11 Highest Paying States for Anesthesiologists

Which are the highest paying states for anesthesiologists? 

First off, what is an anesthesiologist and what do they do? In layman terms, they are the doctors responsible for making you sleep prior to surgical procedures, with you not feeling or remembering anything when you wake up. Which is a pleasant thing as most of the people undergoing surgery would rather not remember the details of how they were cut open and how they felt the pain.

Doctors spend a number of years, usually 3-5 years, training in the hospitals under specialists on how to handle anesthetics and how to properly administer them. Else we’d end up singing and dancing to Thriller in heaven with Michael Jackson. And if you think that anesthesiologists have the easiest job in the world, you are very wrong. While anesthesiologists don’t operate on patients or spend a lot of time in the outpatient departments, they do participate in surgeries, however long it takes. So just imagine yourself as an anesthesiologist in a neurosurgical setting. These operations are long, like your-favorite-TV-series-marathon long. While you do not operate, the delicate nature of the surgery still keeps you on your toes, and from my experience as a doctor, mental fatigue is way, WAY worse than physical fatigue. While the surgeons are focused clipping that aneurysm or removing that tumor or evacuating that hemorrhage, anesthesiologists make sure that the patient is still alive during the whole ordeal. You can consider them Gods in the operating room, with the patients’ lives literally in their hands.

To compile the list of the 11 highest paying states, we searched the internet for salary data of anesthesiologists. There were a lot of websites that came up, but we only picked the 5 we think are the most credible: The Bureau of Labor Statistics, Recruiter, Healthcare Salary Online, Indeed, and Medscape. All websites, as expected had different figures per state. The salary for each state, as provided by our sources, were then added and averaged, with the 11 highest paying states making this list.

By the way, we also have a list for the adrenaline junkie of the medical world, the ER Doctors. Check out the 10 highest paying states for ER doctors to know where your can earn the most if this is your specialization.

Before that propofol takes effect, let’s check out the highest paying states for anesthesiologists!

11. Indiana

Average Annual Salary: $285,086

Most anesthesiologists in this state are members of the Indiana Society of Anesthesiologists. There is a membership fee to be paid, but members get benefits such as educational meetings, periodic updates and newsletters from the society and practice management meetings.

10. Delaware

Average Annual Salary: $285,735

Known as an affluent state, Delaware sure knows how to pay its healthcare workers as it comes in at 10th on our list. There are currently around 120-140 anesthesiologists employed in various hospitals and clinics, and they rake in around $285,000 annually. The number fo specialists may seem small, but considering that Delaware is the 6th least populous state makes that figure just about right for state’s population.

9. Wyoming

Average Annual Salary: $286,400

Labor statistics show only around 100 are practicing in Wyoming. But being the second least most populous state in America, the number is just proportional to its residents. And with a salary of $286,000 a year, I think no one’s complaining about that.

8. New Jersey

Average Annual Salary: $287,960

From the least populous, we jump to the most densely populated state in the US, New Jersey. Is the mnemonic APGAR familiar to you? For physicians everywhere and anywhere in the world, this is one of the most basic tests for newborns, and it is named after Virginia Apgar, a prominent New Jersey resident and anesthesiologist.

7. Missouri

Average Annual Salary: $290,096

Four large urban centers mean a large population, which means the need for a lot of physicians. And this is evident in the number of anesthesiologists practicing in the state: around 900.

6. Colorado

Average Annual Salary: $292,126

Eight Colorado anesthesiologist’s groups have received flak for erroneously billing patients for Medicaid, which amounted to more than $3 million. Fortunately, these amounts have been returned to the patients. This may be an isolated case, as anesthesiologists in this state have a very good reputation, not to mention a very healthy annual salary.

5. Kansas

Average Annual Salary: $294,473

With an annual salary of almost $300,000, Kansas makes it to number 5 in the list of the highest paying states for anesthesiologists. Compared to other states, Kansas has a relatively average number of anesthesiologists, with around 500 practicing in its borders.

4. Rhode Island

Average Annual Salary: $297,500

In a recent conference by New England politicians and physicians, they addressed the need to curb opioid use. Opioids are used in the management of pain, with morphine as the most well-known. Currently, opioid prescriptions in Rhode Island only limit its use to a maximum of 5 days to prevent addiction and overuse or misuse.

3. New Hampshire

Average Annual Salary: $299,135

If you are both an adrenaline junkie and anesthesiologist, I suggest you relocate to this state. New Hampshire has some of the largest mountain ski resorts in America which translate to a lot of winter activities, the most popular being skiing and snowmobiling. And did we mention that anesthesiologists make $300,000 in this state?

2. Kentucky

Average Annual Salary: $299,255

Recently, the FDA has approved of the long acting pain killer of Pfizer, Troxyca ER. The aim of this drug is to curb opioid use. However, University of Kentucky professor and anesthesiologist Dr. Raeford Brown has said that data still isn’t clear about this new drug. Physicians are still in conflict if this drug will indeed deter intranasal and intravenous abuse.

1. Iowa

Average Annual Salary: $307,663

Iowa is the only state on our list paying an annual salary of more than $300,000 to its anesthesiologists. In fact, our sources have Iowa ranking in the top 10 state which pay the highest to its anesthesiologists. If you’re an anesthesiologist who wants to be paid handsomely, then Iowa is the place to go as it is number 1 in our list of the 11 highest paying states for anesthesiologists.