Oncology Salary Map by State (2026)
Median oncology pay across 13 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: $407,500.
Highest median
Colorado
$536,640
Best real purchasing power
Virginia
$527,056 adjusted
Best lifestyle score
Minnesota
5.5/10 avg burnout score
Oncology pay by state
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Take-home, COL-adj. | Burnout score | Listings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado | $536,640 | $520,747 | $497,834 | 5.1/10 | 18 |
| Virginia | $532,875 | $527,056 | $496,751 | 3.5/10 | 13 |
| Minnesota | $458,084 | $464,489 | $418,737 | 5.5/10 | 33 |
| Illinois | $450,000 | $450,189 | $427,905 | 4.0/10 | 51 |
| New York | $450,000 | $416,972 | $388,409 | 3.2/10 | 33 |
| California | $440,000 | $397,399 | $360,441 | 3.9/10 | 44 |
| Oregon | $427,500 | $413,599 | $372,653 | 3.8/10 | 5 |
| Maryland | $399,598 | $380,718 | $358,827 | 4.6/10 | 12 |
| Massachusetts | $394,945 | $373,446 | $354,773 | 3.5/10 | 21 |
| Washington | $381,000 | $356,032 | $356,032 | 4.9/10 | 25 |
| Nevada | $375,000 | $375,079 | $375,079 | 4.5/10 | 8 |
| Pennsylvania | $357,520 | $366,417 | $355,168 | 2.9/10 | 8 |
| New Jersey | $299,750 | $275,493 | $257,944 | 4.6/10 | 20 |
Which state pays oncology physicians the most?
Colorado currently has the highest median oncology salary at $536,640, based on 18 real job listings. Adjusted for cost of living, Virginia offers the highest real purchasing power at $527,056.
Which state offers the best after-tax oncology pay?
Colorado currently leads the take-home view at $497,834 — 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 oncology 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 oncology lifestyle scores?
Minnesota currently has the highest average WeekdayDoc burnout score (5.5/10, higher is better) for oncology listings — a measure of call burden, weekend requirements, and schedule flexibility across postings.
Medians computed from real WeekdayDoc job listings after outlier removal; states with fewer than 5 qualifying listings are excluded. Cost-of-living adjustment uses BEA Regional Price Parities (2024). The take-home view additionally deducts state income tax at each state's marginal rate for ~$300k single-filer income (Tax Foundation state income tax rates (2025)); federal tax is omitted since it's uniform across states, and local/property taxes are not modeled. Burnout scores are WeekdayDoc's proprietary 0–10 lifestyle rating (higher is better).
More salary maps
See the full percentile breakdown on the Oncology salary page.