Cardiologist who diagnoses and treats heart rhythm disorders, performing ablations and implanting pacemakers and defibrillators. MedAxiom 2025 Cardiovascular Provider Compensation and Production Survey puts typical pay at $804,129 a year (2024). BLS does not publish separate figures for cardiologists; it counts them within cardiologist (SOC 29-1212), whose median pay is $496,010 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Typical entry-level education: Doctoral or professional degree.
- SOC 29-1212
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Cardiac Electrophysiologist in four numbers
- Median pay
- $496,010a year, or $238.47/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $107KTop 10% $712K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +4.8%Faster than averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+4.8%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +4.8% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 50018,500 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 202518.5K
- Projected 203519.4K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 18.5K Projected 2035 19.4K - Typical education
- Doctorateneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
Also advertised as: Electrophysiologist, Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiologist, EP Cardiologist, Heart Rhythm Specialist.
Pay
How much do Cardiologists make?
Industry-reported pay
$804,129
Median total annual compensation, electrophysiologists in integrated (hospital-affiliated) cardiovascular programs; private practice median reported lower.
Source: MedAxiom 2025 Cardiovascular Provider Compensation and Production Survey, 2024 (published compensation survey). This is not a BLS figure: BLS counts cardiologists within cardiologist, whose pay is shown below. TCTMD: Cardiologists saw rising incomes but additional pressures in 2024 (MedAxiom 2025 survey)
Every cardiac electrophysiologist in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$496,010
Middle half earn $274,280 to $610,060
- 10th
- $107,190
- 25th
- $274,280
- 75th
- $610,060
- 90th
- $712,130
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $107,190 |
| 25th | $274,280 |
| Median | $496,010 |
| 75th | $610,060 |
| 90th | $712,130 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $496,010
- Median hourly wage
- $238.47/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $454,940
- People employed
- 17,290
Versus all US occupations
At $496,010, Cardiologists earn 873% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $445,030 a year.
Versus healthcare practitioners and technical occupations
Inside the Healthcare Practitioners and Technical group, where the middle occupation pays $102,760, this is 383% above the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $712,130 or more while the bottom 10% earn $107,190, a gap of 6.6×. That is an unusually wide spread, which usually tracks specialisation, employer type and years of experience.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 100% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
Washington posts the highest raw median ($656,330), but once local prices are taken into account Nebraska leads at $717,290 in national-average dollars.
Pay by state
Which states pay Cardiologists the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Washington | $656,330 | $613,318 | 200 |
| 2Missouri | $648,070 | $713,600 | 150 |
| 3Nebraska | $646,300 | $717,290 | 170 |
| 4Wisconsin | $636,580 | $676,529 | 200 |
| 5Tennessee | $610,080 | $664,069 | 560 |
| 6Georgia | $610,070 | $633,556 | 1,150 |
| 7Indiana | $588,890 | $630,983 | 140 |
| 8Pennsylvania | $579,120 | $593,531 | 640 |
| 9Kentucky | $558,180 | $619,106 | N/A |
| 10Alabama | $519,480 | $584,849 | 130 |
Job outlook
Is Cardiac Electrophysiologist a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
Faster than average. +4.8% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Cardiologists | +4.8% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
Faster than average
BLS projects employment of Cardiologists to change 4.8% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 900 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 500 openings are projected each year, 2.7% of the 18,500 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become a Cardiac Electrophysiologist
Electrophysiologists complete medical school, a three-year internal medicine residency, a three-year cardiovascular disease fellowship and then an ACGME-accredited clinical cardiac electrophysiology fellowship.
The American Board of Internal Medicine certifies them in cardiovascular disease and then in clinical cardiac electrophysiology. The Heart Rhythm Society is the main professional organization and supports device and ablation training. Pediatric electrophysiologists follow a separate pediatric cardiology path. Cardiology fellows who want electrophysiology usually spend extra elective time in the EP lab and device clinic and seek mentorship from electrophysiologists early, because fellowship positions are limited. Many also learn to work closely with industry device representatives and EP technologists during training.
- 1
Typical entry-level education
Doctoral or professional degree
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
Internship/residency
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Considerable preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
The work
What does a Cardiac Electrophysiologist do?
