Pediatricians, General
Also called: General Pediatrician, Group Practice Pediatrician, Medical Doctor (MD), PhysicianDiagnose, treat, and help prevent diseases and injuries in children. May refer patients to specialists for further diagnosis or treatment, as needed.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 9 of its 17 tasks, yet jobs are projected to grow 1.5% 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 95% 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 | $209,490 | $180,960 to $263,200 | not published |
| Alaska | $267,390 | $230,210 to $322,420 | 60 |
| Arizona | $233,950 | $184,900 to $263,750 | 1,230 |
| Arkansas | $160,440 | $129,320 to $262,730 | 100 |
| California | $214,140 | $125,990 to $300,500 | 6,680 |
| Colorado | $196,440 | $163,510 to $233,690 | 570 |
| Connecticut | $216,830 | $165,310 to $284,190 | 1,310 |
| Delaware | $219,190 | $192,900 to $277,100 | 180 |
| District of Columbia | $79,240 | $79,240 to $126,600 | not published |
| Florida | $182,010 | $96,920 to $210,010 | 700 |
| Georgia | $149,990 | $94,640 to $181,990 | not published |
| Hawaii | $197,090 | $103,390 to $217,300 | 470 |
| Idaho | $297,680 | $221,610 to $323,820 | 60 |
| Illinois | $196,760 | $134,420 to $310,240 | 1,180 |
| Indiana | $177,300 | $168,830 to $212,530 | 1,080 |
| Iowa | $262,440 | $81,680 to $303,990 | 230 |
| Kansas | $209,840 | $176,360 to $276,610 | 110 |
| Kentucky | $175,690 | $130,250 to $246,380 | 380 |
| Louisiana | $502,720 | $203,880 to $502,720 | 40 |
| Maine | $245,920 | $215,990 to $287,100 | 130 |
| Maryland | $181,640 | $151,470 to $230,700 | 580 |
| Massachusetts | $221,170 | $172,100 to $323,510 | 2,310 |
| Michigan | $204,690 | $124,770 to $238,610 | 1,340 |
| Minnesota | $226,660 | $156,260 to $301,010 | 890 |
| Mississippi | $183,650 | $175,060 to $232,580 | 40 |
| Missouri | $223,910 | $177,100 to $310,470 | 500 |
| Montana | $273,260 | $197,940 to $375,310 | 50 |
| Nebraska | $175,990 | $71,120 to $339,820 | 290 |
| New Hampshire | $273,410 | $221,240 to $331,170 | 210 |
| New Jersey | $201,560 | $119,900 to $252,460 | 1,280 |
| New Mexico | $202,390 | $130,360 to $300,570 | 270 |
| New York | $212,150 | $101,150 to $265,240 | 4,570 |
| North Carolina | $183,550 | $125,460 to $216,250 | 740 |
| North Dakota | $234,950 | $232,300 to $286,600 | 90 |
| Ohio | $217,970 | $193,750 to $252,270 | 2,110 |
| Oklahoma | $236,780 | $207,790 to $302,540 | 280 |
| Oregon | $224,690 | $179,440 to $269,550 | 620 |
| Pennsylvania | $226,440 | $192,300 to $264,170 | 1,120 |
| Puerto Rico | $98,350 | $84,870 to $98,350 | 1,020 |
| Rhode Island | $218,080 | $176,080 to $276,750 | 180 |
| South Carolina | $217,120 | $149,990 to $312,040 | 420 |
| South Dakota | $257,610 | $229,250 to $366,330 | 80 |
| Tennessee | $176,210 | $158,770 to $223,750 | 740 |
| Texas | $173,360 | $108,010 to $232,990 | 2,740 |
| Utah | $210,360 | $160,060 to $290,320 | 310 |
| Vermont | $215,350 | $121,110 to $238,480 | 130 |
| Virginia | $195,940 | $134,630 to $300,430 | 750 |
| Washington | $169,540 | $130,490 to $268,850 | 480 |
| West Virginia | $158,470 | $62,510 to $230,060 | 140 |
| Wisconsin | $269,790 | $185,440 to $312,180 | 350 |
| Wyoming | not published | not published | 100 |
Nationally: $210,040. 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 17 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Prescribe or administer treatment, therapy, medication, vaccination, and other specialized medical care to treat or prevent illness, disease, or injury in infants and children. | Not published |
| Not much | Examine children regularly to assess their growth and development. | Not published |
| Not much | Treat children who have minor illnesses, acute and chronic health problems, and growth and development concerns. | Not published |
| AI + software | Examine patients or order, perform, and interpret diagnostic tests to obtain information on medical condition and determine diagnosis. | Not published |
| AI alone | Explain procedures and discuss test results or prescribed treatments with patients and parents or guardians. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Advise patients, parents or guardians, and community members concerning diet, activity, hygiene, and disease prevention. | 0.01% |
See all 17 tasks
| AI + software | Collect, record, and maintain patient information, such as medical history, reports, or examination results. | Not published |
| Not much | Monitor patients' conditions and progress and reevaluate treatments as necessary. | Not published |
| AI alone | Refer patient to medical specialist or other practitioner when necessary. | Not published |
| Not much | Direct and coordinate activities of nurses, students, assistants, specialists, therapists, and other medical staff. | Not published |
| AI + software | Plan and execute medical care programs to aid in the mental and physical growth and development of children and adolescents. | Not published |
| AI alone | Provide consulting services to other physicians. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Teach residents or medical students about pediatric topics. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Plan, implement, or administer health programs or standards in hospitals, businesses, or communities for prevention or treatment of injury or illness. | Not published |
| Not much | Operate on patients to remove, repair, or improve functioning of diseased or injured body parts and systems. | Not published |
| AI + software | Conduct research to study anatomy and develop or test medications, treatments, or procedures to prevent or control disease or injury. | Not published |
| AI alone | Prepare government or organizational reports of birth, death, and disease statistics, workforce evaluations, or medical status of individuals. | 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. 4 of the 17 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 17 tasks fall under 19 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.
- #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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advise others on healthcare or wellness issues | |||
| Treat injuries, illnesses, or diseases | |||
| Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures | |||
| Examine people or animals to assess health conditions or physical characteristics | |||
| Develop public or community health programs | |||
| Assist others to access additional services or resources | |||
| Research healthcare issues | |||
| Teach academic or vocational subjects |
Show all 19 activities
| 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 | |||
| Prepare health or medical documents | |||
| Supervise personnel activities | |||
| Train others on health or medical topics | |||
| Order medical tests or procedures | |||
| 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 recommendation41%
- An explanation or answer36%
- An analysis or summary6%
- Teaching material5%
- A document or report4%
How they worked with Claude
12% 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 pediatricians, general 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 1,578 moves out
- 1 Medical and Health Services Managers High +24.2% 13%
- 2 Chief Executives Very high +3.2% 10%
- 3 Postsecondary Teachers, All Other Very high +2.0% 9%
- 4 Physicians and Surgeons, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 7%
- 5 Registered Nurses High +5.6% 7%
Where people moved in from
of 2,653 moves in
- 1 Nursing Assistants Low +2.6% 19%
- 2 Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks Very high -5.6% 18%
- 3 Medical and Health Services Managers High +24.2% 8%
- 4 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products Very high -0.9% 8%
- 5 Registered Nurses High +5.6% 6%
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% professional doctorate
- 20% research doctorate
- 78% post-doctoral training
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 23 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
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