Anesthesiologists vs Physicians, Pathologists: $391K vs $312K Median Pay

Anesthesiologists vs Physicians, Pathologists: what changes?

Consider Anesthesiologists if you want to administer anesthetics and analgesics for pain management prior to, during, or after surgery. Consider Physicians, Pathologists if you would rather diagnose diseases and conduct lab tests using organs, body tissues, and fluids. Both list doctoral or professional degree; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Anesthesiologists and Physicians, Pathologists. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Anesthesiologists

National median pay (2025): $391,490
Route into the job: Doctoral or professional degree; Internship or residency follows qualifying education. Check its duration, pay, and licensing requirements
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: Internship or residency follows qualifying education. Check its duration, pay, and licensing requirements.
Work to investigate: Monitor patient before, during, and after anesthesia and counteract adverse reactions or complications.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 1,100

Know before you choose

Training continues through internship/residency after the degree path.

See the full Anesthesiologists brief

Physicians, Pathologists

National median pay (2025): $312,400
Route into the job: Doctoral or professional degree; Internship or residency follows qualifying education. Check its duration, pay, and licensing requirements
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: Internship or residency follows qualifying education. Check its duration, pay, and licensing requirements.
Work to investigate: Examine microscopic samples to identify diseases or other abnormalities.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 300

Know before you choose

Training continues through internship/residency after the degree path.

See the full Physicians, Pathologists brief

How the national numbers differ

Anesthesiologists has the edge on annual openings

Anesthesiologists is at 1,100 annual openings, compared with 300 annual openings for Physicians, Pathologists.

Physicians, Pathologists has the edge on projected growth

Physicians, Pathologists is at 4.8% projected growth, compared with 3.6% projected growth for Anesthesiologists.

Anesthesiologists has the edge on median pay

Anesthesiologists is at $391,490, compared with $312,400 for Physicians, Pathologists.

52/ 100

Anesthesiologists

49.7/ 100

Physicians, Pathologists

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Anesthesiologists vs Physicians, Pathologists

Dimension	Anesthesiologists	Physicians, Pathologists
Median pay (2025)	$391,490	$312,400
Pay percentile	99.8 percentile	99.2 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	3.6%	4.8%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	1,100	300
2025 employment	41,500	11,800
How you qualify	Doctoral or professional degree; Internship or residency follows qualifying education. Check its duration, pay, and licensing requirements	Doctoral or professional degree; Internship or residency follows qualifying education. Check its duration, pay, and licensing requirements
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 5	Job Zone 5
Related work experience	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job training	Internship or residency follows qualifying education. Check its duration, pay, and licensing requirements.	Internship or residency follows qualifying education. Check its duration, pay, and licensing requirements.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Anesthesiologists brief Read Physicians, Pathologists brief

Anesthesiologists vs Physicians, Pathologists: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Anesthesiologists

Physicians, Pathologists

How the national numbers differ

Anesthesiologists has the edge on annual openings

Physicians, Pathologists has the edge on projected growth

Anesthesiologists has the edge on median pay

Anesthesiologists vs Physicians, Pathologists

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