Cardiac electrophysiologists treat problems with the heart's electrical system, such as atrial fibrillation, abnormally fast or slow heartbeats, and rhythms that can cause sudden cardiac death. In the electrophysiology lab they thread catheters into the heart, map its electrical activity in three dimensions and destroy faulty tissue with heat, cold or pulsed electric fields.
They implant pacemakers, defibrillators and devices that coordinate the heart's pumping, and they follow patients through remote monitoring of those devices. In clinic they manage rhythm medications, assess fainting and palpitations, and advise on stroke prevention. They work alongside EP technologists and device specialists.
Day-to-day tasks
- Perform electrophysiology studies to locate the source of rhythm disorders
- Perform catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation and other arrhythmias
- Implant pacemakers, defibrillators and cardiac resynchronization devices
- Implant devices that close the left atrial appendage to lower stroke risk
- Review remote monitoring data from implanted devices
- Prescribe and adjust antiarrhythmic medications
- Evaluate patients with fainting, palpitations and inherited rhythm disorders
Typical tasks, researched by NueCareer from the sources below.
Working conditions and hours
Electrophysiologists work in hospitals with EP labs and in cardiology groups. Ablations can be long and are performed in lead aprons under X-ray, though mapping systems have reduced radiation use. Call is generally lighter than interventional cardiology, with device and rhythm emergencies handled as needed.
Tools and software
- Medical software · in demand
- Transaction security and virus protection software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits a Cardiac Electrophysiologist?
NueCareer estimate (Holland code IRS) built on O*NET's Cardiologist profile, scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Cardiac Electrophysiologist |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 5 |
| Investigative | 7 |
| Artistic | 1 |
| Social | 5 |
| Enterprising | 2 |
| Conventional | 4 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data, combined with hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors.
- Investigative6.9
- Realistic5.3
- Social5.0
- Conventional4.0
- Enterprising2.3
- Artistic1.1
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Cardiac Electrophysiologist
O*NET related occupations
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
More healthcare practitioners and technical careers
Median annual pay, with cardiologists highlighted
- Cardiac Electrophysiologist$496,010
- Anesthesiologist$391,490
- Physician Assistant$135,880
- Nurse Practitioner$132,300
- Physical Therapist$102,760
- Dental Hygienist$98,100
- Diagnostic Medical Sonographer$96,590
- Radiologic Technologist and Technician$80,110
- Surgical Technologist$64,650
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Cardiac Electrophysiologist | $496,010 |
| Anesthesiologist | $391,490 |
| Physician Assistant | $135,880 |
| Nurse Practitioner | $132,300 |
| Physical Therapist | $102,760 |
| Dental Hygienist | $98,100 |
| Diagnostic Medical Sonographer | $96,590 |
| Radiologic Technologist and Technician | $80,110 |
| Surgical Technologist | $64,650 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Cardiac Electrophysiologist appears on
Questions
Cardiac Electrophysiologist: frequently asked questions
How much do Cardiologists make?
MedAxiom 2025 Cardiovascular Provider Compensation and Production Survey reports $804,129 (median total annual compensation, electrophysiologists in integrated (hospital-affiliated) cardiovascular programs; private practice median reported lower, 2024). BLS does not publish a separate wage for cardiologists. It counts them within cardiologist, whose median pay is $496,010 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of that occupation earn between $274,280 and $610,060, and the top 10% earn $712,130 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Cardiac Electrophysiologist?
Yes, and beyond a bachelor's: BLS lists a doctoral or professional degree as the typical entry requirement for Cardiologists. BLS also lists internship/residency as typical on-the-job training.
Is Cardiac Electrophysiologist a growing career?
Yes. Employment is projected to grow 4.8% over 2025–2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 500 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Cardiac Electrophysiologist do?
Cardiac electrophysiologists treat problems with the heart's electrical system, such as atrial fibrillation, abnormally fast or slow heartbeats, and rhythms that can cause sudden cardiac death. A typical task: perform electrophysiology studies to locate the source of rhythm disorders. Employers most often ask for Medical software.
Which states pay Cardiologists the most?
The highest state medians for Cardiologists are Washington ($656,330), Missouri ($648,070), Nebraska ($646,300) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, Nebraska moves to the top at $717,290.
What personality type suits a Cardiac Electrophysiologist?
O*NET scores Cardiologists highest on the Investigative, Realistic and Social interest areas, so the work mixes investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data with hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ISTJ, ISTP. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.