Physician compensation, 2026

Cardiology (Interventional) Salary

Interventional cardiology is at the top of the medicine pay scale, and the trade is explicit. Procedural volume and STEMI call carry the income, and both are lifestyle commitments as much as financial ones.

National median
$685,000
Typical range (p10 to p90)
$520k to $880k
Median annual wRVUs
11,500
Call burden
High

Median total cash compensation for a mid-career attending. Source: Doximity 2024 (publicly cited). Treat figures as medians, not targets. Real compensation varies widely by geography, employment model, and experience.

Live anonymous cohort, Cardiology (Interventional)

This cohort is still being built.

We display a live Cardiology (Interventional) cohort once at least 10 attendings have submitted in the last 24 months. Until then, the published benchmark and regional table below are your reference. Be one of the first to seed it.

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Cardiology (Interventional) pay by region

Directional regional medians, anchored to the Doximity 2024 national figure and US Census region adjustments. The South and Midwest pay more in absolute dollars because physician supply is lower and demand is higher; the Northeast runs lower with a higher cost of living.

RegionMedian total compNotes
National median$685,000Doximity 2024 / Medscape 2024 nationwide median.
South$753,500Highest absolute compensation. Houston, Jacksonville, Charlotte, Atlanta lead.
Midwest$739,800Indianapolis and St. Louis often top Doximity median tables.
West$698,700Wide spread. California pays well but is offset by cost of living.
Northeast$664,450Lower in absolute terms (high supply of physicians) and higher cost of living.

Regional figures are modeled adjustments to the national median, not separately surveyed values. Use them for direction, not as an offer benchmark.

What drives Cardiology (Interventional) compensation

  • Cath lab procedural volume, the primary wRVU driver and the main differentiator between offers.
  • STEMI and structural call, which command large premiums and define the schedule.
  • Partnership and lab or facility ownership in private settings, where the ceiling is highest.
  • Structural and peripheral procedure mix, which can shift the wRVU profile substantially.

Model your own number, not the median

Cardiology (Interventional) reports a median of about 11,500 wRVUs a year. Your take-home is that volume times your contract rate, above your threshold. Plug your real visit mix into the calculator and see the bonus your specific offer produces, then negotiate against it.

Negotiation levers at offer time

  • Confirm expected case volume and lab access, since underused operators earn well below the median regardless of base.
  • Price STEMI call separately. It is the largest single premium in the specialty.
  • If equity or partnership is on the table, treat the buy-in math as part of the compensation decision.

Cardiology (Interventional) at a glance

Median total comp
$685,000
Clinical hours / week
60
Fellowship years
4
Median annual wRVUs
11,500
Private practice share
25%
Call burden
High

Top compensation. STEMI call is a lifestyle commitment. Typical setting: cath lab + clinic, frequent stemi call.

Frequently asked questions

What is the biggest factor in interventional cardiology pay?

Procedural volume and lab access. An operator without enough cases earns well below median no matter the base, so confirm expected volume before weighing offers.

How much does STEMI call add?

It is typically the largest negotiable premium in the specialty and is also the dominant lifestyle factor, so it should be priced explicitly rather than bundled into the base.

Is private interventional cardiology worth the risk?

Where partnership and facility ownership remain, the upside is the highest in medicine, but it concentrates income in call and volume that an employed model smooths out.

Keep going

Educational reference, not financial, billing, or legal advice. Published medians are publicly cited from Doximity 2024. The live cohort is self-reported and anonymized; individual rows are never exposed and a cohort is shown only at a minimum size. Verify any number against your own contract and market before acting on it.