Neurologists
Also called: Adult and Pediatric Neurologist, Neurologist, Pediatric Neurologist, PhysicianDiagnose, manage, and treat disorders and diseases of the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves, with a primarily nonsurgical focus.
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 14 of its 24 tasks, yet jobs are projected to grow 6.4% 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 94% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $354,760 | $161,160 to $519,990 | 100 |
| Arizona | $409,610 | $226,080 to $409,610 | 80 |
| Arkansas | $317,880 | $248,400 to $328,510 | 70 |
| California | $357,080 | $302,620 to $357,080 | 1,090 |
| Colorado | $356,250 | $186,700 to $405,670 | 120 |
| Connecticut | $320,680 | $75,300 to $438,000 | 120 |
| District of Columbia | $332,000 | $200,330 to $332,000 | 50 |
| Florida | $322,750 | $101,610 to $322,750 | 520 |
| Georgia | not published | not published | 120 |
| Illinois | $237,080 | $87,640 to $439,990 | 240 |
| Indiana | $220,210 | $100,460 to $467,550 | 360 |
| Kansas | $239,200 or more | $239,200 or more to $239,200 or more | 60 |
| Kentucky | $338,850 | $194,090 to $452,750 | 230 |
| Maine | $239,200 or more | $239,200 or more to $239,200 or more | 50 |
| Maryland | $302,840 | $194,900 to $381,690 | not published |
| Michigan | not published | not published | 120 |
| Minnesota | $381,670 | $258,760 to $410,200 | 310 |
| Nebraska | $269,270 | $168,760 to $338,840 | 80 |
| New Jersey | $222,120 | $86,200 to $370,970 | 140 |
| New York | $155,990 | $155,990 to $223,320 | 2,810 |
| North Carolina | $325,550 | $228,200 to $367,160 | 180 |
| Ohio | not published | not published | 940 |
| Oregon | $239,200 or more | $239,200 or more to $239,200 or more | not published |
| Pennsylvania | $239,200 or more | $239,200 or more to $239,200 or more | 30 |
| South Carolina | $352,680 | $352,680 to $369,730 | 40 |
| Tennessee | $229,670 | $140,830 to $377,020 | 220 |
| Texas | $360,640 | $238,320 to $419,900 | 660 |
| Utah | $239,200 or more | $239,200 or more to $239,200 or more | 100 |
| Vermont | $434,730 | $247,740 to $434,730 | 40 |
| Washington | $327,140 | $187,840 to $360,610 | 180 |
| West Virginia | $63,500 | $63,500 to $141,750 | 60 |
| Wisconsin | $342,520 | $167,020 to $407,490 | 130 |
Nationally: $248,560. 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 14 of its 24 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Examine patients to obtain information about functional status of areas, such as vision, physical strength, coordination, reflexes, sensations, language skills, cognitive abilities, and mental status. | Not published |
| AI + software | Perform or interpret the outcomes of procedures or diagnostic tests, such as lumbar punctures, electroencephalography, electromyography, and nerve conduction velocity tests. | Not published |
| AI + software | Order or interpret results of laboratory analyses of patients' blood or cerebrospinal fluid. | Not published |
| Not much | Prescribe or administer medications, such as anti-epileptic drugs, and monitor patients for behavioral and cognitive side effects. | Not published |
| AI + software | Interview patients to obtain information, such as complaints, symptoms, medical histories, and family histories. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Diagnose neurological conditions based on interpretation of examination findings, histories, or test results. | under 0.01% |
See all 24 tasks
| Not much | Identify and treat major neurological system diseases and disorders, such as central nervous system infection, cranio spinal trauma, dementia, and stroke. | Not published |
| AI + software | Develop treatment plans based on diagnoses and on evaluation of factors, such as age and general health, or procedural risks and costs. | Not published |
| AI + software | Inform patients or families of neurological diagnoses and prognoses, or benefits, risks and costs of various treatment plans. | Not published |
| AI + software | Communicate with other health care professionals regarding patients' conditions and care. | Not published |
| AI alone | Counsel patients or others on the background of neurological disorders including risk factors, or genetic or environmental concerns. | 0.01% |
| AI + software | Prepare, maintain, or review records that include patients' histories, neurological examination findings, treatment plans, or outcomes. | Not published |
| AI + software | Interpret the results of neuroimaging studies, such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT), and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans. | under 0.01% |
| AI alone | Refer patients to other health care practitioners as necessary. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Coordinate neurological services with other health care team activities. | Not published |
| AI + software | Participate in continuing education activities to maintain and expand competence. | Not published |
| Not much | Determine brain death using accepted tests and procedures. | Not published |
| Not much | Order supportive care services, such as physical therapy, specialized nursing care, and social services. | Not published |
| AI alone | Advise other physicians on the treatment of neurological problems. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Provide training to medical students or staff members. | Not published |
| Not much | Supervise medical technicians in the performance of neurological diagnostic or therapeutic activities. | Not published |
| AI + software | Participate in neuroscience research activities. | Not published |
| Not much | Perform specialized treatments in areas such as sleep disorders, neuroimmunology, neuro-oncology, behavioral neurology, and neurogenetics. | Not published |
| Not much | Prescribe or administer treatments, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation, vagus nerve stimulation, and deep brain stimulation. | 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. 6 of the 24 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 24 tasks fall under 21 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Analyze health or medical data | |||
| Prescribe medical treatments or devices | |||
| Treat injuries, illnesses, or diseases | |||
| Diagnose health conditions or disorders | |||
| Confer with healthcare or other professionals about patient care | |||
| Administer diagnostic tests to assess patient health | |||
| Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise | |||
| Assist others to access additional services or resources |
Show all 21 activities
| Research healthcare issues | |||
| Advise others on healthcare or wellness issues | |||
| Explain medical information to patients or family members | |||
| Advise patients or clients on medical issues | |||
| Monitor health conditions of humans or animals | |||
| Collect information about patients or clients | |||
| Administer basic health care or medical treatments | |||
| Develop patient or client care or treatment plans | |||
| Examine people or animals to assess health conditions or physical characteristics | |||
| Supervise personnel activities | |||
| Train others on health or medical topics | |||
| Order medical tests or procedures | |||
| Maintain health or medical records |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- An explanation or answer60%
- Advice or a recommendation20%
- An analysis or summary7%
- A document or report5%
- A chart or visualization2%
How they worked with Claude
17% 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 neurologists 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”, “Dermatologists”, “Emergency Medicine Physicians”, “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
- 2% high school
- 5% master's
- 29% research doctorate
- 64% post-doctoral training
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 22 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/29-1217.00