Cardiologists
SOC code 29-1212 · O*NET-SOC 29-1212.00 · Extensive preparation needed · Healthcare
Cardiologists pay
U.S. national figures, May 2025 BLS survey · How we got this number
Median pay
$496,010
a year
Hourly
$238.47
per hour
The solid band is the middle 50% of workers; the bar spans the 10th to 90th percentile.
Average pay
$454,940
$218.72 per hour
Middle 50%
$274,280 – $610,060
25th to 75th percentile
Full spread
$107,190 – $712,130
10th to 90th percentile
People employed
17,290
nationwide
National U.S. figure, May 2025. Local pay can be higher or lower.
- 10th percentile
- $107,190
- $51.53/hr
- 25th percentile
- $274,280
- $131.87/hr
- Median percentile
- $496,010
- $238.47/hr
- 75th percentile
- $610,060
- $293.30/hr
- 90th percentile
- $712,130
- $342.37/hr
What does a cardiologist do?
Diagnose, treat, manage, and prevent diseases or conditions of the cardiovascular system. May further subspecialize in interventional procedures (e.g., balloon angioplasty and stent placement), echocardiography, or electrophysiology.
The tasks that matter most day to day
- 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 electrocardiogram (EKG), phonocardiogram, echocardiogram, or other cardiovascular tests to record patients' cardiac activity, using specialized electronic test equipment, recording devices, or laboratory instruments.
- 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.
How to become a cardiologist
Preparation level: zone 5 — Extensive preparation needed
- Education
- Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
- Experience
- Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
- Training
- Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.
The federal survey did not capture education levels for this specific occupation, so the preparation-level card above is the best guide to the entry route.
Common questions
How much does a cardiologist earn?
The national median is $496,010 a year. The full range runs from $107,190 at the 10th percentile to $712,130 at the 90th — entry pay sits closer to the lower figure, and experience, licensing and specialisation move you up the range.
Can you become a cardiologist without a degree?
Not usually — this occupation sits in preparation zone 5, where the typical entry route is most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree). The education breakdown above shows what people in the role actually reported.