Vocational Index

Career

Cardiologists

Diagnose and treat heart disease.

$496,010
Median pay
+4.8%
Job growth, 2025–35
500
Openings a year
Doctoral or professional degree
Typical education
7–8 years
Typical time after high school

Here's what you actually need to know.

The work

What people in this job 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 outlook

How the forecast changed this year

2024–34 edition+4.1%2025–35 edition+4.8%
Projected 10-year growth in last year's and this year's BLS projections. 600 → 500 openings a year.

Paths in

Degrees that lead here

  • MedicineCIP 51.1201
  • Osteopathic Medicine/OsteopathyCIP 51.1202
  • Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship ProgramCIP 61.0804
  • Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology Fellowship ProgramCIP 61.0805
  • Interventional Cardiology Fellowship ProgramCIP 61.0811
  • Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship ProgramCIP 61.1906

Paths across

Careers that use similar skills

Ask anything about this career.

“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.

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Sources

  1. BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
  2. BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
  3. O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
  4. CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.