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Best states for a staff physician

Quoted expert
Julie Aultman Ph.D.
  • Rank 1 - 10
  • 11 - 20
  • 21 - 30
  • 31 - 40
  • 41 - 51
It seems like staff physicians are becoming more and more common across America. But working conditions and demand for staff physicians aren't the same everywhere in the U.S. Turns out, the median salary for the highest 10% of staff physicians in America is $344,000.
In order to get you the best states for staff physicians, we looked at our data on jobs and wages -- specifically the average annual wage and the number of available jobs per capita.If you are currently seeking employment as a staff physician, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.

10 best states for staff physicians in 2026

  1. Wisconsin #1 best state for staff physicians

    1. Wisconsin

    Total staff physician jobs:1,039
    Average annual salary:$199,359
    Lowest 10 percent earn:$143,000
    Highest 10 percent earn:$276,000
    Location Quotient:
    1.53
  2. North Dakota #2 best state for staff physicians

    2. North Dakota

    Total staff physician jobs:118
    Average annual salary:$209,204
    Lowest 10 percent earn:$154,000
    Highest 10 percent earn:$283,000
    Location Quotient:
    1.03
  3. Minnesota #3 best state for staff physicians

    3. Minnesota

    Total staff physician jobs:825
    Average annual salary:$206,338
    Lowest 10 percent earn:$151,000
    Highest 10 percent earn:$281,000
    Location Quotient:
    1.01
  4. Vermont #4 best state for staff physicians

    4. Vermont

    Total staff physician jobs:144
    Average annual salary:$198,764
    Lowest 10 percent earn:$147,000
    Highest 10 percent earn:$268,000
    Location Quotient:
    1.52
  5. Maine #5 best state for staff physicians

    5. Maine

    Total staff physician jobs:295
    Average annual salary:$196,572
    Lowest 10 percent earn:$145,000
    Highest 10 percent earn:$265,000
    Location Quotient:
    1.81
  6. Wyoming #6 best state for staff physicians

    6. Wyoming

    Total staff physician jobs:69
    Average annual salary:$201,223
    Lowest 10 percent earn:$144,000
    Highest 10 percent earn:$280,000
    Location Quotient:
    0.94
  7. South Dakota #7 best state for staff physicians

    7. South Dakota

    Total staff physician jobs:147
    Average annual salary:$191,695
    Lowest 10 percent earn:$134,000
    Highest 10 percent earn:$272,000
    Location Quotient:
    1.12
  8. Washington #8 best state for staff physicians

    8. Washington

    Total staff physician jobs:1,139
    Average annual salary:$202,154
    Lowest 10 percent earn:$146,000
    Highest 10 percent earn:$279,000
    Location Quotient:
    1.27
  9. New Hampshire #9 best state for staff physicians

    9. New Hampshire

    Total staff physician jobs:281
    Average annual salary:$196,980
    Lowest 10 percent earn:$145,000
    Highest 10 percent earn:$266,000
    Location Quotient:
    1.3
  10. Indiana #10 best state for staff physicians

    10. Indiana

    Total staff physician jobs:841
    Average annual salary:$192,301
    Lowest 10 percent earn:$136,000
    Highest 10 percent earn:$271,000
    Location Quotient:
    1.04

Staff physician jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a staff physician

