SOC 29-1221.00

    Pediatricians, General

    Diagnose, treat, and help prevent diseases and injuries in children.

    Median pay
    $210,040
    Growth
    +1.5%
    Slower than average
    Openings a year
    1,000
    Typical education
    Doctoral or professional degree

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

    See the pathway

    Annual pay range

    Lowest 10% earn less than
    $91,470
    Median
    $210,040
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $338,500
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    39,390 people work in this occupation.

    In short

    General pediatricians diagnose, treat, and help prevent illnesses and injuries in children, sometimes referring them to specialists. This medical career offers a median annual pay of $210,040.

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What pediatricians, general do

    Job Zone 5: Extensive preparation

    Diagnose, treat, and help prevent diseases and injuries in children. May refer patients to specialists for further diagnosis or treatment, as needed.

    Most need a graduate degree, such as a master's, PhD, MD or JD.

    What the work is like

    General pediatricians spend their days assisting and caring for children from infancy through young adulthood. They gather information on patient symptoms, interpret medical data for parents, and make critical decisions to solve complex health problems. This work requires deep knowledge of medicine, biology, psychology, and therapy. Pediatricians must also understand customer service and human behavior to communicate effectively with families and colleagues.

    Strong social skills, active listening, and reading comprehension are essential for understanding young patients who may not be able to describe their symptoms. Pediatricians must use critical thinking and scientific judgment to choose the best treatments. Because this job involves working directly with the public, doctors need to be dependable, cooperative, and highly empathetic. They must maintain self-control and stress tolerance in difficult medical situations while showing optimism and attention to detail during patient examinations.

    How to get there

    Entering this career requires extensive preparation, typically starting with a college major in medicine. To practice, individuals must earn a doctoral or professional degree, such as a Doctor of Medicine (MD) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO). This high level of education is standard for O*NET Job Zone 5 careers, which generally require a graduate degree.

    In addition to completing medical school and residency training, some states list a license for this work. Professionals can also pursue specific certifications to demonstrate their expertise. Examples of these credentials include the Primary Certification in Pediatrics from the American Osteopathic Board of Pediatrics, or the Assessment-Based Certificate Program in Pediatrics offered by the American Association of Medical Assistants.

    Pay and outlook explained

    The median annual pay for general pediatricians is $210,040. This means half of the workers in this field earn more than this amount, while the other half earn less. Salaries vary based on experience and location, with the lowest 10% earning less than $91,470 and the highest 10% earning more than $338,500.

    There are 39,390 people employed in this field. Between 2025 and 2035, employment is projected to grow by 1.5%, which is slower than the average for all occupations. Despite this slow growth rate, about 1,000 job openings are projected to become available each year.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R)
    44 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    86 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    15 / 100
    Social (S) · strongest
    94 / 100
    Enterprising (E)
    26 / 100
    Conventional (C)
    43 / 100
    How strongly each interest area describes the work, from O*NET (scores rescaled to 0–100). The interest code lists the strongest areas in order.

    Interest code SIR. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Assisting and Caring for Others
    99
    Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
    96
    Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
    96
    Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    95
    Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
    91
    Documenting/Recording Information
    91
    Getting Information
    90
    Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others
    85
    Performing for or Working Directly with the Public
    81
    Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
    79
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Critical Thinking
    • Judgment and Decision Making
    • Speaking
    • Active Listening
    • Reading Comprehension
    • Active Learning
    • Complex Problem Solving
    • Monitoring
    • Science
    • Social Perceptiveness

    Knowledge

    • Medicine and Dentistry
    • Therapy and Counseling
    • Biology
    • Psychology
    • Customer and Personal Service
    • English Language
    • Sociology and Anthropology
    • Education and Training
    • Personnel and Human Resources
    • Computers and Electronics

    Abilities

    • Oral Comprehension
    • Oral Expression
    • Inductive Reasoning
    • Problem Sensitivity
    • Written Comprehension
    • Deductive Reasoning
    • Written Expression
    • Speech Clarity
    • Speech Recognition
    • Near Vision

    Work styles

    • Dependability
    • Attention to Detail
    • Empathy
    • Cooperation
    • Cautiousness
    • Integrity
    • Optimism
    • Self-Control
    • Social Orientation
    • Stress Tolerance

    Also called

    Baby Doctor · Developmental Pediatrician · Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrician · DO Physician (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine Physician) · Doctor · Emergency Room Pediatrician (ER Pediatrician) · General Pediatrician · Group Practice Pediatrician · Internal Medicine Pediatrician · Medical Doctor (MD)

    Career pathway

    From your interests to pediatricians, general

    Interests that fit the work, the career, majors that lead there and colleges whose graduates in those majors earn the most. Hover or focus a step to follow one path.

    1. Interests

    2. This career

      • Pediatricians, General$210,040 median pay

    3. Majors

    NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk

    Majors that lead here

    Related programs by four-digit CIP code. They are common routes in, not the only ones.

    CareerOneStop

    Certifications, licenses and pay by state

    What pediatricians, general may need beyond a degree, where a license is required, and what the work pays in each state.

    Certifications

    Core certifications employers recognise for this work.

    Search all certifications on CareerOneStop

    Training

    Programs of study that prepare people for this work. Showing 12 of 28.

    • Adolescent Medicine Fellowship Program
    • Child Abuse Pediatrics Fellowship Program
    • Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics Fellowship Program
    • Internal Medicine/Pediatrics Combined Specialty Program
    • Medicine
    • Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship Program
    • Osteopathic Medicine/Osteopathy
    • Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship Program
    • Pediatric Critical Care Medicine Fellowship Program
    • Pediatric Emergency Medicine Fellowship Program
    • Pediatric Endocrinology Fellowship Program
    • Pediatric Gastroenterology Fellowship Program

    Find training near you on CareerOneStop

    Licenses by state

    53 states list a license for this work. Open your state for the license and the agency that issues it.

    Federal

    Check license requirements on CareerOneStop

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 6, 2026.

    Your plan

    Build my pathway plan

    Courses, majors, colleges, scholarships and a timeline for this career, built from your profile.

    Related careers

    Careers with similar work, interests or skills.

    All careers

    Questions about pediatricians, general

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What is the typical education needed to become a pediatrician?

    You must earn a doctoral or professional degree to enter this field. Most people prepare by majoring in medicine and completing a graduate degree such as an MD or DO.

    What are the job prospects and yearly openings for this career?

    The field is projected to grow by 1.5% from 2025 to 2035, which is slower than the average growth rate. However, there are still projected to be 1,000 job openings each year.

    What certifications are available for pediatricians?

    Pediatricians can earn credentials such as the Primary Certification in Pediatrics from the American Osteopathic Board of Pediatrics. Another option is the Assessment-Based Certificate Program in Pediatrics from the American Association of Medical Assistants.

    Sources and attribution

    Every figure on this page comes from these public datasets. Missing values are shown as not reported, never estimated.

    O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 6, 2026.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.