2026 AAPM&R Physician Compensation Survey-2026 Survey Report

2026 Survey Report

Pdf Summary

The 2026 AAPM&R Physician Compensation Survey, based on 2025 data, included 794 eligible respondents from 9,116 U.S. physiatrists surveyed. Compensation and productivity results came from 610 clinical physiatrists after validation and outlier review; benchmarks were withheld when fewer than five responses could compromise confidentiality.

Respondents averaged 46 years of age; 59.5% were men, 39.2% women, and 87.2% AAPM&R members. Most worked in physician offices, while academic health systems were the most common primary employment setting.

Median total compensation was <strong>$350,000</strong> (average $411,270). It was highest for spine/pain/interventional specialists ($423,286) and lowest for pediatric rehabilitation/developmental disabilities ($299,000). Multispecialty independent groups reported the highest median by practice setting ($420,000), compared with $330,000 in academic settings. Median compensation rose 16.7% from 2017, a 1.7% compound annual growth rate. Female respondents’ median compensation was $310,000 versus $385,000 for male respondents; these figures are descriptive and do not establish why the difference exists.

The most common compensation arrangement was base salary plus incentives (52.7%); in these plans, fixed pay averaged 75.1% of compensation. WRVUs were the most frequently used incentive measure (71.4%). Median productivity was 6,962 WRVUs. Full-time employment and benefits were common, and respondents averaged 36.3 clinical and 9.8 nonclinical work hours weekly.

Nearly half reported an administrative role, most often medical director; additional compensation for administrative duties varied, and most respondents were not paid for excess administrative time. About half used advanced practice providers (APPs), but 83.5% received no compensation for APP supervision. Although 59.3% took call, 83.7% were not separately compensated.

Most new hires were full-time. Their median starting salary was $294,109; signing bonuses were common, typically $25,000, and often required a service commitment. Survey results are self-reported and should be interpreted as market benchmarks, not guarantees.

Keywords

AAPM&R

physiatry compensation

physician compensation survey

WRVUs

productivity benchmarks

median salary

clinical physiatrists

administrative roles

signing bonus

academic health systems