The Salary Index
Salary data is based on the Modesto, CA metropolitan area and applied to Modesto using local cost-of-living adjustments.

Pediatricians Salaries in Modesto, CA

Average Base Pay

$191,990/yr

Monthly

$15,999

Hourly

$92

Cost Index

93

Pediatricians in Modesto, CA earn an average of $191,990 per year, with most salaries falling between $153,592 and $230,388 depending on experience, employer, and specialization. Modesto salaries align closely with the national average for this role, in part reflecting a local cost of living index of 93. For professionals evaluating a move or negotiating an offer, the headline salary is only part of the picture—what matters most is how far that income actually goes once taxes, rent, and daily expenses are factored in. The sections below break that down in full for Modesto.

Salary Range

The chart below shows the full compensation spectrum for this role, from entry-level to senior positions. The highlighted center bars represent the 25th–75th percentile band where most professionals are paid.

$144K
Low
$192K
Median
$240K
High
25th percentile: $163K75th percentile: $221K

About Pediatricians

Physicians diagnose and treat illnesses, injuries, and medical conditions across a wide range of specialties. General practitioners and family medicine physicians manage undifferentiated health problems and chronic conditions for patients of all ages, serving as the primary point of care and coordinating specialist referrals. Internists focus on adult medicine and often subspecialize in areas such as cardiology, gastroenterology, oncology, or pulmonology. Surgeons perform operative procedures to treat conditions ranging from appendicitis and cancer to orthopedic injuries and heart disease. Psychiatrists diagnose and treat mental health conditions using medication management and psychotherapy. Emergency physicians manage acute and life-threatening conditions in high-acuity settings. Pediatricians care for infants, children, and adolescents. Pathologists diagnose disease through laboratory analysis of tissue, blood, and other specimens. Radiologists interpret medical imaging studies. The educational pathway requires four years of medical school following a bachelor's degree, three to seven years of residency training, and often additional fellowship training in a subspecialty. Physicians are licensed by state medical boards and must maintain board certification through continuous medical education and periodic examinations.

What Pediatricians Do

  • Obtain patient history and perform physical examinations
  • Diagnose conditions based on clinical findings and diagnostic test results
  • Develop and implement individualized treatment plans
  • Prescribe medications and therapies
  • Order and interpret diagnostic tests including laboratory studies and imaging
  • Perform procedures appropriate to specialty
  • Coordinate care with specialists, nurses, and allied health professionals
  • Maintain accurate medical records and complete documentation

Key Skills & Qualifications

  • Clinical assessment and diagnostic reasoning
  • Medical knowledge across pathophysiology, pharmacology, and treatment
  • Procedure-specific technical skills relevant to specialty
  • Patient communication and shared decision-making
  • Interpretation of laboratory and radiographic data
  • Electronic health record documentation
  • MD or DO degree, residency completion, and board certification
  • Medical licensure in state(s) of practice

Career Path

  1. Medical Student
  2. Resident Physician
  3. Attending Physician
  4. Subspecialty Fellow
  5. Department Chief / Medical Director

Pediatricians Market in Modesto, CA

Salary Competitiveness

Modesto salaries for Pediatricians track closely with the national median, diverging by less than 4%. This alignment suggests a competitive but balanced local market—employers are broadly in step with national pay scales, which can make benchmark comparisons more reliable when negotiating.

Cost of Living Impact

Modesto sits close to the national cost average. Monthly essential expenses represent about 21% of take-home pay for this role—a midrange ratio that allows for modest savings and discretionary spending, provided housing costs remain stable.

Effective Purchasing Power

After adjusting for local taxes and cost of living, a Pediatricians earning $191,990 in Modesto reaches a strong purchasing-power position. The effective standard of living this income supports is materially higher than the gross number alone implies—a useful data point for professionals comparing offers across metro areas.

vs. National Avg

≈ Average

Cost Pressure

21%

Purchasing Power

Strong

Take-Home Pay Calculator

Enter any gross salary to see how federal and state taxes affect your actual take-home pay, broken down by year, month, and week. Results use an estimated effective tax rate of 27% based on this location and income level.

$
Take-home (73%)Taxes (27%)

Annual Net

$140,153

Monthly

$11,679

Weekly

$2,695

Eff. Tax Rate

27%

A gross salary of $191,990 for a Pediatricians in Modesto translates to roughly $11,679 in monthly take-home pay after estimated federal and state taxes. Set against monthly living costs of $2,502—covering housing, food, transportation, utilities, and healthcare—that leaves approximately $9,177 per month in disposable income. That margin, not the gross number, is what determines whether you can comfortably cover rent, build savings, and afford discretionary spending in Modesto's current market.

How far does this salary go in Modesto?

Cost of Living in Modesto

Estimated monthly expenses for a single person in Modesto, benchmarked against US regional price indices for housing, food, transportation, utilities, and healthcare.

Cost Index

93

Below Avg — US average is 100. Based on a single person (1-bed apartment).

🏠Housing / Rent$1,420/mo
🍔Food & Groceries$465/mo
🚗Transportation$130/mo
💡Utilities$195/mo
🏥Healthcare$292/mo
Monthly$2,502
Annual$30,024
Disposable Income$9,177

Financial Reality Check

This section compares estimated monthly take-home pay against typical living costs in Modesto to show your real disposable income—the amount remaining after essential bills are paid each month.

Monthly Take-Home

$11,679

Living Costs

$2,502

Disposable

$9,177

Cost Index

93

Lifestyle

Comfortable

With a monthly take-home of $11,679, your estimated living costs in Modesto are $2,502 ($30,024/yr). This leaves $9,177 per month in disposable income, indicating a comfortable standard of living. Modesto's cost of living is 7% below the national average.

Overall, a Pediatricians earning $191,990 in Modesto falls into a comfortable lifestyle tier and has meaningful room to save, invest, and absorb unexpected expenses without financial stress. With a cost index of 93, Modesto is 7% more affordable than the national average, which extends your purchasing power. Regardless of tier, prioritizing retirement contributions, an emergency fund of three to six months' expenses, and incremental debt reduction will yield the greatest long-term financial stability—especially as living costs in Modesto continue to evolve.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Pediatricians · Modesto, CAat avg

Gross Salary

$191,990/yr

Take-home

$11,679/mo

Disposable

$9,177/mo

Lifestyle

Comfortable

Source: thesalaryindex.com · BLS data

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Salary estimates are based on BLS metro data and adjusted using cost-of-living indices.