Family Medicine Salary
Family medicine has the broadest scope in outpatient care, and that scope is the lever. Procedures, obstetrics, pediatrics, and rural or concierge models widen the comp band well beyond the employed-clinic median.
Median total cash compensation for a mid-career attending. Source: Doximity 2024 (publicly cited). Treat figures as medians, not targets. Real compensation varies widely by geography, employment model, and experience.
Live anonymous cohort, Family Medicine
We display a live Family Medicine cohort once at least 10 attendings have submitted in the last 24 months. Until then, the published benchmark and regional table below are your reference. Be one of the first to seed it.
Submit your comp anonymouslyFamily Medicine pay by region
Directional regional medians, anchored to the Doximity 2024 national figure and US Census region adjustments. The South and Midwest pay more in absolute dollars because physician supply is lower and demand is higher; the Northeast runs lower with a higher cost of living.
| Region | Median total comp | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| National median | $250,000 | Doximity 2024 / Medscape 2024 nationwide median. |
| South | $275,000 | Highest absolute compensation. Houston, Jacksonville, Charlotte, Atlanta lead. |
| Midwest | $270,000 | Indianapolis and St. Louis often top Doximity median tables. |
| West | $255,000 | Wide spread. California pays well but is offset by cost of living. |
| Northeast | $242,500 | Lower in absolute terms (high supply of physicians) and higher cost of living. |
Regional figures are modeled adjustments to the national median, not separately surveyed values. Use them for direction, not as an offer benchmark.
What drives Family Medicine compensation
- Breadth of practice. Adding procedures, OB, or inpatient work meaningfully shifts the wRVU profile.
- Rural and underserved settings, where loan repayment and recruitment incentives often beat metro bases.
- Direct primary care and concierge panels, which decouple income from fee-for-service entirely.
- The same productivity mechanics as internal medicine: conversion rate, threshold, and capture quality.
Model your own number, not the median
Family Medicine reports a median of about 4,800 wRVUs a year. Your take-home is that volume times your contract rate, above your threshold. Plug your real visit mix into the calculator and see the bonus your specific offer produces, then negotiate against it.
Negotiation levers at offer time
- •Price your full scope. If you do procedures or OB, make the offer reflect that wRVU mix, not a generic clinic average.
- •Compare loan repayment and sign-on as part of total compensation, not separate perks.
- •If you are weighing direct primary care, model panel size and membership price against the employed bonus before deciding.
Family Medicine at a glance
Broadest scope. Many rural and concierge opportunities. Typical setting: outpatient, mixed peds/adult.
Frequently asked questions
Why is family medicine compensation so variable?
Scope. Two family physicians can earn very differently depending on whether they add procedures, obstetrics, inpatient work, or a concierge model. The employed-clinic median understates the upper end.
Do rural family medicine jobs pay more?
Often yes in effective terms once loan repayment, sign-on, and lower cost of living are included, even when the headline base looks similar to a metro role.
Is direct primary care financially competitive?
It can be once a panel fills, because membership revenue is predictable and overhead is leaner, but it carries ramp risk that an employed bonus does not.
Educational reference, not financial, billing, or legal advice. Published medians are publicly cited from Doximity 2024. The live cohort is self-reported and anonymized; individual rows are never exposed and a cohort is shown only at a minimum size. Verify any number against your own contract and market before acting on it.