers and Electronics3.1
Software and technology used
Microsoft AccessMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft PowerPointSAP softwareAccounts receivables system softwareAnatomic pathology softwareAntek HealthWare LabDAQAspyra CyberLABAspyra CyberPATHBlood Bank Computer Systems Blood Bank Control SystemBlood bank information systemsCerner CoPathPlusCerner Millennium PathNetCerner Millennium PathNet Blood Bank TransfusionCerner Millennium ProFitClinical Information Systems CISLab CPSClinical Software Solutions CLIN1 Suite

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 physicians, pathologists do

  • Examine microscopic samples to identify diseases or other abnormalities.
  • Diagnose diseases or study medical conditions, using techniques such as gross pathology, histology, cytology, cytopathology, clinical chemistry, immunology, flow cytometry, or molecular biology.
  • Write pathology reports summarizing analyses, results, and conclusions.
  • Communicate pathologic findings to surgeons or other physicians.
  • Identify the etiology, pathogenesis, morphological change, and clinical significance of diseases.
  • Read current literature, talk with colleagues, or participate in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of developments in pathology.
  • Consult with physicians about ordering and interpreting tests or providing treatments.
  • Analyze and interpret results from tests, such as microbial or parasite tests, urine analyses, hormonal assays, fine needle aspirations (FNAs), and polymerase chain reactions (PCRs).
Also called
Anatomic PathologistDermatopathologistForensic PathologistPathologistCytopathologistHematopathologistNeuropathologistOral PathologistSurgical Pathologist
More job titles for this occupation (19)
Animal PathologistAutopsy PathologistChemical PathologistClinical PathologistCytologistDO Physician (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine Physician)HistopathologistImmunopathologistMedical PathologistMolecular Genetic PathologistMolecular PathologistOcular PathologistOphthalmic PathologistPathologist PhysicianPathology PhysicianPediatric PathologistPhysicianPoultry PathologistVeterinary Pathologist

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.