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Orthopedic Surgeon salary in California

U.S. Department of Labor wage data for May 2025. California ranks 28 of 31 states by median wage for this occupation, paying 29.3% below the national median.

$253,430median annual wage in California, May 2025
Lower end (10th pct)
$80,660
Median
$253,430
Top earners (90th pct)
$457,010
$80,660$457,010
10th percentile
$80,660
25th percentile
$103,450
Median percentile
$253,430
75th percentile
$363,050
90th percentile
$457,010
Mean
$258,550

How California compares with the rest of the country

AreaLow (10th)AverageMedianTop 10%
California$80,660$258,550$253,430$457,010
United States$84,170$373,570$358,550$659,290

Orthopedic Surgeon salary in other states

Where this comes from. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, for the occupation Orthopedic Surgeons. Employers report the wages they actually pay, and the methodology is published — unlike self-reported salary surveys, which nobody can verify.

What it leaves out. OES counts wage-and-salary employees. Self-employed physicians and practice owners are outside its scope, and partnership distributions are not wages, so in specialties where private practice is common these figures are likely to be conservative. Bonuses and profit-sharing are excluded from the wage measure as well.

Orthopedic Surgeon salary, all states·Every specialty in California·Doctors in California