General Surgeons

• General surgeons nowadays deal mainly with the human torso, including surgery of the stomach, appendix, breasts, glands, liver, intestines, and arteries and veins. A general surgeon may perform an appendectomy, a vasectomy or a gallbladder removal and makes a median salary of $206,993, according to PayScale, based on the 25th to 75th percentile range. Student Doc places the salary range for general surgeons at $226,000 to $520,000. The Physician Compensation Survey conducted by the American Medical Group Association reports a median salary of $357,091 for general surgeons.
  
  

Orthopedic Surgeons

• There are general orthopedic surgeons, who deal with hands, feet and ankles, and joints, as well as orthopedic surgeons who specialize in particular parts of the body. According to the Physician Compensation Survey, general orthopedic surgeons make a median salary of $500,672. Hand specialists earn $476,039 a year and pediatric orthopedic surgeons make $425,000 annually. Join-replacement surgeons make a median salary of $605,953 and orthopedic spine surgeons earn a median wage of $688,503 annually. Student Doc reports a low-end reported salary for orthopedic surgeons of $228,000, an average salary of $459,000 and a top rate of $1.352 million. PayScale places the median salary for orthopedic surgeons of all specialties at $254,684.
  
  

Neurosurgeons

• Neurosurgeons operate on the brain, spine and components of the central nervous system. PayScale reports an annual median salary of $290,497. Salary.com lists a neurosurgeon's median salary as $469,220. The Physician Compensation Survey shows a median salary of $592,811 and Student Doc shows an average salary of $541,000 and a range of $354,000 to $936,000.
  
  

Cardio-Thoracic Surgeons

• Salary.com reports a median salary of $400,312 for cardio-thoracic surgeons, with a middle 50th percentile range of $324,323 to $497,720 and a bottom 10th percentile figure of $255,139. The high-end median salary is $586,404. PayScale lists a median salary of $249,008 and the Physician Compensation Survey reports a figure of $533,084 as a median salary.
  
  

Plastic Surgeons

• A plastic and reconstructive surgeon earns a median salary of $390,142, according to the Physician Compensation Survey. PayScale reports a median figure of $203,951. The lowest plastic surgeon salary reported by Student Doc is $237,000, with an average salary of $412,000 and a top-end salary of $820,000.
  
  

ER or Trauma Surgeon

• Trauma and emergency-room surgeons make a median salary of $328,165, as reported by Salary.com. PayScale places the median salary at $238,110 and the Physician Compensation Survey lists the salary as $424,555.
  
  

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons

• Oral and maxillofacial surgeons are medical doctors who also have DDS degrees. They perform surgery on patients' teeth, mouths, jaws, and the head and neck areas. Salary.com reports a median salary of $245,854 for oral surgeons. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics places the average salary at $210,710. The Physician Compensation Survey shows a median salary for an oral surgeon of $380,500, and Student Doc reports an average salary of $176,000, a low reported salary of $154,000 and a high-end salary of $245,000.