Geriatrics Salary
Geriatrics has a modest default median but a distinctive set of upside levers. House call programs, PACE models, and care-management coding can lift income well past a standard clinic base.
Median total cash compensation for a mid-career attending. Source: Medscape 2024 (publicly cited). Treat figures as medians, not targets. Real compensation varies widely by geography, employment model, and experience.
Live anonymous cohort, Geriatrics
We display a live Geriatrics 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 anonymouslyGeriatrics pay by region
Directional regional medians, anchored to the Medscape 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 Geriatrics compensation
- Care-management and chronic care coding, unusually impactful given a complex elderly panel.
- House call and home-based primary care programs that carry favorable economics.
- PACE and value-based models aligned with the population.
- Nursing facility rounding volume.
Model your own number, not the median
Geriatrics reports a median of about 4,600 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
- •Confirm that chronic care and advance care planning codes credit to production, since they are central here.
- •Explore house call or PACE components, which can materially change the income profile.
- •Value the low call burden when comparing against higher-intensity primary care roles.
Geriatrics at a glance
1-year fellowship. House call and PACE programs grow income. Typical setting: outpatient + nursing home rounds.
Frequently asked questions
Can geriatrics earn above its median?
Yes. Care-management coding, house call programs, and PACE models are strong levers given a complex elderly panel, and they can move income well past a standard clinic base.
Why is care-management coding so important in geriatrics?
The population is high-complexity and well-suited to chronic care management and advance care planning, so accurate capture of those services has an outsized effect on wRVUs.
Are house call programs financially attractive?
Home-based primary care and PACE models often carry favorable economics for this population and can reshape the income profile relative to clinic-only work.
Filter every specialty by region with the live cohort tool.
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The codes that actually drive this specialty's wRVUs.
30-year cumulative earnings with regional cost adjustment.
Educational reference, not financial, billing, or legal advice. Published medians are publicly cited from Medscape 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.