Cardiologist Salary Guide 2026: Interventional, EP & Structural Heart Pay

Cardiology is consistently one of the top five highest-compensated physician specialties, and the gap between subspecialties is larger in cardiology than almost anywhere else in medicine — a general non-invasive cardiologist and a high-volume structural heart interventionalist can practice in the same building and have a $300,000–$500,000 annual compensation difference. In 2026, cardiologist demand continues to grow faster than the fellowship training pipeline, particularly in interventional, electrophysiology, and the emerging structural heart subspecialties.

Cardiologist salary overview (2026)

Subspecialty / setting	Typical total compensation
General / non-invasive cardiology (hospital-employed)	$380,000–$480,000
General cardiology (private group, established)	$450,000–$600,000
Academic cardiology	$290,000–$420,000
Interventional cardiology (hospital-employed)	$520,000–$700,000
Interventional cardiology (private group, partner)	$600,000–$900,000+
Structural heart (TAVR, MitraClip, Watchman)	$700,000–$1,000,000+
Electrophysiology (EP)	$520,000–$750,000
Heart failure / advanced HF / transplant	$420,000–$580,000
Nuclear cardiology	$420,000–$520,000
New graduate cardiology (all types, employed)	$380,000–$480,000
VA / federal system	$290,000–$420,000

National median: approximately $480,000–$500,000 total compensation (2026) across all cardiologists, per MGMA and Merritt Hawkins data. Interventional cardiologists with structural heart expertise consistently rank in the top 5th percentile of all physician compensation.

Subspecialty breakdown: fellowship and compensation

Subspecialty	Fellowship (post-IM + cardiology fellowship)	Demand driver
Interventional cardiology	1-year IC fellowship	PCI, STEMI coverage; high-RVU procedures
Structural heart intervention	Additional structural training (1–2 years)	TAVR, MitraClip, Watchman; shortage is acute
Electrophysiology (EP)	1-2 year EP fellowship	Ablations, ICD/pacemaker implants, AF management
Heart failure / advanced HF	1-year HF fellowship	LVAD, transplant evaluation; growing chronic HF burden
Nuclear cardiology / imaging	Board certification pathway	Stress testing, PET/SPECT; outpatient-heavy
Cardiac critical care / CCU	CCU experience; some fellowship	Cardiogenic shock, mechanical support; intensivist schedule

wRVU benchmarks for cardiology

Subspecialty	Typical wRVUs/year	Conversion rate (MGMA)
Non-invasive / general cardiology	8,000–12,000	$55–$68/wRVU
Interventional cardiology	12,000–20,000	$58–$72/wRVU
Electrophysiology	10,000–18,000	$60–$75/wRVU
Structural heart interventionist	15,000–25,000+	$65–$80/wRVU

Structural heart: the highest-compensation cardiology niche

Structural heart intervention — TAVR (transcatheter aortic valve replacement), MitraClip (mitral valve repair), and Watchman (LAA closure) — has become the most sought-after and highest-compensated cardiology subspecialty in 2026. The reasons:

• High wRVU per procedure: TAVR (CPT 33366) generates 20+ wRVUs per case. A structural heart specialist performing 150–200 TAVRs annually, plus standard IC cases, can generate 20,000–28,000 wRVUs/year.
• Acute pipeline shortage: Structural heart training requires both IC fellowship and additional structural heart proctored experience — the pipeline of fully trained structural interventionalists is far smaller than hospital demand. Systems competing for one of a small pool of qualified candidates routinely offer $900,000–$1,200,000 packages for established structural heart operators.
Hybrid structural heart programs:Many programs want a cardiothoracic surgeon and structural cardiologist working together — combined programs compete most aggressively for candidates who can anchor a new structural heart program.

Private group vs. employed: the cardiology version

The economics of private group cardiology are particularly attractive because cardiology generates substantial facility-fee-relevant procedures (cath lab, echocardiography, nuclear stress testing, EP lab) that private groups can negotiate for or own independently. Considerations:

• Private group cardiology: Partners at established cardiovascular groups owning their own cardiac cath lab or EP lab can earn $700,000–$1,000,000+ — the facility revenue from owned procedures is the primary driver. Buy-in costs ($200,000–$500,000) reflect this upside.
• Hospital-employed cardiology: Compensation is capped relative to private groups, but income is predictable, benefits are comprehensive, and there is no capital outlay or business management burden. For interventionalists at large health systems, hospital stipends for STEMI call coverage can add $100,000–$200,000 above base salary.
• STEMI call pay: Hospitals with cardiac catheterization labs require 24/7 interventional coverage for STEMI activations. Interventional cardiologists on STEMI call typically receive stipends of $500–$1,200/night, plus additional fees per STEMI case — adding $80,000–$160,000 annually at high-volume centers.

What we see at Ava Health

Cardiology is among our highest-demand physician sourcing categories. The structural heart shortage is particularly acute — every quarter brings new hospital systems trying to build or expand structural heart programs with too few qualified operators in the market. Interventional and EP candidates routinely receive multiple offers and can negotiate aggressively on base salary, STEMI stipends, and partnership timelines. Non-invasive cardiologists are also in shortage, particularly in suburban and rural markets where primary care cardiology demand is growing with an aging population but fellowship production cannot keep pace.

Related: Neurologist Salary Guide, General Surgeon Salary Guide, Radiologist Salary Guide, Locum Tenens Physician Salary Guide.