Kaiser Permanente Physician Salary by Region (2026): What Each Permanente Group Pays, Specialty by Specialty

Kaiser Permanente employs about 25,500 physicians through eight separate Permanente Medical Groups, and each group sets its own pay. Most salary guides lump them together as “Kaiser.” This one doesn't. It uses what the groups themselves post: state pay transparency laws now require salary ranges in job listings in most Kaiser states, so there are real numbers, by specialty and region, for 2025 and 2026.

For how the partner and shareholder tracks work, the TPMG buy-in, the pension and the PSLF question, read our companion guide, Kaiser Permanente physician pension and partner track. This guide is about the pay.

How to read a Kaiser salary posting

The groups describe pay in different ways, and comparing them without adjusting is the most common mistake in Kaiser salary discussions.

Two consequences. First, a TPMG range should be read as base plus most of the listed incentive: a Walnut Creek family medicine posting lists $320,040 to $330,000 plus up to $45,900. Second, a Northwest range understates total pay by about a fifth, because the group puts 21% of salary toward retirement rather than matching your contributions.

Primary care pay by region

Primary care is the one specialty every group hires for, so it is the cleanest comparison. Posted full-time pay for family and internal medicine, 2025 and 2026:

Southern California pays the most on paper: its range includes incentives, but even TPMG's top base plus the full incentive ($375,900) falls short of SCPMG's range. The Mid-Atlantic is lowest: its postings say pay is based on MGMA data, and $244,000 is below Doximity's $325,040 national family medicine average. A Mid-Atlantic offer still has a pension after five years, a shareholder track after two, and a much cheaper housing market than the Bay Area.

Posted pay by specialty and region

Full-time posted ranges by specialty. Blank cells mean we found no posting with a range for that specialty and group. Read the column for Northern California as base pay before incentives, and the Northwest as base before its retirement contribution.

A few patterns stand out. Psychiatry is where Southern California pulls furthest ahead: $426K–$551K for adult psychiatry, and up to $577,975 for child psychiatry, against $354K–$370K in Northern California and under $335,000 in the Pacific Northwest. Anesthesiology in Northern California adds up to $108,570 in incentives to its base. And Northwest gastroenterology ($704K–$749K in Salem) is the highest GI figure we found anywhere at Kaiser.

Part-time and per-diem work is common, and posted hourly rates help you price it: Northern California psychiatry per diem pays $243 to $250 an hour, Southern California urgent care $154 to $158, and Washington OB/GYN locums $182 to $203.

Kaiser vs. the market

How do the two biggest groups compare with national averages? The table sets the midpoint of each posted range against Doximity's 2026 national average for the specialty. (TPMG midpoints exclude its separately listed incentives; Doximity's averages include private-practice physicians with ownership income.)

The pattern is consistent with how Kaiser pays. Salaries are set by specialty and longevity rather than personal production, so cognitive specialties do well (primary care, psychiatry and pediatrics in Southern California sit well above national averages) and procedural specialties trail, because there is no ownership income or procedure volume upside. Northern California's invasive cardiology midpoint is $443,250, 27% below the $604,635 national cardiology average. Southern California's wider ranges, which include incentives, put its anesthesiology and OB/GYN midpoints above the national averages, and gastroenterology is above market in both groups.

These figures leave out the benefits that make Kaiser competitive: a defined-benefit pension in most groups, employer retirement contributions, malpractice coverage including tail, and PSLF eligibility in many cases. Our Kaiser pension guide puts numbers on them. For a psychiatrist choosing between SCPMG at $426K–$551K and a national average of $350,786, Kaiser wins even before the pension.

What the pay is worth where it's paid

A higher salary in a more expensive market can buy less. The table takes the midpoint of each group's posted primary care pay, works out take-home pay for a single filer under 2026 tax rules, and compares it with the median single-family home price in the group's main metro.

On this measure Denver is the best value (3.1 years) and San Francisco–Oakland the hardest (7.5 years). Washington's lack of a state income tax lifts WPMG take-home to $225,204, about $25K more than Northern California's on similar pay. Southern California's higher pay mostly offsets Los Angeles prices; Northern California's does not offset Bay Area prices, which is one reason TPMG offers an interest-free home loan of up to $250,000. Run your own numbers with our take-home pay calculator and see our guide to buying a home as a physician.

