Neurologist Salary Calculator

The Neurologist Salary Calculator is a free tool that models annual physician compensation for U.S.-based neurologists using five variables: neurology subspecialty, employment model, call burden, geographic setting, and years of post-fellowship experience. Estimates are anchored to MGMA 2024 benchmarks and delivered as P25–P75 modeled ranges.

Neurology is one of the fastest-growing specialties by demand, driven by an aging U.S. population and a widening neurologist shortage. Compensation varies significantly across subspecialties — a neuro-critical care physician with heavy stroke call at a hospital system may earn $100,000 more per year than an academic headache specialist at the same career stage. This neurologist salary calculator surfaces those differences quickly.

Physicians and trainees use this tool during fellowship subspecialty selection, job-offer comparison, and contract negotiation. Physician recruiters and hospital administrators use it to establish neurologist compensation benchmarks before posting or filling neurology positions. Results are modeled estimates — not official data — and should be verified against current MGMA survey reports before contract decisions.

Calculating neurologist total cash compensation requires layering a subspecialty base salary onto four distinct adjustments — employment model, call burden, geographic setting, and career stage — using the MGMA-anchored additive formula this tool implements.

1. Identify your subspecialty base salary. Each neurology subspecialty has its own MGMA-anchored median. Neuro-critical care ($345,000) and stroke/vascular neurology ($340,000) report the highest medians; headache/migraine ($285,000) and general neurology ($290,000) the lowest.
2. Apply the employment model multiplier. Hospital-employed is the baseline (1.00×). Private practice applies 1.14×; academic medicine applies 0.86× reflecting protected non-clinical time and lower wRVU productivity requirements.
3. Add the call burden adjustment. Light call (1–2×/month) adds $15,000; moderate (1–2×/week) adds $35,000; heavy call (3+×/week) adds $58,000 in annual stipend.
4. Add the geographic setting premium. Suburban settings carry a $10,000 premium; rural and HPSA-designated sites carry a $30,000 premium plus NHSC loan repayment eligibility of up to $50,000.
5. Add the experience adjustment. Early-career neurologists (0–3 years post-fellowship) receive a −$20,000 adjustment from mid-career baseline; senior neurologists (15+ years) receive +$45,000.
6. Sum all components. The result is your estimated total cash compensation. Click Calculate or use the Share button to generate a prefill URL for sharing your specific profile.

To link directly to a pre-filled result, use the Share button or append ?prefill=subspecialty:vascular,model:hospital,call:heavy,setting:urban,years:8-15 to this page's URL.

Neurologist compensation modeling uses two complementary formulas: the additive TCC model (used in this calculator) and the wRVU production model common in hospital-employed contracts after an initial guarantee period.

All figures are modeled ranges anchored to MGMA Physician Compensation and Production Survey, 2024. Actual compensation varies by contract structure, bonus design, and regional market conditions. [MGMA, 2024]

Vascular neurology is among the highest-paying neurology subspecialties — this worked example traces every formula step from subspecialty base to final total cash compensation estimate.

Profile: Stroke / Vascular Neurologist · Hospital Employed · Heavy Call (3+×/week) · Urban Setting · 8–15 Years Post-Fellowship

1. Subspecialty base salary: Stroke/Vascular median = $340,000
2. Employment model: Hospital Employed × 1.00 = $340,000 (no change)
3. Call burden adjustment: Heavy call = +$58,000 → Running total: $398,000
4. Setting adjustment: Urban = +$0 → Running total: $398,000
5. Experience adjustment: 8–15 years = +$25,000 → Final TCC: $423,000
6. P25–P75 band: $359,550 – $486,450 (±15% modeled range) [MGMA-anchored model, 2024]

Result: Estimated total cash compensation = $423,000/year · $35,250/month · $16,269/bi-weekly · $192.27/hour (2,200 hrs).

Switching to a rural HPSA site would add $30,000 in geographic premium, raising TCC to $453,000 — illustrating why rural vascular neurologists rank among the highest-compensated neurologists in the U.S. Adding NHSC loan repayment ($50,000 over 2 years) further improves first-year effective compensation for early-career physicians.

Neurologist compensation is rising faster than most medical specialties because the U.S. faces a documented and accelerating neurologist shortage — estimated at 11,000–19,000 unfilled positions by 2025, according to the American Academy of Neurology. [AAN Workforce Survey, 2023]

Neurology residency training positions have not kept pace with the surge in neurological conditions driven by an aging population. Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, stroke, and multiple sclerosis are all projected to increase substantially in prevalence through 2035. Each condition requires subspecialty expertise, driving targeted demand for fellowship-trained neurologists well beyond what general neurology supply can absorb. This shortage is most acute in neuro-critical care, where fewer than 800 fellowship-trained neurocritical care physicians currently practice nationwide.

