Heart surgeon who repairs heart defects present from birth, operating on newborns, children and adults with congenital heart disease. Society of Thoracic Surgeons Compensation Survey 2025 (reported by TCTMD) puts typical pay at $1,060,000 a year (2025). BLS does not publish separate figures for pediatric surgeons; it counts them within pediatric surgeon (SOC 29-1243), whose median pay is $559,030 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Typical entry-level education: Doctoral or professional degree.
- SOC 29-1243
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Congenital Heart Surgeon in four numbers
- Median pay
- $559,030a year, or $268.76/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $215KTop 10% $727K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +2.0%Slower than averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+2%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +2% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 01,300 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 20251.3K
- Projected 20351.3K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 1.3K Projected 2035 1.3K - Typical education
- Doctorateneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
Also advertised as: Pediatric Cardiac Surgeon, Congenital Cardiac Surgeon, Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Pediatric Heart Surgeon.
Pay
How much do Pediatric Surgeons make?
Industry-reported pay
$1,060,000
Median total annual compensation, US cardiothoracic surgeons in congenital practice (Society of Thoracic Surgeons member survey).
Source: Society of Thoracic Surgeons Compensation Survey 2025 (reported by TCTMD), 2025 (published compensation survey). This is not a BLS figure: BLS counts pediatric surgeons within pediatric surgeon, whose pay is shown below. TCTMD: Latest STS compensation data show pay is up but still lags for female surgeons
Every congenital heart surgeon in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$559,030
Middle half earn $336,380 to $583,200
- 10th
- $215,410
- 25th
- $336,380
- 75th
- $583,200
- 90th
- $726,660
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $215,410 |
| 25th | $336,380 |
| Median | $559,030 |
| 75th | $583,200 |
| 90th | $726,660 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $559,030
- Median hourly wage
- $268.76/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $502,050
- People employed
- 1,190
Versus all US occupations
At $559,030, Pediatric Surgeons earn 997% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $508,050 a year.
Versus healthcare practitioners and technical occupations
Inside the Healthcare Practitioners and Technical group, where the middle occupation pays $102,760, this is 444% above the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $726,660 or more while the bottom 10% earn $215,410, a gap of 3.4×. 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.
Highest-paying state
Ohio pays the most at $488,160, and still leads at $526,182 once local prices are taken into account.
Pay by state
Which states pay Pediatric Surgeons 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Ohio | $488,160 | $526,182 | N/A |
| 2New York | $378,110 | $350,358 | 90 |
| 3New Jersey | $288,930 | $265,548 | N/A |
| 4Texas | $239,200+ | N/A | 300 |
Values shown as $239,200+ exceed the BLS publication ceiling; exact figures are not published.
Job outlook
Is Congenital Heart Surgeon a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
Slower than average. +2.0% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Pediatric Surgeons | +2% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
Slower than average
BLS projects employment of Pediatric Surgeons to change 2.0% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 0 more jobs.
Getting in
How to become a Congenital Heart Surgeon
The route runs through medical school, thoracic surgery training (either an integrated six-year residency or general surgery residency plus a thoracic fellowship), and then a dedicated ACGME-accredited congenital cardiac surgery fellowship.
Surgeons first certify with the American Board of Thoracic Surgery and then earn its separate subspecialty certificate in congenital heart surgery, which requires a documented case log and an examination. Only a small number of fellowship positions exist each year, so trainees usually build a record of pediatric cardiac research and mentorship at a children's heart center 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 Congenital Heart Surgeon do?
Congenital heart surgeons repair structural heart defects that babies are born with, such as holes between heart chambers, abnormal valves, narrowed vessels and single-ventricle hearts. Many operations happen in the first days or weeks of life on hearts the size of a walnut, and some children need a planned series of surgeries as they grow. They also operate on adults who had childhood repairs and now need further surgery.
They work in a team with pediatric cardiologists, cardiac anesthesiologists, perfusionists and cardiac intensive care physicians. Before surgery they study echocardiograms, cardiac MRI and catheterization data, and sometimes 3D-printed models of the heart, to plan each repair. They also counsel families who often learned of the defect before birth.
Day-to-day tasks
- Repair septal defects, valve abnormalities and malformed great arteries in infants and children
- Perform staged palliation operations for single-ventricle heart disease
- Plan repairs using echocardiography, cardiac MRI, catheterization data and 3D heart models
- Operate on adults with congenital heart disease who need reoperation
- Place mechanical circulatory support and take part in pediatric heart transplantation
- Counsel families before and after surgery on risks, recovery and long-term outlook
- Coordinate postoperative care with pediatric cardiac intensive care teams
Typical tasks, researched by NueCareer from the sources below.
Working conditions and hours
Congenital heart surgeons work almost entirely in children's hospitals and large academic centers with dedicated pediatric cardiac intensive care units. Cases are long and delicate, emergencies in newborns are common, and call is demanding. The work is high stakes and emotionally heavy, with close ongoing contact with families.
Tools and software
- Medical software · in demand
- Operating system software · in demand
- Graphics or photo imaging software
- Human resources 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 Congenital Heart Surgeon?
NueCareer estimate (Holland code IRS) built on O*NET's Pediatric Surgeon profile, scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Congenital Heart Surgeon |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 5 |
| Investigative | 7 |
| Artistic | 2 |
| 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.
- Investigative6.5
- Realistic5.2
- Social5.1
- Conventional3.9
- Enterprising2.4
- Artistic1.6
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 Congenital Heart Surgeon
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 pediatric surgeons highlighted
- Congenital Heart Surgeon$559,030
- 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 |
|---|---|
| Congenital Heart Surgeon | $559,030 |
| 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 Congenital Heart Surgeon appears on
Questions
Congenital Heart Surgeon: frequently asked questions
How much do Pediatric Surgeons make?
Society of Thoracic Surgeons Compensation Survey 2025 (reported by TCTMD) reports $1,060,000 (median total annual compensation, US cardiothoracic surgeons in congenital practice (Society of Thoracic Surgeons member survey), 2025). BLS does not publish a separate wage for pediatric surgeons. It counts them within pediatric surgeon, whose median pay is $559,030 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of that occupation earn between $336,380 and $583,200, and the top 10% earn $726,660 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Congenital Heart Surgeon?
Yes, and beyond a bachelor's: BLS lists a doctoral or professional degree as the typical entry requirement for Pediatric Surgeons. BLS also lists internship/residency as typical on-the-job training.
Is Congenital Heart Surgeon a growing career?
It is growing, but slowly: 2.0% over 2025–2035 against 3.5% for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035).
What does a Congenital Heart Surgeon do?
Congenital heart surgeons repair structural heart defects that babies are born with, such as holes between heart chambers, abnormal valves, narrowed vessels and single-ventricle hearts. A typical task: repair septal defects, valve abnormalities and malformed great arteries in infants and children. Employers most often ask for Medical software, Operating system software.
Which states pay Pediatric Surgeons the most?
The highest state medians for Pediatric Surgeons are Ohio ($488,160), New York ($378,110), New Jersey ($288,930) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits a Congenital Heart Surgeon?
O*NET scores Pediatric Surgeons 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 ISTP, ISTJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.