Cardiologist: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get in.
The work, the tools, the pay range and the typical entry path, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.
10% of cardiologists earn less than this amount.
- Annual
- $107,190
- Hourly
- $51.53
- Source
- BLS May 2025
25% of cardiologists earn less than this amount.
- Annual
- $274,280
- Hourly
- $131.87
- Source
- BLS May 2025
Half of cardiologists earn more than this and half earn less.
- Annual
- $496,010
- Hourly
- $238.47
- Source
- BLS May 2025
75% of cardiologists earn less than this amount.
- Annual
- $610,060
- Hourly
- $293.30
- Source
- BLS May 2025
90% of cardiologists earn less than this amount.
- Annual
- $712,130
- Hourly
- $342.37
- Source
- BLS May 2025
Cardiologists diagnose, treat, manage, and prevent diseases or conditions of the cardiovascular system. The median pay is $496,010 a year ($238.47 an hour) (BLS, May 2025). BLS lists a doctoral or professional degree as the typical entry-level education (Employment Projections, 2025–35). O*NET has published only part of this occupation's profile, so no skills ratings are shown.
- Median pay
- $496,010
- BLS May 2025
- Employed in the U.S.
- 17,290
- BLS May 2025
- Preparation
- Job Zone 5 of 5
- extensive preparation · preliminary (O*NET)
- Typical entry-level education
- Doctoral or professional degree
- BLS Employment Projections
Data O*NET has published only part of its profile for this occupation: tasks, tools and technology, related occupations and a preliminary Job Zone. Its skills, knowledge, work activities and education and training survey data are not yet published (O*NET: “Data collection is currently underway to populate other parts of the profile”), so this page shows no skills ratings and no survey shares.
Cardiologists at a glance
Cardiologists in the United States earned a median annual wage of $496,010 in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
In its 2025–35 employment projections, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a doctoral or professional degree as the typical entry-level education for cardiologists in the United States.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35
BLS projects employment of cardiologists in the United States to grow 4.8% from 2025 to 2035, with about 500 openings a year on average, including replacement openings.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35
BLS estimated that 17,290 people were employed as cardiologists in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Every page for Cardiologists
What cardiologists do
Data Tasks O*NET lists for the occupation, in O*NET's order. O*NET has not yet published importance ratings for them, so they are not ranked.
- Administer emergency cardiac care for life-threatening heart problems, such as cardiac arrest and heart attack.
- Advise patients and community members concerning diet, activity, hygiene, or disease prevention.
- Answer questions that patients have about their health and well-being.
- Calculate valve areas from blood flow velocity measurements.
- Compare measurements of heart wall thickness and chamber sizes to standards to identify abnormalities, using the results of an echocardiogram.
- Conduct exercise electrocardiogram tests to monitor cardiovascular activity under stress.
- Conduct research to develop or test medications, treatments, or procedures that prevent or control disease or injury.
- Conduct tests of the pulmonary system, using a spirometer or other respiratory testing equipment.
Software cardiologists use
Data Examples reported for the occupation; employer demand flags from O*NET.
- Epic SystemsMedical softwareIn demand
- MEDITECH softwareMedical softwareHot technology
- Watchman MonitoringTransaction security and virus protection software
How this page is built
Tasks, tools, related occupations and the preliminary Job Zone come from O*NET 31.0, which has not yet published this occupation's skills, knowledge or education survey data. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The typical entry-level education comes from BLS Employment Projections 2025–35.
- How a specific employer defines the job.
- Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
- Which skills matter most: O*NET has not yet rated them for this occupation.
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program, Occupational projections, 2025–35 (released Aug 27, 2026; occupation.xlsx, Tables 1.2 and 1.10; retrieved Oct 25, 2026). Definitions.
How TryHired builds this data: sources, methods and downloads. Spotted an error? Report a correction.