Compensation for medical residents: How much do trainees earn?

What kind of compensation do the medical residents working in your hospital earn?

According to survey data from Medscape, average pay for first- and second-year medical residents comes to $74,000 in 2026. That number is up from $65,000 in 2024—a 6.5% increase—and up from $68,000 in 2025.

Here’s a look at compensation for medical residents, including data on housing costs, benefits and residents’ attitudes toward pay.

Geography and resident pay

Medscape’s survey found that resident compensation can differ by up to $15,000 between parts of the Northeast and the South. That mirrors the trend in which physician pay is typically lower in the Northeast, in part because of the desirability of cities like Boston and New York, and higher in parts of the South.

That trend is significant because housing costs are high in those areas, with the Medscape survey finding that rent eats up more than 30% of resident pay. That’s why 57% of residents said their pay doesn’t cover their basic living expenses. (Twelve percent of residents said they received a housing allowance.)

Resident compensation by specialty

While there are huge differences in physician pay based on specialty, those gaps aren’t apparent during training. Hospitals, which Medscape’s survey said was the site of residency training for 65% of physicians, tend to pay all residents the same regardless of their specialty plans.

AMA data released earlier in 2026 show that nearly all hospitals pay their residents the same amount regardless of specialty plans. Those data also said that 71% of training programs pay chief residents about $5,000 more a year.

Benefits during residency training

Medscape’s survey found that medical residents often get benefits offered to other employees.

Health insurance, for example, is offered to 92% of residents. Dental insurance is offered to 82%, and vision benefits are offered to 73%.

Here’s a full list of benefits offered to residents from the Medscape survey:

What benefits do residents get?

Health insurance: 92%.

Paid time off: 90%.

Dental (paid in part or in full): 82%.

Vision (paid in part or in full): 73%.

Retirement: 72%.

Meal allowance: 66%.

Travel allowance: 65%.

Liability coverage: 57%.

Exam/licensing fees: 47%.

Book allowance: 45%.

Life insurance: 43%.

Commuter assistance (parking, public transit): 27%.

Housing allowance: 12%.

Childcare: 5%.

What do residents think about their compensation?

When asked if they feel their pay is fair in the Medscape survey, 63% of residents answered “no.” The top reasons given for that dissatisfaction, however, focused more on residents’ not feeling valued than on their financial situation.

Medscape’s analysis noted that the number of residents who feel unfairly paid has dropped over time, from 73% in 2025. When the survey asked what would make residents feel their pay was fair, a raise of at least 26% was identified by two-thirds of respondents.

Why residents feel their pay is unfair

Doesn’t reflect hours worked: 83%.

Doesn’t compare to other medical staff: 83%.

Doesn’t reflect required skills: 76%.

Doesn’t meet cost of living: 61%.

Inadequate benefits: 29%.

Medical school debt

One factor in the financial stress medical residents feel is medical school debt. In the Medscape survey, 54% of residents reported carrying loan debt exceeding $150,000, with 30% having loans of more than $250,000.

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