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Healthcare practitioners

Cardiologist

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.

Median pay

$496,010

Growth to 2035

+5%

about as fast as average

Openings a year

500

Time to qualify*

7 years

* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.

Pay

Cardiologist

$496,01010% earn under $107,190 · middle half $274,280–$610,060 · top 10% over $712,130+
Bar: middle 50% of workers. Line: 10th to 90th percentile. Dot: median. BLS OEWS, May 2025, national.

Getting in

Typical entry education
Doctoral or professional degree
On-the-job training
Internship/residency
Prior experience
None

Calculate your switch to cardiologist

What the work is like

Cardiologist

Dealing with the public

Rarely
Constantly

Time pressure

Rarely
Constantly

Freedom to make decisions

Little
A lot
Average worker ratings, 1 to 5. O*NET 31.0 work context survey.

Core tasks

Outlook and AI

Cardiologists held 18,500 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 19,400 by 2035 (+5%, about as fast as average; all jobs: +3.5%).

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