Emergency Medicine Physician / ER Doctor Salary Guide

How Much Do ER Doctors Make?

The average annual ER Doctor salary is $316,000 per year in the US, according to the United States Bureau of Labor report. However, emergency medicine physicians make a total of $352,000 per year, according to Medscape’s 2023 physician compensation report.  The report, which surveys 10,000 physicians across 29 specialties, also accounts for bonuses and incentives. ER doctors reported an average of $37,000 in incentive bonuses in the last year.

ER doctors are one of the few physicians to report a slight year-over-year decrease in total income, down 6% from the $373,000 they reported earning in 2022. 

How Much Do Locum Tenens ER Doctors Make?

Locum tenens emergency medicine physicians can make upwards of $200 per hour on average, however, there are many factors that impact rates including location, years of experience, and the level of demand.

If you were to extrapolate that rate over a year (at 40 hours per week), the average locum salary comes out to $416,000. 

That means locum tenens physicians can make up to 18% more than their perm counterparts.

However, making direct salary comparisons can be complicated. While perm ER doctors are more likely to be salaried, locum tenens ER doctors are independent contractors earning an hourly rate, which can vary based on which assignments they take in a year. 

Furthermore, because locum tenens ER doctors are paid by the hour, the hours they work are directly reflected in their pay, while a salaried ER doctor’s additional hours may not be reflected in their salary.

Finally, paid time off and insurance may be reflected in the perm ER doctor’s salary structure, but locum tenens providers do have options when it comes to health insurance. 

ER Doctor Salary by State

 The most recent state breakdown of ER doctor salary comes from the US Bureau of Labor, though the BLS was not able to collect enough data for all 50 states. That said, the top 5 highest paying states for ER doctor salary are:

• Minnesota (ER Doctor Salary of $336,000 – $382,000)
• Utah (ER Doctor Salary of $336,000 – $382,000)
• Ohio (ER Doctor Salary of $336,000 – $382,000)
• Pennsylvania (ER Doctor Salary of $336,000 – $382,000)
• Florida (ER Doctor Salary of $336,000 – $382,000)
• Kentucky (ER Doctor Salary of $336,000 – $382,000)

How Do ER Doctor Salaries Compare Against Other Physician Specialties?

ER Doctors are exactly in the middle of  the 30+ physician specialties surveyed in the Medscape 2023 compensation report. The top five specialties (plastic surgery, orthopedics, cardiology, urology, gastroenterology) all reported annual income of greater than $500,000.

How Much Will ER Doctors Make in 2024?

Emergency medicine salaries have been fairly steady over the last several years, with only a 15% increase in reported salary since 2015. In 2023, ER salary decreased 6% from the previous year. A safe estimate is that ER doctors will make close to what they did in 2023, meaning that ER Doctors will make around $320,000 in annual salary in 2024.