Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2025
Pediatrician Salary in Albuquerque, NM
Healthcare · SOC 29-1221 · COL Index 94
Pediatricians in Albuquerque, NM earn a median salary of $214,520 as of 2025, with a 10th-to-90th percentile range of $133,990 to $313,200. The mean is $245,920 across approximately 140 workers. Adjusted for Albuquerque, NM's cost-of-living index of 94, the median equates to $228,213 of purchasing power in an average-cost U.S. metro.
Pediatrician in Albuquerque, NM pays modestly above the national median: $214,520 versus $201,922 nationally, roughly 6% above.
Cost-of-living in Albuquerque, NM runs below the national baseline (index 94.0). The cost-adjusted purchasing power of $214,520 works out to roughly $228,213 in national-baseline dollars — often higher real income than in high-cost coastal cities at the same gross wage. Wage distribution at the 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentiles: $166,202, $214,520, $263,860, $313,200. 140 Pediatrician workers are documented in Albuquerque, NM per the BLS OEWS survey. The percentile spread is the most useful framing — entry-level pay clusters near p25, mid-career near p50, senior-level near p75-p90.
Salary Distribution
Percentile Breakdown
| Percentile | Salary | COL-Adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| 10th Percentile (Entry Level) | $133,990 | $142,543 |
| 25th Percentile | $166,202 | $176,811 |
| 50th Percentile (Median) | $214,520 | $228,213 |
| 75th Percentile | $263,860 | $280,702 |
| 90th Percentile (Top Earners) | $313,200 | $333,191 |
What These Numbers Tell You
The 10th-to-90th percentile band for Pediatricians in Albuquerque, NM is moderately wide — the 90th-percentile worker earns about 2.3× the 10th-percentile worker. That is typical for a professional role with standard career progression: experience, scope, and employer size all matter, but the spread is not so extreme that the role bifurcates into separate sub-markets.
Albuquerque, NM's cost-of-living index of 94 runs below the U.S. average, so a $214,520 salary here has the equivalent purchasing power of about $228,213 in an average-cost metro. Lower nominal pay in markets like this often translates to comparable or better real income than higher headline numbers in coastal hubs.
Albuquerque, NM ranks #26 of 58 BLS-tracked metros for Pediatrician pay — in the upper half (45th percentile of metros) but not the top tier.
How to Use This in Negotiation
The classic negotiation move is to anchor your ask on the 75th percentile of the BLS band — $263,860 for Pediatricians in Albuquerque, NM — when you have meaningful experience, then bring evidence (years on the job, scope of past work, relevant certifications, comparable offers) to justify why you sit at that point in the distribution. Anchoring on the median when you have 5+ years of experience leaves money on the table; anchoring on the 90th percentile ($313,200) without strong evidence undercuts credibility.
For new entrants, the 25th-to-50th percentile band ($166,202–$214,520) is the realistic target. For mid-career workers, the median-to-75th band ($214,520–$263,860) is the right anchor. Senior specialists and managers should be benchmarking against the 75th-to-90th band ($263,860–$313,200).
For specific scripts and a full negotiation framework, see the data-driven salary negotiation guide. To benchmark your current pay, the salary percentile calculator places any number into the BLS distribution for this role and metro.
How This Salary Is Calculated
Wage figures come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program — a federal survey of about 1.2 million U.S. establishments, published once per year by Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) and Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code. The Albuquerque, NM percentile bands above (10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th) and the mean are pulled directly from the BLS data file for SOC code 29-1221 in this MSA. The COL-adjusted figure rebases salary to a U.S. national average COL of 100, using a composite index derived from public housing, food, and transportation data. Read the full methodology for details.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average Pediatrician salary in Albuquerque, NM?
Pediatricians in Albuquerque, NM earn a median salary of $214,520 as of 2025, based on Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data. The mean (employment-weighted average) is $245,920 across roughly 140 workers in this metro.
What is the salary range for Pediatricians in Albuquerque, NM?
Pay ranges from $133,990 at the 10th percentile to $313,200 at the 90th percentile — a $179,210 spread. The 25th-to-75th percentile band ($166,202 to $263,860) is the typical anchor for salary negotiation.
Is $214,520 a good Pediatrician salary in Albuquerque, NM?
$214,520 is the BLS median — half of Pediatricians in Albuquerque, NM earn more, half earn less. Whether it is "good" depends on your experience: new entrants typically land near the 25th percentile ($166,202), mid-career workers near the median, and senior specialists near or above the 75th percentile ($263,860). Cost-of-living-adjusted to a national average baseline, the median equates to $228,213.
How does Pediatrician pay in Albuquerque, NM compare to other metros?
Albuquerque, NM ranks #26 of 58 BLS-tracked metros for Pediatrician median pay. It sits in the upper half but not the top tier.
Where does this Pediatrician salary data come from?
Every wage figure comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program at bls.gov/oes — public domain federal data covering 1.2 million U.S. employers. The same data feeds the U.S. Department of Labor's prevailing wage system used for H-1B and federal contracting wage determinations.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Albuquerque, NM MSA, SOC 29-1221, 2025 release. Public domain. See bls.gov/oes. Cite as: "SalaryTruth, BLS OEWS 2025."
Last refreshed 2026-05-21 · 140 Pediatricians tracked in Albuquerque, NM.