Pay, location & work-life context
Critical Care Medicine Salary Map by State (2026)
Median critical care medicine pay across 37 states from real job listings — switch views to adjust for cost of living or overlay burnout scores. Medians blend permanent salaries with annualized locums/contract rates. National median: $312,000.
Highest median
Indiana
$587,500
Best real purchasing power
Indiana
$629,494 adjusted
Best lifestyle score
Tennessee
7.2/10 avg burnout score
Compare state markets
Choose a metric, then select a state to see its figures and available breakdown.
Tile positions are approximate, not geographic boundaries. Selection adds an outline without changing the metric color. Work-life scores describe listings, not surveyed clinician burnout.
Critical Care Medicine pay by state
Sorted by median advertised pay. On smaller screens, scroll the table sideways to compare all metrics.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Take-home, COL-adj. | Work-life score | Listings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana | $587,500 | $629,494 | $610,609 | 2.9/10 | 22 |
| Arizona | $587,500 | $583,549 | $568,961 | 3.8/10 | 13 |
| Michigan | $587,500 | $610,599 | $584,649 | 2.1/10 | 12 |
| Maine | $520,000 | $535,806 | $497,496 | 2.5/10 | 17 |
| Utah | $494,000 | $499,676 | $476,941 | 4.8/10 | 5 |
| Nevada | $478,400 | $478,500 | $478,500 | 3.7/10 | 7 |
| North Dakota | $462,500 | $519,902 | $506,905 | 3.6/10 | 8 |
| Ohio | $447,200 | $482,032 | $465,160 | 3.9/10 | 17 |
| New Jersey | $426,400 | $391,894 | $366,930 | 3.7/10 | 37 |
| California | $400,000 | $361,272 | $327,673 | 3.9/10 | 172 |
| Illinois | $395,200 | $395,366 | $375,795 | 3.2/10 | 83 |
| Pennsylvania | $350,000 | $358,709 | $347,697 | 4.2/10 | 37 |
| Washington | $323,520 | $302,318 | $302,318 | 3.6/10 | 30 |
| Colorado | $316,300 | $306,932 | $293,427 | 5.6/10 | 60 |
| Minnesota | $312,500 | $316,870 | $285,658 | 5.0/10 | 39 |
| New Mexico | $312,000 | $338,351 | $318,388 | 5.7/10 | 5 |
| Oregon | $312,000 | $301,855 | $271,971 | 5.0/10 | 10 |
| Florida | $312,000 | $301,700 | $301,700 | 4.3/10 | 13 |
| Iowa | $300,000 | $341,834 | $328,844 | 4.6/10 | 24 |
| Connecticut | $300,000 | $289,547 | $269,308 | 3.3/10 | 20 |
| Kentucky | $300,000 | $332,745 | $319,436 | 6.4/10 | 8 |
| New York | $300,000 | $277,981 | $258,939 | 4.2/10 | 110 |
| Georgia | $300,000 | $311,549 | $294,757 | 5.2/10 | 16 |
| Rhode Island | $300,000 | $293,312 | $275,743 | 6.4/10 | 8 |
| Maryland | $275,600 | $262,579 | $247,480 | 5.0/10 | 23 |
| North Carolina | $275,000 | $291,542 | $279,152 | 5.6/10 | 9 |
| Wisconsin | $275,000 | $292,258 | $276,768 | 5.5/10 | 15 |
| Texas | $275,000 | $283,339 | $283,339 | 5.5/10 | 112 |
| Virginia | $275,000 | $271,997 | $256,357 | 4.8/10 | 42 |
| Massachusetts | $275,000 | $260,030 | $247,029 | 3.9/10 | 66 |
| Tennessee | $275,000 | $299,336 | $299,336 | 7.2/10 | 23 |
| West Virginia | $275,000 | $307,273 | $292,462 | 5.9/10 | 10 |
| Oklahoma | $275,000 | $313,059 | $298,188 | 5.9/10 | 7 |
| Missouri | $275,000 | $302,807 | $288,575 | 5.4/10 | 15 |
| South Carolina | $275,000 | $293,336 | $275,150 | 6.4/10 | 8 |
| Wyoming | $270,400 | $291,722 | $291,722 | 6.9/10 | 5 |
| Alabama | $265,200 | $298,571 | $283,643 | 6.5/10 | 21 |
Common questions
Which state pays critical care medicine physicians the most?
Indiana currently has the highest median critical care medicine salary at $587,500, based on 22 real job listings.
Which state offers the best after-tax critical care medicine pay?
Indiana currently leads the take-home view at $610,609 — the state median after its state income tax (Tax Foundation state income tax rates (2025)), divided by the local cost-of-living index. No-income-tax states like Texas, Florida and Tennessee often outrank nominally higher-paying states here.
Why adjust critical care medicine salaries for cost of living?
Prices differ across states. The adjusted view divides each state's pay benchmark by its regional price index (U.S. average = 100). Source: BEA Regional Price Parities (2024). This is a state-level comparison, not a personal budget or a city-level cost estimate. Missing price data is shown as unavailable.
Which state has the best critical care medicine lifestyle scores?
Tennessee currently has the highest average WeekdayDoc burnout score (7.2/10, higher is better) for critical care medicine listings — a measure of call burden, weekend requirements, and schedule flexibility across postings.
More salary maps
See the full percentile breakdown on the Critical Care Medicine salary page.