Career
Neurologists
Diagnose and treat disorders of the brain and nerves.
$248,560
Median pay
+6.4%
Job growth, 2025–35
300
Openings a year
Doctoral or professional degree
Typical education
7–8 years
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Interview patients to obtain information, such as complaints, symptoms, medical histories, and family histories.
- 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.
- Perform or interpret the outcomes of procedures or diagnostic tests, such as lumbar punctures, electroencephalography, electromyography, and nerve conduction velocity tests.
- Order or interpret results of laboratory analyses of patients' blood or cerebrospinal fluid.
- Diagnose neurological conditions based on interpretation of examination findings, histories, or test results.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on ideas & analysis, then people & care?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Interview patients to obtain information, such as complaints, symptoms, medical histories, and family histories.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Social Perceptiveness.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
7–8 years of education after high school (doctoral or professional degree), for a median of $248,560 a year and 300 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- MedicineCIP 51.1201
- Osteopathic Medicine/OsteopathyCIP 51.1202
- Internal Medicine/Neurology Combined Specialty ProgramCIP 61.0114
- Psychiatry/Neurology Combined Specialty ProgramCIP 61.0124
- Neurology Residency ProgramCIP 61.1101
- Child Neurology Residency ProgramCIP 61.1102
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Pediatric Surgeons$559,030 · +2.0%
- Cardiologists$496,010 · +4.8%
- Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric$358,550 · +4.0%
- General Internal Medicine Physicians$256,560 · +4.0%
- Pediatricians, General$210,040 · +1.5%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
Not sure this fits who you are? Start with Vocational Finder →
Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.