Otolaryngology Salary Map by State (2026)
Median otolaryngology pay across 4 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: $467,500.
Highest median
Illinois
$525,000
Best real purchasing power
Illinois
$525,221 adjusted
Best lifestyle score
California
4.7/10 avg burnout score
Otolaryngology pay by state
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Take-home, COL-adj. | Burnout score | Listings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | $525,000 | $525,221 | $499,222 | 4.4/10 | 18 |
| California | $479,262 | $432,859 | $392,604 | 4.7/10 | 12 |
| Colorado | $466,000 | $452,199 | $432,302 | 4.7/10 | 6 |
| New York | $375,000 | $347,476 | $323,674 | 4.7/10 | 9 |
Which state pays otolaryngology physicians the most?
Illinois currently has the highest median otolaryngology salary at $525,000, based on 18 real job listings.
Which state offers the best after-tax otolaryngology pay?
Illinois currently leads the take-home view at $499,222 — 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 otolaryngology 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 otolaryngology lifestyle scores?
California currently has the highest average WeekdayDoc burnout score (4.7/10, higher is better) for otolaryngology 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 Otolaryngology salary page.