Cardiologists in the US earn an average of $454,940 per year, with interventional cardiologists earning $500,000-$700,000+ — making cardiology one of the highest-paying medical specialties.
This career requires 14-16 years of training after high school, including 3 years of internal medicine residency followed by 3+ years of cardiology fellowship. The payoff is a stable, high-income career treating the nation’s #1 cause of death. Subspecialty choice dramatically affects both income and lifestyle.
Pay at a Glance (BLS Data)
Bureau of Labor Statistics wage estimates for cardiologists, across all industries:
Percentile
Annual Wage
Hourly Equivalent
10th (entry level)
$107,190
$51.53
25th
$274,280
$131.87
50th (median)
$496,010
$238.47
75th
$610,060
$293.30
90th
$712,130
$342.37
Average (mean)
$454,940
$218.72
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, for Cardiologists (all industries). Hourly figures are annual wages divided by 2,080 hours. “Not published” means BLS withheld the estimate, usually because wages are above its top reporting limit.
What Cardiologists Actually Do
Cardiologists diagnose and treat diseases of the heart and cardiovascular system. The specialty divides into procedural (interventional) and non-procedural (noninvasive) tracks.
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, 2025 estimates, fetched 2026-09-29. Figures cover Cardiologists (cross-industry). Some states are omitted where BLS did not publish a reliable estimate.
Lower Paying States (But Still Highly Paid)
For current pay in every state, see the BLS state table on this page.
Underserved Area Premium
Location Type
Salary Premium
Typical Total (Interventional)
Rural hospital
+10-25%
$650,000-$750,000
Community hospital (non-metro)
+5-15%
$600,000-$700,000
Urban academic center
Baseline
$400,000-$500,000
Suburban community
+5-10%
$550,000-$650,000
Key insight: Cardiologists willing to work in non-academic, non-metro settings earn significantly more. Rural Florida, Texas, and Georgia offer peak compensation.
Cardiologist Salary by Work Setting
Detailed Setting Comparison
Setting
Pros
Cons
Private practice (owner)
Autonomy, upside
Business risk, overhead
Large cardiology group
Good income, partnership
Less autonomy
Hospital employed
Stability, benefits
Lower ceiling
Academic medical center
Research, teaching
Lower pay
Multi-specialty group
Referrals, stability
Shared economics
Veterans Affairs
Benefits, pension, work-life
Lower pay
Locum tenens
Highest pay, flexibility
No stability
Private Practice Economics
Metric
Solo Practice
Group Practice (Partner)
Gross collections
$1.2M-$2.0M
$1.5M-$3.0M per partner
Overhead
40-50%
35-45%
Take-home (noninvasive)
$550,000-$700,000
$500,000-$600,000
Take-home (interventional)
$700,000-$1,000,000+
$650,000-$850,000
Risk
High
Shared
Call coverage
Expensive to cover
Shared
Cardiologist Salary by Experience
Experience Level
Noninvasive
Interventional
Notes
New attending (1-2 years)
$300,000-$375,000
$425,000-$500,000
Building practice/volume
Early career (3-5 years)
$375,000-$450,000
$525,000-$625,000
Established referrals
Mid-career (6-10 years)
$425,000-$500,000
$600,000-$725,000
Peak productivity
Established (11-20 years)
$450,000-$550,000
$650,000-$800,000
Leadership, partnership
Senior partner (20+ years)
$500,000-$650,000+
$750,000-$1,000,000+
Full ownership, reputation
Career Earnings Timeline
Age
Career Stage
Annual Income
Cumulative Earnings
22-26
Medical school
-$50,000/yr (debt)
-$200,000
26-29
IM Residency
$65,000
-$15,000
29-32
Cardiology Fellowship
$80,000
+$225,000
32-34
Subspecialty Fellowship
$85,000
+$395,000
34-38
Early Attending
$500,000
+$2,395,000
38-45
Mid-Career
$650,000
+$6,945,000
45-55
Senior
$750,000
+$14,445,000
55-65
Late Career
$700,000
+$21,445,000
Lifetime earnings: An interventional cardiologist working to 65 earns $15-$25+ million in career income.
