10 numbers show resident pay still falls short

Average resident pay rose 5.4% from 2025, according to Medscape's "Resident Salary & Debt Report 2026," released Oct. 20. Of the 509 residents Medscape surveyed, 57% said their pay doesn't cover what their household needs.

Data from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the nation's largest resident union and peer-reviewed studies in JAMA Network Open and PLOS One fill in the costs residents carry into and through training: rent, child care, education debt and a new federal limit on how much future medical students can borrow.

The 10 numbers in this slideshow count down to the one that matters most for a resident's paycheck.

Click the arrow to start.