Earnings

• Obstetricians and gynecologists make a mean $98.31 per hour or $204,470 per year, as of May 2009, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistic (BLS). The lowest-earning 10 percent make $47.85 or $99,520, while the top 50 percent make $80 or $166,400.
  
  

Workplaces

• The best-paying workplaces for these professions are: the offices of physicians, with wages at $101.18 or $210.48, according to the BLS; specialty hospitals, not including psychiatric and substance abuse, at $97.00 or $201,760; and general hospitals, at $92.88 or $193,190. Both the offices of physicians and general hospitals offer the most job opportunities for obstetricians and gynecologists, followed by outpatient care centers, with wages at $83.72 or $174,130.
  
  

States

• The states with the highest-paid gynecologists and obstetricians are Wisconsin, South Dakota and Iowa, all with earnings at more than $80 or $166,400. However, these states do not offer the highest concentrations of jobs. That distinction belongs to New Mexico, with earnings at $82.51 or $171,620, Hawaii at $82.73 or $172,090, and Connecticut at $100.56 or $209,160.
  
  

Cities

• The cities where employers pay the highest salaries are Barnstable Town, Massachusetts, Virginia Beach, Virginia, and Santa Cruz, California, with wages at more than $80 or $166,400. However, the cities with the most obstetricians and gynecologists per capita are: Jackson, Mississippi, with pay at $97.68 or $203,170; Albuquerque, New Mexico, at $80.68 or $167,820; and Yakima, Washington, at $103.16 or $214,560.
  
  

Outlook

• The BLS predicts a growth of 22 percent for obstetricians and gynecologists from 2008 to 2018, which is faster than average. The increase will come from the expansion of health-related industries and a growing population that demands those industries. Job opportunities will be good, especially for those who can practice in low-income and rural areas because those areas face difficulties in attracting qualified doctors.