Physicians, Pathologists
Also called: Anatomic Pathologist, Dermatopathologist, Forensic Pathologist, PathologistDiagnose diseases and conduct lab tests using organs, body tissues, and fluids. Includes medical examiners.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 10 of its 19 tasks, yet jobs are projected to grow 4.8% 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 86% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | $338,290 | $223,490 to $354,600 | 270 |
| Arkansas | $214,100 | $204,670 to $236,950 | 130 |
| California | $186,300 | $167,110 to $318,820 | 1,790 |
| Colorado | $294,510 | $106,260 to $338,100 | 50 |
| Florida | $313,510 | $147,230 to $388,980 | 370 |
| Georgia | $211,800 | $85,150 to $287,850 | 170 |
| Illinois | $381,770 | $269,110 to $546,570 | not published |
| Indiana | $340,300 | $254,550 to $342,700 | 380 |
| Iowa | $323,460 | $316,350 to $330,720 | 80 |
| Kansas | $224,280 | $198,690 to $439,120 | 30 |
| Kentucky | $324,390 | $294,540 to $331,770 | not published |
| Maryland | $253,670 | $203,040 to $322,640 | 70 |
| Massachusetts | $285,240 | $236,560 to $330,960 | 320 |
| Michigan | $303,070 | $81,300 to $373,430 | 140 |
| Minnesota | $362,270 | $362,270 to $486,990 | 550 |
| Mississippi | $261,570 | $248,400 to $276,020 | 50 |
| Missouri | $261,830 | $207,450 to $348,640 | not published |
| Nebraska | $229,140 | $97,300 to $425,810 | 90 |
| Nevada | $384,350 | $139,540 to $384,550 | 40 |
| New Hampshire | not published | not published | 70 |
| New Jersey | $355,970 | $123,990 to $377,790 | 230 |
| New York | $321,550 | $207,560 to $426,160 | 1,220 |
| North Carolina | $248,940 | $248,940 to $355,250 | 340 |
| North Dakota | $239,200 or more | $239,200 or more to $239,200 or more | 30 |
| Ohio | $309,480 | $121,980 to $420,760 | 600 |
| Oklahoma | $317,850 | $293,490 to $412,150 | 130 |
| Oregon | $239,200 or more | $239,200 or more to $239,200 or more | 150 |
| Pennsylvania | $413,370 | $298,970 to $455,420 | 210 |
| Rhode Island | $322,950 | $309,380 to $362,900 | not published |
| South Carolina | $236,950 | $208,500 to $323,270 | 80 |
| Texas | $345,830 | $242,610 to $381,660 | 1,530 |
| Vermont | $188,250 | $81,320 to $492,180 | not published |
| Virginia | $240,780 | $178,580 to $320,870 | 110 |
| Washington | $300,680 | $214,780 to $324,990 | 200 |
| West Virginia | $400,070 | $64,350 to $402,660 | 50 |
| Wisconsin | $83,610 | $68,330 to $288,080 | 130 |
Nationally: $312,400. 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 10 of its 19 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Diagnose diseases or study medical conditions, using techniques such as gross pathology, histology, cytology, cytopathology, clinical chemistry, immunology, flow cytometry, or molecular biology. | Not published |
| Not much | Examine microscopic samples to identify diseases or other abnormalities. | Not published |
| AI alone | Write pathology reports summarizing analyses, results, and conclusions. | Not published |
| AI + software | Identify the etiology, pathogenesis, morphological change, and clinical significance of diseases. | Not published |
| AI + software | Communicate pathologic findings to surgeons or other physicians. | Not published |
| AI + software | Read current literature, talk with colleagues, or participate in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of developments in pathology. | Not published |
See all 19 tasks
| AI + software | Consult with physicians about ordering and interpreting tests or providing treatments. | Not published |
| Not much | Educate physicians, students, and other personnel in medical laboratory professions, such as medical technology, cytotechnology, or histotechnology. | Not published |
| AI + software | Analyze and interpret results from tests, such as microbial or parasite tests, urine analyses, hormonal assays, fine needle aspirations (FNAs), and polymerase chain reactions (PCRs). | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Review cases by analyzing autopsies, laboratory findings, or case investigation reports. | Not published |
| Not much | Plan and supervise the work of the pathology staff, residents, or visiting pathologists. | Not published |
| AI + software | Develop or adopt new tests or instruments to improve diagnosis of diseases. | Not published |
| AI + software | Manage medical laboratories. | Not published |
| Not much | Perform autopsies to determine causes of deaths. | Not published |
| Not much | Conduct genetic analyses of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) or chromosomes to diagnose small biopsies and cell samples. | Not published |
| Not much | Obtain specimens by performing procedures, such as biopsies or fine needle aspirations (FNAs) of superficial nodules. | Not published |
| Not much | Diagnose infections, such as Hepatitis B and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), by conducting tests to detect the antibodies that patients' immune systems make to fight such infections. | Not published |
| AI + software | Conduct research and present scientific findings. | Not published |
| Not much | Testify in depositions or trials as an expert witness. | 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. 1 of the 19 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 19 tasks fall under 17 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
- #20 Present research or technical information
- #26 Research healthcare issues
- and 1 more, in the table below
| 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 | |||
| Analyze biological or chemical substances or related data | |||
| Diagnose health conditions or disorders | |||
| Confer with healthcare or other professionals about patient care | |||
| Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise | |||
| Present research or technical information | |||
| Research healthcare issues | |||
| Research biological or ecological phenomena |
Show all 17 activities
| Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures | |||
| Prepare health or medical documents | |||
| Supervise personnel activities | |||
| Train others on health or medical topics | |||
| Operate laboratory or field equipment | |||
| Collect environmental or biological samples | |||
| Develop health assessment methods or programs | |||
| Present information in legal proceedings | |||
| Administer diagnostic tests to assess patient health |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- An explanation or answer42%
- An analysis or summary17%
- A document or report10%
- Advice or a recommendation5%
- A chart or visualization3%
How they worked with Claude
28% 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 physicians, pathologists 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”, “Neurologists”, “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
- 6% master's
- 3% professional doctorate
- 29% research doctorate
- 62% post-doctoral training
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 35 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/29-1222.00