Average Hourly Wage

• The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) gives the average hour wage for general pediatricians at $77.60 as of May, 2009, the most recent statistics available. To figure an annual wage, the Bureau multiplies that number by 2080 hours per year, for an annual wage of $161,410.
  
  

Percentile Earnings

• The May, 2009 report gives percentile earnings also for the lowest 10 and 25 percent of pediatricians. The bottom 10 percent earned an average of $40.79 per hour, while the bottom 25 percent earned $55.95 per hour. Therefore the average earner making $77.60 made nearly twice as much per hour as the lowest earners. The BLS report does not give statistics for the highest 25 and 10 percent of earners, showing only that they made at least $80 per hour.
  
  

Comparison to Other Physicians

• Pediatricians earn a little less on average than family and general practitioners. Family doctors earned $81.03 per hour as of May, 2009, compared to the pediatricians' $77.60 during the same period. Internists earned a little more, an average of $88.46 in 2009. Obstetricians and gynecologists earned $98.31.
  
  

High-Paying Industries for Pediatricians

• Pediatricians in certain industries earned higher wages. The highest-paying as of May, 2009, was local government, offering an average of $84.59 per hour. The next highest were outpatient centers, paying $82.36 hourly. Physicians' offices came in third, with a mean hourly wage of $78.67. Physicians' offices, however, supplied 21,670 jobs, the highest number of any industry.
  
  

High-Paying Regions

• Some states and regions remunerate pediatricians better than others. High-paying states in the 2009 survey included Iowa, at $99.23 per hour, Nebraska, at $96.29 per hour and Minnesota, at $95.88 per hour. Both Arkansas and Kentucky had average hourly wages over $94 per hour for pediatricians. In addition, certain city areas had hourly wages for pediatricians of over $100 per hour, including Wichita, Kansas, at $115.80 per hour and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, at $104.04 per hour. Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and the greater Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Connecticut, areas also paid over $100 per hour.
  
  

Other Factors Affecting Pay

• The BLS estimates exclude self-employed physicians, but these pediatricians usually earn more than salaried ones. Furthermore, the long hours that many doctors work increase yearly earnings. A particular pediatrician's skill and years of experience also influence actual earnings.