Path to Becoming a Cardiologist
Complete Training Timeline
Stage
Duration
Typical Earnings
Debt Impact
College (pre-med)
4 years
N/A
+$50,000-$200,000
Internal medicine residency
3 years
$62,000-$85,000
Interest accrues
Cardiology fellowship
3 years
$75,000-$95,000
Interest accrues
Interventional/EP fellowship
1-2 years
$80,000-$100,000
Interest accrues
Total training after HS
14-16 years
$300,000-$500,000 debt
Fellowship Competitiveness
Fellowship Type
Match Rate
Spots/Year
Competitiveness
General cardiology
~65-70%
~900
High
Interventional cardiology
~70% of applicants
~350
Very high
Electrophysiology
~75%
~200
Very high
Heart failure
~80%
~100
High
Cardiac imaging
~85%
~75
Moderate
What Makes a Competitive Applicant
Factor
Weight
How to Stand Out
Internal medicine residency
Very High
Top program, excellent evaluations
Research
High
Publications in cardiology journals
USMLE scores
Moderate
Step 1: 240+, Step 2: 250+
Letters of recommendation
Very High
From cardiology faculty
Away rotations
High
Visibility at target programs
Leadership
Moderate
Chief resident, committees
Interventional Cardiologist Breakdown
Interventional cardiology is highly procedural with revenue directly tied to volume:
Procedure Revenue Impact
Procedure Type
Average Revenue/Procedure
Volume Impact on Salary
Diagnostic catheterization
$1,500-$3,000
High volume, steady
Coronary stents (PCI)
$5,000-$12,000
Primary revenue driver
TAVR procedures
$15,000-$25,000
Very high revenue
Peripheral vascular
$3,000-$8,000
Additional revenue stream
Structural heart (other)
$8,000-$20,000
Premium compensation
Setting Impact on Interventional Salary
Setting
Interventional Salary
Case Volume (annual)
Call
High-volume hospital
$650,000-$850,000
300-500+ PCI
Heavy
Average community hospital
$500,000-$650,000
150-300 PCI
Moderate
Academic center
$400,000-$500,000
100-200 PCI
Shared
Rural/underserved
$600,000-$750,000
Varies
Heavy
Private practice (owner)
$700,000-$1,200,000+
300-500+ PCI
Heavy
STEMI Call Reality
Aspect
Impact
Frequency
1:3 to 1:5 nights/weekends
Response time requirement
90 minutes door-to-balloon
Night/weekend emergencies
Regular occurrence
Stress level
High during activations
Compensation for call
Often built into salary
Electrophysiologist Salary (Detailed)
Setting
EP Salary
Case Mix
Private practice
$550,000-$750,000
High-volume ablation, devices
Hospital employed
$450,000-$575,000
Mixed
Academic
$350,000-$475,000
Complex cases, training
High-volume ablation practice
$650,000-$900,000+
AF ablation focus
EP Procedure Revenue
Procedure
Revenue Range
Volume
Pacemaker implant
$3,000-$6,000
High
ICD implant
$5,000-$10,000
Moderate
AF ablation
$8,000-$18,000
High value
VT ablation
$10,000-$20,000
Complex
Lead extraction
$10,000-$25,000
Specialized
Cardiologist After-Tax Income
Gross Salary
Federal Income Tax
Social Security + Medicare
Take-Home Before State Tax
Monthly
$350,000
$85,634
$17,864
$246,502
$20,542
$450,000
$120,634
$20,214
$309,152
$25,763
$550,000
$155,634
$22,564
$371,802
$30,983
$650,000
$190,634
$24,914
$434,452
$36,204
$750,000
$227,500
$27,264
$495,236
$41,270
$900,000
$283,000
$30,789
$586,211
$48,851
2026 federal income tax for a single filer taking the standard deduction ($16,100), plus Social Security and Medicare. Not included: state and local income tax, retirement contributions and other pre-tax deductions. For your own situation, use the take-home pay calculator.
Context: An interventional cardiologist earning $650,000 keeps about $434,000 after 2026 federal income tax and FICA, before state tax — roughly $209 an hour over a 40-hour week (but actual hours are often higher).
