Dermatologist Salary by State (2026): BLS Data & Pay Calculator

34 of 51 areas (50 states and DC) have a published dermatologist estimate in the BLS May 2025 data. Ranked by mean annual wage (BLS top-codes many medians for this occupation, so the mean is the fair way to rank states), the top five are Minnesota ($510,270), Wisconsin ($459,550), New Hampshire ($438,070), Washington ($412,360), Alabama ($401,500). The bottom five are Kentucky ($249,200), Connecticut ($268,770), South Carolina ($287,560), Texas ($291,630), Ohio ($312,020). 8 states are left out of the ranking because BLS reports only a top-coded $239,200+ or no figure for them.

Highest paying states

Lowest paying states

The gap between the top and bottom state means is $261,070 a year. These figures are not adjusted for cost of living, which is why a high-paying state is not automatically a better offer. The full sortable table is in the tool above.

BLS publishes wages at five points. The 10th percentile is the wage that 10% of dermatologists earn less than. The median is the middle wage: half earn less and half earn more. The 90th percentile is the wage that 90% earn less than. The mean is the average and is pulled up by high earners. Nationally for this occupation, those wages are $102,810 (10th), $139,990 (25th), $328,730 (median), $452,450 (75th) and $578,560 (90th).

Worked example. Say a practice offers $234,000 a year. At BLS's 2,080-hour work year, that is $112.50 an hour ($112.50 × 2,080 = $234,000). The offer is at least the 25th percentile wage of $139,990 and below the median (50th) wage of $328,730.

Enter your own number in the tool, as an annual salary or an hourly rate. It places the offer in a band and does not guess a single percentile, because BLS does not publish the wage at every point.

BLS reports this occupation as Dermatologists (SOC 29-1213). Its Occupational Outlook Handbook covers dermatologists inside the broader Physicians and Surgeons profile: a doctoral or professional degree, then an internship and residency of 3 to 9 years depending on specialty, and a state license.

The national figures are published in full, but BLS still stops reporting an exact wage at $239,200 a year in many state estimates. Those states show $239,200+ instead of a number, and some have no estimate at all.

BLS counts employees only. A dermatologist who owns a practice or is a partner is outside these figures.

People also search for this as “dermatologist salary by state”, “dermatologist pay”. All of them point to the same BLS occupation data shown here.

The figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 estimates, across all industries and employers. BLS publishes new estimates each spring, so check the BLS OEWS site for newer figures.

• Included: base rate, cost-of-living allowances, guaranteed pay, hazardous-duty pay, incentive pay (including commissions and production bonuses) and tips.
• Left out: overtime, severance, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, employer-paid benefits and tuition reimbursement.
• Not covered: the self-employed, owners and partners in unincorporated firms.
• Hourly to annual: BLS converts an hourly wage to an annual one with a 2,080-hour year.
• Top-coded: where BLS marks a wage of $115.00 an hour or $239,200 a year or more with a “#”, it publishes no exact figure. That mostly affects state-level physician estimates. This site shows those as $239,200+.

BLS does not report med spa or aesthetic practice wages as a separate group, and the data does not adjust for cost of living. When you compare an offer, weigh local living costs, benefits and the pay plan, not only the base wage.

Salary is not the full cost of an employee. Payroll taxes, benefits and workers' compensation add to it; the employee cost calculator turns a wage into a total cost to the practice.

Once a hire is on the team, Prospyr analytics shows revenue per provider so you can see whether the pay plan fits what the schedule produces. For practices still building the team, see Prospyr for med spas.