Trauma Surgeon Salary Figures Explained [2024 Update]

Trauma surgeons may earn up to $602k per year, according to Glassdoor.

The job often comes with intense stress and long work hours.

Like many physician specialties, roles within this field are varied. Trauma surgeons may work with vascular patients, in pediatrics, or as a registered nurse in trauma surgery.

Since trauma surgeons have such a high-paced and demanding work schedule, ensuring that they get the best pay for their dedication should be a top priority.

We will break down the factors influencing a trauma surgeon’s salary, helping you earn more and save for eventual retirement.

Average Salary of a Trauma Surgeon

According to Salary.com, a trauma surgeon’s median annual salary in the United States is $454,863. Ziprecruiter claims a much lower value, with an average of $325,416 annually.

Glassdoor gives a value of $431k/year, with a pay range between $323k and $602k per year. With such a broad salary range, it’s clear that many factors can dramatically influence a trauma surgeon’s average income.

Factors That Affect Trauma Surgeon Salaries

You can maneuver some of the factors that increase or decrease the salary range of a trauma surgeon. This can improve your ability to earn higher than the average base salary.

Others are simply factors that cannot be changed but still affect salary nevertheless. Knowing this can help you know your fair market value and do what you can to put the salary odds in your favor.

Years of Experience

If you’re an entry-level trauma surgeon, your pay should increase along with your experience. According to Salary.com, you can gain $41,988 more than the national average after only five years of experience.

After the first five years, there won’t be any major jumps in your salary except for an extra ~$7k.

Location

Just as with any career, the amount of compensation that a trauma surgeon would earn per year depends on the cost of living in the chosen location, as well as the current demand in the trauma surgeon field.

According to Ziprecruiter’s data, New York was the highest-paying state for trauma surgeons, offering an average of $361,033 to full-time trauma surgeons.

Coming in second place was Vermont, with $354,819 as the average trauma surgeon salary. California is third, with $348,490 as the base salary for a trauma surgeon.

As a whole, their data pattern shows that the Northeast is the highest-earning area for trauma surgeons.

Even within states, the pay rate can vary. According to the most recent data from Salary.com, trauma surgeons in San Francisco make $494,397 in the 25th percentile and $772,159 in the 90th percentile. In Los Angeles, these figures are $440,607 and $688,148, respectively.

The Top 10 Highest Paying States for Trauma Surgeons

State	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
New York	$361,033	$30,086	$6,942	$173.57
Vermont	$354,819	$29,568	$6,823	$170.59
California	$348,490	$29,040	$6,701	$167.54
Maine	$338,424	$28,202	$6,508	$162.70
Idaho	$334,794	$27,899	$6,438	$160.96
Washington	$332,181	$27,681	$6,388	$159.70
Pennsylvania	$330,652	$27,554	$6,358	$158.97
Massachusetts	$326,609	$27,217	$6,280	$157.02
Alaska	$324,540	$27,045	$6,241	$156.03
New Jersey	$323,340	$26,945	$6,218	$155.45

The 10 Lowest Paying States for Trauma Surgeons

State	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
Oklahoma	$273,251	$22,770	$5,254	$131.37
Texas	$272,891	$22,740	$5,247	$131.20
Kansas	$271,344	$22,612	$5,218	$130.45
North Carolina	$269,882	$22,490	$5,190	$129.75
Louisiana	$266,802	$22,233	$5,130	$128.27
Kentucky	$259,234	$21,602	$4,985	$124.63
Michigan	$259,132	$21,594	$4,983	$124.58
West Virginia	$255,368	$21,280	$4,910	$122.77
Arkansas	$246,282	$20,523	$4,736	$118.41
Florida	$243,506	$20,292	$4,682	$117.07

Source: ZipRecruiter

Related: 10 Best States to Practice Medicine

Type of Practice

The pay scale for trauma surgeons varies between different practices due to profit and demand.

Trauma Center

The pay of a trauma surgeon in a trauma center’s emergency room is among the top ones in the specialty.

Trauma centers have several different levels. Depending on whether you work at a Level I, II, III, or IV trauma center, your pay could increase incrementally with each level reached.

Along with a level, the pay and work hours depend on the trauma center’s size and location.

Private Practice

In private practice, a trauma surgeon is often one of a group of surgeons who take shift work. Many hospitals seek the aid of private practices for contract work to help treat trauma patients.

This path has the greatest potential for high earnings due to work flexibility, as well as profit-sharing, which often exists in private medical practices.

Government

There is a great need for trauma surgeons in the military. Granted, this may not be the position with the highest pay, but the benefits may absolutely be worth it.

For example, military physicians almost always have their student loan debt forgiven, and the military also offers high-quality insurance and retirement benefits.

Academic

Working in the academic field as a physician earns the lowest salary. Although this may be an excellent choice for a physician who is nearing retirement but wants to continue working for a few more years.

Annual Incentives

Trauma surgeons usually get annual incentives on top of their base pay. The yearly incentive that a trauma surgeon will receive depends on a variety of factors.

For example, more prominent organizations will pay higher annual incentives because they have a higher profit rate than smaller organizations. The amount of experience that a trauma surgeon has also affects incentives.

Perhaps one of the biggest factors that affect incentives is the location in which the trauma surgeon is employed.

According to Doctor-salaries.com, Pennsylvania, New York, California, and Washington State offer more than $20,000 in annual incentive bonuses.

On the opposite end, trauma surgeon jobs in Colorado earn $10,000 in incentives on average, and Ohio offers even less, at $2,500 on average.

Related: Can You Negotiate Physician Contracts?

Effective Tax Planning

Our financial planning services can also help you find ways to save thousands of dollars through effective tax planning.

Our professional team can help you check for tax deductions, credits, and exemptions. The less you pay in taxes each year, the more you can save for the future.

Trauma surgeons require more training than general surgeons and need to learn to be completely cool under pressure.

With this high mental demand, you should do your utmost to make your personal life as simple and stress-free as possible.

Physicians Thrive can help you achieve that by helping you make the most of your salary and ensuring your finances are where they should be. Contact us today!