Occupation salary profile

Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric

SOC 29-1242 BLS OEWS May 2025 H-1B LCAs, last 12 months

Diagnose and perform surgery to treat and prevent rheumatic and other diseases in the musculoskeletal system. Excludes “Pediatric Surgeons” (29-1243).

National median · BLS
$358,550
All U.S. workers
H-1B sponsor median
$350,000
▼ -10.97% YoY · 35 LCAs
Average salary · BLS
$373,570
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
14,100
Jobs (BLS)
Highest-paying state (cost-adjusted) Loading…
Most jobs Loading…
Highest-paying metro (cost-adjusted) Loading…

Check your salary

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 Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation; H-1B covers 35 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$84,170$81,775
25th$180,610$235,664
Median (50th)$358,550$350,000
75th$530,700$492,206
90th — top pay$659,290$600,000
H-1B sponsors pay a median of $350,000 for Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric — 2.4% below the BLS national median of $358,550.

Hourly ⇄ annual pay

Type in either box; the other updates instantly.

Monthly—
Every 2 weeks—
Weekly—
Daily—
Based on hrs/week × weeks/year = 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035

Job outlook for Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric

BLS projects employment of orthopedic surgeons, except pediatric to grow 4% 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
15,500 → 16,100
+600 jobs
Projected change
+4%
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
5.5% 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 $350,000
Change vs prior year -10.97%
After inflation (CPI-U) -13.67%
Wage level LCAs Share P25 Median P75
Level II 10 28.6% $273,750 $362,500 $444,088
H-1B job titles

Salaries by job title in Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric

The 1 most-filed job titles inside SOC 29-1242, from 35 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
Orthopedic Surgeon 14 40% $260,650 $424,500 $600,000 -15.1%

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 Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric

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.

Software and technology used
Epic SystemsMEDITECH softwareMicrosoft WindowsComputer imaging softwareElectronic medical record EMR softwareHuman resources management system HRMSImage-guided surgery softwareIntegra Radionics NeuroSight ArcMedical laser control softwarePractice management software PMSRobotic surgery softwareThree-dimensional 3D virtual surgery software

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 orthopedic surgeons, except pediatric do

  • Analyze patient's medical history, medication allergies, physical condition, and examination results to verify operation's necessity and to determine best procedure.
  • Conduct research to develop and test surgical techniques that can improve operating procedures and outcomes related to musculoskeletal injuries and diseases.
  • Diagnose bodily disorders and orthopedic conditions, and provide treatments, such as medicines and surgeries, in clinics, hospital wards, or operating rooms.
  • Diagnose or treat disorders of the musculoskeletal system.
  • Direct and coordinate activities of nurses, assistants, specialists, residents, and other medical staff.
  • Examine instruments, equipment, and operating room to ensure sterility.
  • Examine patient to obtain information on medical condition and surgical risk.
  • Follow established surgical techniques during the operation.
Also called
Hand SurgeonOrthopedic SurgeonPhysicianSurgeonGeneral SurgeonOrthopaedic Surgeon
More job titles for this occupation (18)
DoctorFoot and Ankle SurgeonGeneral Orthopedic SurgeonMedical Doctor (MD)Orthopedic Hand SurgeonOrthopedic PhysicianOrthopedic Spine SurgeonOrthopedic Surgery PhysicianOrthopedic Trauma SurgeonPhysician SurgeonPodiatric Foot and Ankle SpecialistSpinal SurgeonSurgical EndoscopistTotal Joint Orthopedic SurgeonTransverse Abdominal Muscle Surgeon (TRAM Surgeon)Trauma DoctorTrauma SurgeonUpper Extremity Surgeon

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.