Hey all,
I always knew there were differences on salary based on geographic location, but is as extreme as I heard?
I've heard in places like Texas, you can easily make 300k and possibly even 400k, whereas places like NY, you make 180k-200k. Does that seem correct?
If so, I need to balance the significantly less money with staying around my hometown with family and friends. How did you all make your decision?
Let it be said that outliers exist everywhere. HHC (NYC's, generally poor, public hospital system) has the highest paid EM doctor in NY. A conservative estimate for him would be 400K on salary alone. (250 an hour working four 8 hour shifts a week). But this dude is a SUPER outlier for NYC and above average for NY State (he got recruited from the far northern part of the state where money like that is uncommon but not unheard of). But even still, in NYC you're usually talking a much more complicated salary output then it looks.
As an NYC resident we got a talk that the salaries in NYC usually end up being 175-215K, but that the salaries are GREATLY bolstered by getting academic positions. Not "assistant professor of blah blah blah". Those are 'medals'. AKA: shiny, and nice to show off, but ultimately worthless. I'm talking actually going to the med school every now and again and teaching a class. The payout for doing that is apparently absurd per class. Since NYC is more-or-less completely saturated by medical school affiliated hospitals, pretty much everyone does it. Those who don't will attempt to push research through whomever will accept it so that they get some side grant money.
If you won't hustle you might as well not stay in NYC because the pice differential compared to everywhere else will murder you.
But at the same time, right outside of NYC
(westchester county) earning 300K is not odd at all. Why? Private hospitals and affluent communites. Same thing with western CT. And North Jersey (Though not paterson or newark).
Most of the country is really going to be paying about the same. The major teaching cities (NYC, Chicago, LA, SD) are going to pay much much less than their surrounding areas, but the surrounding areas should be about at the national average. Where things do change is 1) Taxes and cost of living. As said above, this is a big deal and 2) There are areas where the pay is
unusually large. Texas (really the whole southwest), The southeast, and the ND/SD/Montana/Wyomind corridor. The latter just seems to pay much more, if the random recruiter I met is to be believed, than other "rural" areas. But as others will say, 'they pay you to be in the middle of nowhere'
So wouldnt be devastated about being far from your family. The salaries all around NYC are fine. Its just *in* NYC where its not comperable to the rest of the country. And Chicago. And... etc.