Dermatologists
Also called: Board Certified Dermatologist, Dermatologist Physician, MD (Medical Doctor), Mohs SurgeonDiagnose and treat diseases relating to the skin, hair, and nails. May perform both medical and dermatological surgery functions.
On a phone, press and hold a picture to save it to Photos.
opens your phone's share sheet, where you can save both to Photos
What the data says: AI could halve the time on 9 of its 18 tasks, yet jobs are projected to grow 6.8% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 0.6% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other physicians”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 5.0 hires for every 10 job openings in health care and social assistance, which employs about 98% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.5.0 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $394,550 | $379,060 to $461,310 | not published |
| Arizona | $233,270 | $111,900 to $596,270 | not published |
| Arkansas | $422,060 | $239,390 to $482,790 | 40 |
| California | not published | not published | 740 |
| Colorado | $398,810 | $273,320 to $414,260 | 260 |
| Connecticut | $165,040 | $128,320 to $388,610 | not published |
| Delaware | $442,120 | $344,480 to $445,800 | 40 |
| Hawaii | not published | not published | 80 |
| Idaho | $281,920 | $130,870 to $582,100 | 60 |
| Illinois | $435,750 | $224,220 to $435,750 | not published |
| Indiana | $225,200 | $192,720 to $543,140 | 110 |
| Iowa | $424,970 | $233,890 to $467,400 | not published |
| Kentucky | $195,830 | $164,800 to $370,550 | not published |
| Maine | $239,200 or more | $239,200 or more to $239,200 or more | not published |
| Maryland | $442,210 | $287,180 to $442,240 | 120 |
| Michigan | $414,910 | $207,000 to $472,440 | not published |
| Minnesota | $625,790 | $373,470 to $728,190 | 260 |
| Mississippi | $239,200 or more | $239,200 or more to $239,200 or more | 70 |
| Nebraska | $359,580 | $208,090 to $451,040 | not published |
| Nevada | $419,410 | $268,890 to $461,120 | not published |
| New Hampshire | $516,230 | $173,990 to $688,630 | 50 |
| New Jersey | not published | not published | 350 |
| New York | $374,010 | $186,300 to $453,290 | 2,070 |
| North Carolina | $367,350 | $340,320 to $389,990 | 800 |
| Ohio | $373,640 | $210,530 to $381,260 | not published |
| Oregon | $239,200 or more | $239,200 or more to $239,200 or more | 160 |
| Pennsylvania | $239,200 or more | $239,200 or more to $239,200 or more | not published |
| South Carolina | $259,990 | $182,840 to $389,990 | 180 |
| Tennessee | $433,630 | $146,620 to $485,000 | 100 |
| Texas | $218,670 | $207,000 to $349,990 | 780 |
| Utah | $239,200 or more | $239,200 or more to $239,200 or more | 50 |
| Virginia | $280,060 | $143,190 to $553,060 | not published |
| Washington | $526,170 | $132,020 to $548,050 | 170 |
| Wisconsin | $440,710 | $300,520 to $581,080 | 160 |
Nationally: $328,730. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 9 of its 18 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Conduct complete skin examinations. | Not published |
| Not much | Diagnose and treat pigmented lesions such as common acquired nevi, congenital nevi, dysplastic nevi, Spitz nevi, blue nevi, or melanoma. | Not published |
| Not much | Perform skin surgery to improve appearance, make early diagnoses, or control diseases such as skin cancer. | Not published |
| Not much | Perform incisional biopsies to diagnose melanoma. | Not published |
| AI alone | Counsel patients on topics such as the need for annual dermatologic screenings, sun protection, skin cancer awareness, or skin and lymph node self-examinations. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Diagnose and treat skin conditions such as acne, dandruff, athlete's foot, moles, psoriasis, or skin cancer. | under 0.01% |
See all 18 tasks
| AI + software | Record patients' health histories. | Not published |
| AI + software | Recommend diagnostic tests based on patients' histories and physical examination findings. | Not published |
| AI + software | Read current literature, talk with colleagues, and participate in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of developments in dermatology. | Not published |
| AI alone | Provide dermatologic consultation to other health professionals. | Not published |
| Not much | Prescribe hormonal agents or topical treatments such as contraceptives, spironolactone, antiandrogens, oral corticosteroids, retinoids, benzoyl peroxide, or antibiotics. | Not published |
| AI alone | Refer patients to other specialists, as needed. | Not published |
| Not much | Provide therapies such as intralesional steroids, chemical peels, or comodo removal to treat age spots, sun damage, rough skin, discolored skin, or oily skin. | Not published |
| AI + software | Conduct or order diagnostic tests such as chest radiographs (x-rays), microbiologic tests, or endocrinologic tests. | Not published |
| Not much | Instruct interns or residents in diagnosis and treatment of dermatological diseases. | Not published |
| Not much | Provide dermabrasion or laser abrasion to treat atrophic scars, elevated scars, or other skin conditions. | Not published |
| AI + software | Evaluate patients to determine eligibility for cosmetic procedures such as liposuction, laser resurfacing, or microdermabrasion. | Not published |
| AI + software | Conduct clinical or basic research. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 2 of the 18 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 18 tasks fall under 13 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #4 Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise
- #24 Assist others to access additional services or resources
- #26 Research healthcare issues
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Treat injuries, illnesses, or diseases | |||
| Diagnose health conditions or disorders | |||
| Order medical tests or procedures | |||
| Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise | |||
| Assist others to access additional services or resources | |||
| Research healthcare issues | |||
| Advise others on healthcare or wellness issues | |||
| Analyze health or medical data |
Show all 13 activities
| Advise patients or clients on medical issues | |||
| Examine people or animals to assess health conditions or physical characteristics | |||
| Train others on health or medical topics | |||
| Maintain health or medical records | |||
| Prescribe medical treatments or devices |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- Advice or a recommendation32%
- An explanation or answer32%
- An analysis or summary6%
- A document or report4%
- A chart or visualization2%
How they worked with Claude
37% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for dermatologists specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 36,033 moves out
- 1 Medical and Health Services Managers High +24.2% 19%
- 2 Postsecondary Teachers, All Other Very high +2.0% 8%
- 3 Management Analysts Very high +10.1% 5%
- 4 Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary Very high +17.9% 5%
- 5 Chief Executives Very high +3.2% 4%
Where people moved in from
of 41,353 moves in
- 1 Medical and Health Services Managers High +24.2% 16%
- 2 Postsecondary Teachers, All Other Very high +2.0% 4%
- 3 Registered Nurses High +5.6% 4%
- 4 Nursing Assistants Low +2.6% 3%
- 5 Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary Very high +17.9% 3%
The resume data uses 2010 occupation codes. This occupation comes from “Physicians and Surgeons, All Other”, which today also includes “Cardiologists”, “Emergency Medicine Physicians”, “Neurologists”, “Physicians, Pathologists”, “Radiologists”, “Physicians, All Other” and “Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric”, so these figures cover those too. Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 1% postsecondary certificate
- 6% associate's
- 5% master's
- 1% professional doctorate
- 56% research doctorate
- 31% post-doctoral training
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 29 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 83% professional degree
- 17% doctorate
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other physicians” · 10,590 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other physicians”
2 programs: Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine/Osteopathy.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/29-1213.00