Physician vs chiropractor, sole practitioner

The differences between physicians and chiropractors, sole practitioner can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a physician, becoming a chiropractor, sole practitioner takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a physician has an average salary of $238,887, which is higher than the $96,749 average annual salary of a chiropractor, sole practitioner.

The top three skills for a physician include patients, surgery and patient care. The most important skills for a chiropractor, sole practitioner are litigation, real estate transactions, and probate.

Physician vs chiropractor, sole practitioner overview

	Physician	Chiropractor, Sole Practitioner
Yearly salary	$238,887	$96,749
Hourly rate	$114.85	$46.51
Growth rate	7%	40%
Number of jobs	46,489	23,120
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Doctoral Degree, 50%
Average age	48	43
Years of experience	4	2

Physician vs chiropractor, sole practitioner salary

Physicians and chiropractors, sole practitioner have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Physician	Chiropractor, Sole Practitioner
Average salary	$238,887	$96,749
Salary range	Between $128,000 And $442,000	Between $54,000 And $170,000
Highest paying City	Cleveland, TN	-
Highest paying state	Wisconsin	-
Best paying company	Yuma Regional Medical Center	-
Best paying industry	Health Care	-

Differences between physician and chiropractor, sole practitioner education

There are a few differences between a physician and a chiropractor, sole practitioner in terms of educational background:

	Physician	Chiropractor, Sole Practitioner
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Doctoral Degree, 50%
Most common major	Medicine	Law
Most common college	Duke University	Stanford University

Physician vs chiropractor, sole practitioner demographics

Here are the differences between physicians' and chiropractors, sole practitioner' demographics:

	Physician	Chiropractor, Sole Practitioner
Average age	48	43
Gender ratio	Male, 39.0% Female, 61.0%	Male, 63.2% Female, 36.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.7% Asian, 19.1% White, 61.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 6.7% Asian, 6.3% White, 77.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	13%	12%

Differences between physician and chiropractor, sole practitioner duties and responsibilities

Physician example responsibilities.

Manage catheters and dress wounds.
Maintain ACLS and BLS certifications.
Treat complicated oncology cases in ICU and emergency.
Schedule new, follow-up and diagnostic testing for cardiology patients.
Attend radiation oncology clinic for new patients beginning treatment as well as follow-ups for returning patients.
Schedule tests and procedures (including radiology, cardiology, and respiratory) utilizing the hospital and clinic computer systems.

Chiropractor, sole practitioner example responsibilities.

Participate in arbitration and mediation efforts.
Provide consultation and advice to agency regarding human resource matters and assist with civil service appeals.
Litigate cases involving complex federal governmental statutory benefits programs such as ERISA and Medicare.

Physician vs chiropractor, sole practitioner skills

Common physician skills

Patients, 22%
Surgery, 8%
Patient Care, 7%
Internal Medicine, 6%
Primary Care, 6%
EMR, 6%

Common chiropractor, sole practitioner skills

Litigation, 18%
Real Estate Transactions, 9%
Probate, 5%
Bench Trials, 5%
Financial Statements, 4%
Estate Planning, 3%

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Physician vs Chiropractor, Sole Practitioner

Updated January 8, 2025

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