Occupation salary profile

Pediatric Surgeons

SOC 29-1243 BLS OEWS May 2025 H-1B LCAs, last 12 months

Diagnose and perform surgery to treat fetal abnormalities and birth defects, diseases, and injuries in fetuses, premature and newborn infants, children, and adolescents. Includes all pediatric surgical specialties and subspecialties. Excludes “Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons” (29-1022), “Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric” (29-1241), and “Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric” (29-1242).

National median · BLS
$559,030
All U.S. workers
H-1B sponsor median
$360,000
▲ +233.65% YoY · 25 LCAs
Average salary · BLS
$502,050
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
1,190
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 Pediatric Surgeons

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation; H-1B covers 25 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$215,410$84,661
25th$336,380$100,000
Median (50th)$559,030$360,000
75th$583,200$480,000
90th — top pay$726,660$524,000
H-1B sponsors pay a median of $360,000 for Pediatric Surgeons — 35.6% below the BLS national median of $559,030.

Hourly ⇄ annual pay

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

Job outlook for Pediatric Surgeons

BLS projects employment of pediatric surgeons to grow 2% from 2025 to 2035, slower than the 3.5% average for all occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
1,300 → 1,300
+0 jobs
Projected change
+2%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
—
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
Doctoral or professional degree
No related experience required
On-the-job training
Internship/residency
Self-employed
5.2% 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 $360,000
Change vs prior year +233.65%
After inflation (CPI-U) +223.52%
Skills & tools

Skills needed for Pediatric Surgeons

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 pediatric surgeons 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.
  • Consult with patient's other medical care specialists, such as cardiologist and endocrinologist, to determine if surgery is necessary.
  • Describe preoperative and postoperative treatments and procedures, such as sedatives, diets, antibiotics, or preparation and treatment of the patient's operative area, to parents or guardians of the patient.
  • Direct and coordinate activities of nurses, assistants, specialists, residents, and other medical staff.
  • Examine fetuses, infants, children, and adolescents, and diagnose health issues to determine need for intervention, such as surgery.
  • Examine instruments, equipment, and operating room to ensure sterility.
  • Examine patient to obtain information on medical condition and surgical risk.
Also called
General SurgeonPhysicianSurgeonThoracic SurgeonCardiovascular SurgeonHand SurgeonPlastic SurgeonVascular Surgeon
More job titles for this occupation (38)
Brain SurgeonCardiac SurgeonCardiothoracic SurgeonCardiothoracic Surgery PhysicianCardiovascular Surgery PhysicianColon and Rectal SurgeonColorectal SurgeonCosmetic SurgeonDermatologistDoctorEye SurgeonHeart DoctorHeart SurgeonInternal Medicine PhysicianMedical Doctor (MD)Neurological SurgeonNeurosurgeonOphthalmic SurgeonOphthalmologistPediatric HospitalistPediatric NeurosurgeonPediatric Orthopedic SurgeonPediatric SurgeonPediatric Surgery PhysicianPediatric Vascular SurgeonPhysician SurgeonPodiatric Foot and Ankle SpecialistReconstructive SurgeonSpinal SurgeonSurgical EndoscopistSurgical OncologistTransplant SurgeonTransverse Abdominal Muscle Surgeon (TRAM Surgeon)Trauma DoctorTrauma SurgeonUpper Extremity SurgeonUrologic SurgeonUrologist

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.