Local physician pay overall tells a similar story. In Doximity's 2026 report, physicians in Kaiser's California and Seattle markets earn above the $438,269 national average, while the Washington, DC and Baltimore areas are among the lowest-paying metros, and Doximity ranks DC, Baltimore, Denver and San Francisco among the worst after adjusting for cost of living.

The eight Permanente groups

Northern California: The Permanente Medical Group (TPMG)

The largest group, with roughly 9,200 to 10,000 physicians and about 4.4 million members. A professional corporation: after about three years, physicians become shareholders, buying shares (physician-reported at $140,000 to $150,000) and remaining W-2 employees. Recruiting packages in 2026 postings include a forgivable loan of $275,000 to $325,000, an interest-free home loan of up to $250,000 for ten years, and up to $10,000 for moving. One physician on the White Coat Investor forum reports that shareholders move to a higher “base shareholder salary” by year five, closing a $30,000 to $35,000 gap in that specialty.

Southern California: Southern California Permanente Medical Group (SCPMG)

About 4.9 million members and the highest posted pay. A true partnership: after three consecutive full-time years (six part-time), physicians are considered for partner, with compensation as a K-1 owner. Pay rises with years in the group. Current postings say no buy-in is required. Signing bonuses are the largest in the system: $175,000 for primary care, $150,000 for PM&R and urology, up to $300,000 for hematology and oncology (plus retention up to $350,000), and $300,000 or more for anesthesiology and dermatology.

Northwest Permanente (Oregon and southwest Washington)

More than 1,300 physicians in 54 specialties. Northwest Permanente affiliated with TPMG in April 2025 after Oregon regulators approved the deal. Base pay is lower than California's, but the group contributes 21% of salary to retirement, including a pension, rather than matching. Postings offer up to $125,000 in student loan help or a $50,000 signing bonus in some specialties, relocation up to $15,000, and a paid sabbatical after shareholder status.

Washington Permanente Medical Group (WPMG)

More than 1,000 physicians and other clinicians in the Seattle area and across Washington, with a pathway to shareholder status. Washington has no state income tax, which adds roughly $20,000 or more a year to take-home pay compared with the same salary in California. Postings describe a 401(k) with a 10% to 11% employer contribution and a cash-balance pension, signing bonuses of $30,000 to $90,000, relocation up to $13,000, and a $100,000 bonus for some primary care roles.

Colorado Permanente Medical Group (CPMG)

More than 1,100 physicians serving about 500,000 members, led since March 2026 by Greg Berman. Pay is posted as a minimum and maximum based on experience and FTE. Benefits include both a pension (cash-balance) and a 401(k) match, and starting bonuses of $50,000 to $75,000 for primary care. Colorado's flat 4.4% income tax is among the lowest of Kaiser's states with an income tax.

The Southeast Permanente Medical Group (TSPMG, Georgia)

More than 670 physicians in the Atlanta area, with a pension, a 401(k) and a pathway to shareholder status. TSPMG doesn't post salary ranges, since Georgia has no pay transparency law, so its pay has to come from your offer. Georgia's flat income tax fell to 4.99% for 2026, and Atlanta's median home price is among the lowest of any Kaiser market.

Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group (MAPMG: Maryland, Virginia, DC)

About 1,800 physicians serving about 750,000 members, affiliated with TPMG since 2009. MAPMG has the shortest shareholder track, two years, and its benefits include a 5% 401(k) contribution and a pension that vests after five years. Starting salaries are the lowest in the system for primary care ($244,000) and pediatrics ($192,000), but competitive for anesthesiology ($470,000) and urology ($475,000). Note that Maryland adds a county income tax of up to 3.3%.

Hawaii Permanente Medical Group (HPMG)

Nearly 800 physicians and advanced practice clinicians serving more than 270,000 members. HPMG has the richest retirement package we found: a fully employer-funded pension, a 401(k), discretionary profit sharing of about 10.5% after two years, and retiree medical coverage, the only group where we confirmed it. Salaries are moderate (internal medicine $265,400; Maui family medicine $281,600), Hawaii's top income tax rate is 11%, and Honolulu's median home is over $1.1 million.

