Neurosurgeon Resident Salaries and Benefits

Introduction: The purpose of this study is to assess the current landscape and historical trends in neurosurgery resident salaries. There is currently no published data on resident salaries to date, and this is the first study to examine both resident salaries and benefits.

Methods: Resident salary information was collected from the 117 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education neurosurgical residency programs. PGY1 to PGY 7 salary information was collected from the institution’s resident salary website for the years 2019-2020, 2022-2023 and 2023-2024.

2022 County level cost of living indexes (COLI) were obtained from The Council for Community and Economic Research. States were grouped into 5 regions of the U.S. Figures and statistical analysis (descriptive statistics and regressions) were completed through Excel and R studio.

Results: Of the 117 residency programs, salary data was obtained for 88.9% for 2019-2020, 92.3% for 2022-2023, and 91.4% for 2023-2024. Residency programs were distributed in the Northeast (29.1%), Midwest (23.9%), Southeast (23.9%), West (12.0%), and Southwest (11.1%).

From 2019 to 2023, the average yearly % change for average PGY1-7 salary was 3.69%. A linear regression model was applied to PGY1-7 annual salaries with resident salaries projected to rise $1839 annually.

Linear regression showed that for every 1 increase in COLI, the average PGY1-7 salary was estimated to increase by $117.8. With benefits included, for every 1 increase in COLI, the average PGY1-7 salary was estimated to increase by $134.7. Normalizing the average PGY1-7 annual salary by their COLI placed residency programs in the Midwest the highest.

Conclusion : Our study found a positive correlation between cost of living and resident salaries, and that resident salaries are increasing over time. From 2019 to 2023, the average PGY1-7 salary has grown less than the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index. This raises the question of what drives the variation in resident salaries outside of cost of living. Further investigation into what drives these variations is required such as how unionization status, institution type and prestige affect resident compensation.