Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comparative Study
. 2006 Nov;21(11):1167-71.
doi: 10.1111/j.1525-1497.2006.00592.x. Epub 2006 Aug 9.

Race and gender differences in general internists' annual incomes

William B Weeks  1 , Amy E Wallace
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Race and gender differences in general internists' annual incomes

William B Weeks et al. J Gen Intern Med. 2006 Nov.

Abstract

Background: Specialty, work effort, and female gender have been shown to be associated with physicians' annual incomes; however, racial differences in physician incomes have not been examined.

Objective: To determine the influence of race and gender on General Internists' annual incomes after controlling for work effort, provider characteristics, and practice characteristics.

Design: Retrospective survey-weighted analysis of survey data.

Participants: One thousand seven hundred and forty-eight actively practicing General Internists who responded to the American Medical Association's annual survey of physicians between 1992 and 2001.

Measurements: Work effort, provider and practice characteristics, and adjusted annual incomes for white male, black male, white female, and black female General Internists.

Results: Compared with white males, white females completed 22% fewer patient visits and worked 12.5% fewer hours, while black males and females reported completing 17% and 2.8% more visits and worked 15% and 5.5% more annual hours, respectively. After adjustment for work effort, provider characteristics, and practice characteristics, black males' mean annual income was 188,831 dollars or 7,193 dollars (4%) lower than that for white males (95% CI: -31,054 dollars, 16,669 dollars; P=.6); white females' was 159,415 dollars or 36,609 dollars (19%) lower (95% CI: -25,585 dollars, -47,633 dollars; P<.001); and black females' was 139,572 dollars or 56,452 dollars (29%) lower (95% CI: -93,383 dollars, -19,520 dollars; P=.003).

Conclusions: During the 1990s, both black race and female gender were associated with lower annual incomes among General Internists. Differences for females were substantial. These findings warrant further exploration.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Adjusted annual incomes for black male, white female, and black female General Internists as a proportion of that for white male General Internists, with 95% confidence intervals.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Differences in income by race and gender. Grey represents the income difference accounted for by work effort, practice characteristics, and provider characteristics; black represents the income difference attributable to race and gender.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Mishel L, Bernstein J, Schmitt J. The State of Working America, 2000–2001. An Economic Policy Institute Book. Ithaca, NY: ILR Press, an imprint of Cornell University Press; 2001.
    1. Langwell KM. Differences by sex in economic returns associated with physician specialization. J Health Polit Policy Law. 1982;6:752–61. - PubMed
    1. Ohsfeldt RL, Culler SD. Differences in income between male and female physicians. J Health Econom. 1986;5:335–46. - PubMed
    1. Carr P, Friedman R, Moskowitz M, Kazis L, Weed H. Research, academic rank, and compensation of women and men faculty in academic general internal medicine. J Gen Intern Med. 1992;7:418–23. - PubMed
    1. Baker L. Differences in earnings between male and female physicians. N Engl J Med. 1996;334:960–4. - PubMed

Publication types