Signing bonuses, loans and relocation

Kaiser recruits hard where it is short, and the money can be worth a year's pay difference. From 2025 and 2026 postings:

• Northern California: forgivable loan of $275,000 to $325,000 (primary care); home loan up to $250,000, interest-free for ten years; moving up to $10,000.
• Southern California: signing bonuses of $175,000 (primary care), $150,000 (PM&R, urology), up to $300,000 (hematology/oncology, with retention up to $350,000), and $300,000 to $450,000 in some anesthesiology postings; pediatrics $25,000 or a $125,000 advance-on-pay bonus.
• Northwest: up to $125,000 in student loan help or a $50,000 signing bonus; relocation up to $15,000.
• Washington: signing bonuses of $30,000 to $90,000, a $100,000 primary care bonus in some postings, $75,000 for psychiatry; relocation up to $13,000.
• Colorado: starting bonuses of $50,000 to $75,000 (primary care) and $100,000 (hematology/oncology).
• Hawaii: $150,000 signing bonus and $35,000 relocation for medical oncology.

Read the strings. Forgivable loans and signing bonuses usually require you to stay a set number of years and are repaid, often pro rata, if you leave early, and a forgivable loan is taxed as income as it is forgiven. Our signing bonus guide covers clawbacks and taxes.

How Kaiser pay grows

Kaiser doesn't pay on personal wRVUs. Pay is set by specialty and longevity, with a step at partnership or shareholder status. What the postings and physicians report:

• Southern California sets pay by “longevity with the Group and FTE,” and physicians report pay rising over about seven years before flattening. One anesthesiologist reported about $420,000 after year one and partners at about $500,000 after ten years (self-reported, several years old).
• Northern California raises take effect each July 1. Physicians report larger raises early and about 1% a year after 10 to 15 years, and a step up to shareholder pay around year five (self-reported).
• Mid-Atlantic postings show the schedule moving each July 1: primary care from $240,000 to $244,000 in 2026, urology from $450,000 to $475,000 in 2025.
• Washington places new hires in the lower part of each range and moves them up; Colorado places by years of experience.

The practical consequence: Kaiser's early-career pay is often at or above market, and its late-career pay flattens where private practice keeps growing. The pension, which rewards long service, is designed to make up the difference for physicians who stay.

Which region is best for your specialty

• Primary care and psychiatry: Southern California pays the most outright. Colorado, the Northwest and Washington are the strongest value once taxes and housing are counted.
• Hospital medicine: Northern California and Washington are close on base pay, and Northern California's incentive of up to $45K tips it.
• Emergency medicine: Northern California ($417K–$430K base plus up to $61K) beats Southern California's $362K–$461K, which already includes incentives.
• Anesthesiology: Southern California ($556K–$644K, plus large signing bonuses) leads; Northern California is competitive once its incentive is included.
• Procedural specialties: Kaiser pays below private-practice averages everywhere. Choose Kaiser for the stability and pension, and pick the group by location; Colorado's cardiology range ($538K–$633K) is the strongest we found.
• Retirement-focused: Hawaii (fully funded pension plus retiree medical) and the Northwest (21% of salary to retirement) have the strongest packages.

What you can negotiate at Kaiser

1. Where you start on the schedule. Ask how prior attending years and fellowship training are credited. Postings in Washington and Colorado say placement depends on experience.
2. The signing package. Bonuses, forgivable loans and home loans vary by need. Ask what is available for your specialty and site, and what the repayment terms are.
3. Incentives. Ask how the listed incentives are earned and what share of physicians receive them in full.
4. FTE and schedule. Ranges are prorated by FTE. A 0.9 FTE with a four-day week can be the better deal per hour.
5. Shareholder or partner timing. Get the eligibility rules in writing, including the full-time requirement before consideration.
6. Site. The same group can pay more, or offer bigger bonuses, at harder-to-fill locations.

Compare any offer against your specialty's averages with our pay benchmark, and read our salary negotiation guide and other employer guides before you answer.