How much do cardiologists make in 2026?
Cardiologists earn a national median of $496,010 a year ($238.47 an hour) per BLS OEWS May 2025 (SOC 29-1212), the highest median of any occupational code BLS publishes. The 25th percentile is $274,280 and the 90th percentile reaches $712,130, while the reported 10th percentile of $107,190 reflects fellows in training counted inside the same code. Procedural mix determines the rest: non-invasive and imaging cardiology sits in the lower half of the attending range, interventional cardiology with catheterisation-laboratory call sits well above the median, and electrophysiology with device implantation and ablation occupies the top decile. Employment growth is 4.1% through 2034 with roughly 600 openings a year on a small, fellowship-constrained base. → Full cardiologist career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $496,010 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Cardiologists earn a national median $496,010/yr ($238.47/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 29-1212); the P10 to P90 range is $107,190 to $712,130.
- Cardiology carries the highest median BLS publishes for any occupation at $496,010, and the $274,280 25th percentile is the realistic attending floor rather than the $107,190 P10.
- Procedural mix, not tenure, sets position in the range: interventional and electrophysiology practice sits above non-invasive imaging cardiology by a wide margin.
- Employment growth is 4.1% through 2034 with roughly 600 openings a year, so the pay is defended by a fellowship pipeline that cannot expand quickly, not by hiring volume.
US Cardiologist Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do cardiologists earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 29-1212; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 29-1212, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does a cardiologist earn at each career stage?
Cardiology is a fellowship specialty with no licence tiers above board certification, so the stages below follow training and procedural scope. Each median is anchored to the BLS distribution for SOC 29-1212.
By State
Which states pay cardiologists the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates — the BLS national median scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index — not BLS state observations. Cardiology pay tracks procedural volume and hospital contract structure rather than local wage levels, and high-volume regional referral centres outside major metros frequently pay above them.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($570,410), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
cardiologist pay by state — all 5 state guides
By Metro
Which cities pay cardiologists the most?
Modeled metro estimates: the national median scaled by the state wage index and then by the published metro index for that state. For a procedure-driven specialty these are illustrative wage levels, not BLS metropolitan-area observations.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a cardiologist’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does cardiologist pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Cardiologists sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify cardiologist wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a cardiologist actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Cardiologist Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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