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for a staff physician

RankStateAverage salaryLowest 10% earnPopulationJob count
1Wisconsin$199,359$143,0005,795,4831,039
2North Dakota$209,204$154,000755,393118
3Minnesota$206,338$151,0005,576,606825
4Vermont$198,764$147,000623,657144
5Maine$196,572$145,0001,335,907295
6Wyoming$201,223$144,000579,31569
7South Dakota$191,695$134,000869,666147
8Washington$202,154$146,0007,405,7431,139
9New Hampshire$196,980$145,0001,342,795281
10Indiana$192,301$136,0006,666,818841
11Nevada$190,625$133,0002,998,039328
12Alaska$194,684$137,000739,795125
13Michigan$197,528$142,0009,962,311807
14New York$196,244$143,00019,849,3992,180
15Louisiana$190,356$133,0004,684,333400
16Idaho$198,101$141,0001,716,943151
17Mississippi$194,909$138,0002,984,100158
18Texas$188,006$131,00028,304,5962,522
19Alabama$184,294$127,0004,874,747565
20Delaware$199,902$146,000961,939109
21Oklahoma$185,452$128,0003,930,864357
22Ohio$188,561$133,00011,658,6091,018
23Iowa$186,526$129,0003,145,711392
24Montana$182,685$125,0001,050,493187
25Connecticut$186,221$133,0003,588,184554
26Arizona$181,471$124,0007,016,270992
27West Virginia$179,468$124,0001,815,857186
28Kansas$183,512$126,0002,913,123300
29Kentucky$182,129$125,0004,454,189378
30Utah$183,237$125,0003,101,833320
31Illinois$179,509$123,00012,802,0231,630
32Colorado$183,446$126,0005,607,154693
33Oregon$180,016$123,0004,142,776622
34Massachusetts$179,777$128,0006,859,8191,405
35Pennsylvania$169,000$116,00012,805,5372,031
36Florida$176,190$120,00020,984,4002,046
37New Jersey$181,998$129,0009,005,644954
38New Mexico$167,757$111,0002,088,070348
39Maryland$180,796$127,0006,052,177773
40South Carolina$175,034$119,0005,024,369544
41Missouri$178,680$121,0006,113,532648
42Tennessee$172,231$115,0006,715,984658
43Arkansas$170,756$114,0003,004,279297
44California$183,803$127,00039,536,6531,607
45Rhode Island$169,350$118,0001,059,639156
46Hawaii$153,388$96,0001,427,538157
47Georgia$170,060$114,00010,429,3791,272
48District of Columbia$177,847$124,000693,972192
49North Carolina$169,753$115,00010,273,4191,011
50Nebraska$168,234$111,0001,920,076205
51Virginia$172,089$118,0008,470,0201,005

Highest paying states for staff physicians

RankStateAvg. Staff Physician Salary
1Wisconsin$199,359
2North Dakota$209,204
3Minnesota$206,338
4Vermont$198,764
5Maine$196,572
6Wyoming$201,223
7South Dakota$191,695
8Washington$202,154
9New Hampshire$196,980
10Indiana$192,301
11Nevada$190,625
12Alaska$194,684
13Michigan$197,528
14New York$196,244
15Louisiana$190,356
16Idaho$198,101
17Mississippi$194,909
18Texas$188,006
19Alabama$184,294
20Delaware$199,902
21Oklahoma$185,452
22Ohio$188,561
23Iowa$186,526
24Montana$182,685
25Connecticut$186,221
26Arizona$181,471
27West Virginia$179,468
28Kansas$183,512
29Kentucky$182,129
30Utah$183,237
31Illinois$179,509
32Colorado$183,446
33Oregon$180,016
34Massachusetts$179,777
35Pennsylvania$169,000
36Florida$176,190
37New Jersey$181,998
38New Mexico$167,757
39Maryland$180,796
40South Carolina$175,034
41Missouri$178,680
42Tennessee$172,231
43Arkansas$170,756
44California$183,803
45Rhode Island$169,350
46Hawaii$153,388
47Georgia$170,060
48District of Columbia$177,847
49North Carolina$169,753
50Nebraska$168,234
51Virginia$172,089

Expert opinions on the best states for staff physicians

  • Are there any particularly good places in the United States for staff physicians to find work opportunities?

    Julie Aultman Ph.D.Julie Aultman Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

    Professor of Family and Community Medicine, Northeast Ohio Medical University

    We need this future workforce to be innovative, to make important changes - from environmental and global warming initiatives (bioethicists who have a passion for environmental ethics) to being researchers and advocates for patients and others who might fall victim to the negative impact of the pandemic (clinical ethics, health humanities scholars). The transition to work will be slow, as the revitalization of our national economy, but there will be work.

    We need these future minds more than anything right now. But again, mentors are going to be essential for helping these graduates get to that next phase in their lives. I am fully confident my dual-enrolled students (medical or pharmacy students who are also taking the Masters program in Medical Ethics and Humanities) will find work opportunities. For my traditional graduate students who are not in the health professions, there will be roles for these students in medicine and science (e.g., regulatory compliance).

    However, I do encourage them to work toward a doctoral program as the MA degree is a non-terminal degree. I have had students receive work prior to the pandemic, and I would suspect similar opportunities post-pandemic, particularly in the sciences where ethics and compliance are so essential.

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