Cardiology Lifestyle Comparison
Factor
Noninvasive
Interventional
EP
Typical hours/week
45-50
55-70+
50-60
Call frequency
1:7 to 1:10
1:3 to 1:5
1:4 to 1:6
Weekend work
Rare
Common
Occasional
Night emergencies
Very rare
Regular (STEMI)
Occasional
Physical demand
Low
Moderate (standing)
Moderate
Burnout risk
Lower
Higher
Moderate
Procedure stress
None
High
Moderate
Work-life balance
Good
Challenging
Fair
Flexibility
Good
Limited
Moderate
Cardiologist Job Outlook
Metric
Data
Job growth (2025-2035, physicians and surgeons overall)
4%
Fellowship competitiveness
Very high
Demand outlook
Strong due to aging population
Starting positions available
Good (especially non-academic)
Demand Factors
Factor
Impact
Aging population
Heart disease increases with age — demand rising
Structural heart growth
TAVR and new procedures creating opportunities
Prevention emphasis
Growing need for preventive cardiology
Rural shortages
Significant underservice in non-metro areas
Retiring cardiologists
Many cardiologists approaching retirement
Challenges
Challenge
Impact
Reimbursement pressure
Medicare rates declining
Prior authorization burden
Administrative overhead increasing
Employment consolidation
Fewer private practices
Documentation requirements
More EHR time
Is Cardiology a Good Career?
Pros of Being a Cardiologist
Advantage
Details
Very high income
$350K-$700K+ with clear path to wealth
Job security
Heart disease is #1 killer — always in demand
Intellectual challenge
Complex physiology, advancing technology
Procedural variety
Mix of clinic, imaging, procedures
Patient relationships
Long-term care of chronic conditions
Respected specialty
High regard within medicine
Multiple subspecialties
Choose lifestyle/income balance
Lifestyle option
Noninvasive offers good work-life balance
Cons of Being a Cardiologist
Disadvantage
Details
Very long training
14-16 years before attending salary
Massive debt
$300K-$500K common at graduation
Delayed gratification
Mid-30s before earning potential realized
Interventional call burden
Night/weekend STEMIs disrupt life
Administrative burden
Prior auths, documentation, insurance
Burnout risk
Especially interventional cardiology
Reimbursement declining
Medicare rates pressured
Physical demands
Standing for procedures, radiation exposure
Who Should Become a Cardiologist?
Good Fit
Not Good Fit
Fascinated by cardiovascular physiology
Chose for income alone
Comfortable with 14-16 year commitment
Wants quick path to earnings
Enjoys mix of clinic + procedures (or just clinic)
Prefers surgical/OR only
Handles high-stakes decisions
Avoids life-death pressure
Patient with training pipeline
Frustrated by delayed gratification
Values long-term patient relationships
Prefers episodic care
Building Wealth as a Cardiologist
Debt Payoff Strategy
Strategy
Timeline
Monthly Payment
Interest Paid
Standard repayment
10 years
$5,500
~$150,000
Aggressive payoff
3-5 years
$10,000-$15,000
~$50,000-$80,000
PSLF (academic)
10 years + forgiveness
Income-based
$0 (if public)
Wealth Accumulation by Age
Age
Career Stage
Annual Income
Net Worth (typical)
32-34
Fellowship
$85,000
-$400,000 (debt)
34-38
Early attending
$500,000
$200,000
38-45
Mid-career
$650,000
$1,500,000
45-55
Senior
$750,000
$4,000,000
55-65
Late career
$700,000
$8,000,000+
Financial Strategies
Strategy
Details
Live like a resident years 1-3
Pay off debt aggressively
Max retirement accounts
$23K 401(k) + $7K IRA + backdoor Roth
Disability insurance
Protect $500K+ earning capacity
Tax-advantaged accounts
HSA, 529, deferred comp if available
Real estate
Many physicians invest in syndications
Avoid lifestyle inflation
$700K income ≠ $700K lifestyle
Bottom Line
Cardiologists earn a BLS median of $496,010 (May 2025), with interventional subspecialists typically at the top — making cardiology one of the highest-paying medical careers.
Key takeaways:
Subspecialty choice defines your career — Interventional earns 40-60% more but with significantly more call, stress, and hours. Noninvasive offers excellent work-life balance.
14-16 years of training required — You won’t earn attending salary until your mid-30s. The payoff is substantial, but the opportunity cost is real.
Location matters enormously — underserved areas and private practice generally pay more than academic centers in coastal cities.
Private practice offers highest ceiling — Employed positions offer stability, but private practice owners can earn considerably more.
Lifetime earnings are exceptional — Interventional cardiologists earn $15-25M+ over their careers despite the late start.
Job security is strong — Heart disease is the #1 cause of death. An aging population ensures continued demand.
For those fascinated by cardiovascular medicine and willing to commit to the long training path, cardiology offers financial security, intellectual challenge, and the opportunity to treat life-threatening conditions. The subspecialty choice allows you to optimize for income (interventional) or lifestyle (noninvasive) based on your priorities.
WealthVieu researches and writes data-driven personal finance guides using primary sources including the IRS, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Reserve, and Census Bureau.
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