From a physician compensation standpoint, the neurologist shortage translates into measurable financial advantages: sign-on bonuses averaging $25,000–$50,000 for hospital-employed roles; rural and HPSA geographic premiums that have compressed the traditional urban salary advantage; and accelerated contract escalation clauses appearing in multi-year academic renewal agreements. [AAMC Physician Workforce Report, 2024]

Vascular neurology and neuro-critical care face the sharpest call-coverage shortages because stroke and neurological ICU care requires 24/7 coverage — a demand most programs cannot meet with existing staff. This explains why stroke call stipends have increased faster than most other specialty call rates and why the gap between neuro-critical care and headache specialist salaries has widened in MGMA data since 2021.

For physicians considering the broader neuroscience career landscape, the Psychologist Salary Calculator offers a side-by-side comparison for those evaluating doctoral-level non-physician neuroscience career paths, where compensation runs substantially lower than physician neurology but training timelines are shorter.

Neurologist salary negotiation is more complex than most physician specialties because total cash compensation blends base salary, wRVU production bonuses, call stipends, academic time buyouts, and quality incentives — each subject to independent negotiation and governed by different contractual levers.

This neurologist salary calculator is most valuable at career inflection points where compensation benchmarking directly shapes financial outcomes: fellowship subspecialty selection, first attending contract negotiation, and mid-career practice model transitions.

Use this tool when: you are a neurology resident selecting a fellowship subspecialty, a fellowship-trained neurologist evaluating your first attending offers, a hospital administrator building a neurology compensation package, or a physician recruiter establishing market-rate benchmarks for a neurology opening.

Do not rely solely on this tool when: your contract includes significant wRVU production bonuses, profit-sharing, or equity in a private practice — these require a full contract review with a physician contract attorney who can model actual productivity scenarios and provide jurisdiction-specific guidance on non-compete clauses and restrictive covenants.

Neurologist compensation agreements use specialized terminology that differs from standard employment contracts. Understanding these terms is essential for accurate salary comparison and effective negotiation.

MGMA (Medical Group Management Association)

The primary source of physician compensation benchmarking data in the United States. MGMA publishes annual surveys of physician compensation and wRVU production by specialty and subspecialty, used by hospitals and physician groups to set neurologist salary ranges. The figures in this tool are anchored to MGMA 2024 survey medians.

Total Cash Compensation (TCC)

The total annual cash income a neurologist receives, including base salary, production bonuses, call stipends, and quality incentives — but excluding non-cash benefits such as malpractice tail coverage, retirement contributions, and CME allowances. TCC is the standard metric reported in MGMA physician compensation surveys.

wRVU (Work Relative Value Unit)

A measure of physician work intensity assigned by CMS to each medical service code. Neurologists practicing under production-based compensation models are paid per wRVU generated; MGMA median wRVU production for neurologists is approximately 4,800–5,400 wRVUs per year. The conversion factor (dollars per wRVU) is negotiated independently in each contract.

Call Burden

The frequency and intensity of after-hours patient coverage a neurologist must provide. Call burden is the largest single variable in neurologist compensation after subspecialty, with heavy acute neurological call (stroke, neuro-ICU) commanding $58,000+ in annual stipends — explaining most of the salary premium in neuro-critical care and vascular neurology.

Fellowship (Neurology)

A post-residency subspecialty training period of 1–3 years that qualifies a neurologist for subspecialty practice in areas such as epilepsy, movement disorders, or neurocritical care. Fellowship-trained neurologists command $15,000–$55,000 more than general neurologists in identical employment settings.

Employment Model

The legal and financial structure of a neurologist's practice: hospital or health system employed, academic medical center faculty, multi-specialty group practice, or private practice ownership. Employment model is the second-largest compensation driver after subspecialty, shifting base salary by 12–15% in either direction from the hospital-employed baseline.

NHSC Loan Repayment

National Health Service Corps programs that repay up to $50,000 in student loans for physicians who commit to 2-year service at federally designated Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs). Rural neurologists at qualifying sites can stack NHSC repayment on top of geographic salary premiums, making rural positions financially competitive with urban academic roles.

Further reading on neurologist compensation, workforce data, and neurology career planning from primary authoritative sources used to anchor the estimates in this tool: