Cardiology physician salary in California
In the California BLS OEWS May 2025 row for cardiology, the annual median employee wage is $185,610 and the annual mean is $296,940. These salary and pay benchmarks are wage estimates, not a promised offer or total compensation.
Cardiology physicians · May 2025
View official California wage dataCalifornia wage snapshot
| Measure | Estimate |
|---|---|
| Mean annual wage | $296,940 |
| Median annual wage | $185,610 |
| Employment estimate | 630 |
| Wage relative standard error | 21.9% |
Employee wages annualized at 2,080 hours. Not total compensation, guaranteed pay or a salary range. RSE measures estimate uncertainty, not your pay spread.
How to read the wage estimate
Annualized wages: BLS multiplies hourly wage rates by 2,080. These are not observed yearly earnings or total compensation.
The mean is the average and the median is the midpoint. Their ordering does not establish the cause of a difference; do not treat the pair as a salary range.
Employee wages, not all physician income or guaranteed base. Employment estimate: 630.
21.9% Wage relative standard error, not a pay percentile
What the California cardiology wage row can tell you
Mean and median are different measures, not the ends of a salary range. These are employee wage estimates, not offers or total compensation. BLS reports $296,940 as the annual mean for cardiology in California, with $185,610 as the median. The wage relative standard error is 21.9%. RSE describes estimate precision, not the spread between individual offers. The employment estimate is 630 employee jobs, not current vacancies.
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National compensation
U.S. cardiology
Doximity 2026 reportNational full-time physician compensation, 2025 data. Not state wages.
Who was surveyed
2025 responses from full-time U.S. physicians working at least 40 hours a week.
Medscape: U.S. specialty total compensation
Medscape 2026 reportNational full-time physician compensation, 2025 data. Not state wages.
Who was surveyed
2025 income reported by full-time U.S. physicians. Includes base salary, incentive bonus and other income, such as profit-sharing. Rounded as published; not a state figure.
AMGA: medical-group clinical compensation
AMGA 2026 selected dataNational organizational clinical compensation, 2025 data. Not a state average.
Who was surveyed
2025 compensation reported by participating medical groups and health systems. General non-invasive cardiology only, not all cardiology subspecialties. National selected data, not this state's average or base salary.
National total compensation, not this state's average. Do not blend these surveys with state wages or call the figures a salary range.
Why the sources differ
Do not average these surveys together. Doximity and Medscape survey physicians; AMGA surveys organizations. Specialty definitions, work patterns, pay components and samples differ. Use each as a separate reference for the written offer.
The national survey measures compensation; the BLS state estimate measures employee wages. Different populations and pay definitions mean these are context, not directly comparable endpoints of a salary range. The national figure is not a state average.
Licensing and first-shift checks in California
California's Medical Board distinguishes the physician and surgeon license from a postgraduate training license. Its MD application asks for education and examination evidence from the issuing sources, and postgraduate-training verification from the program. A physician who has held a postgraduate training license uses the transition route. Osteopathic physicians use a separate board. Before accepting a start date, match the application to your training and license history, then confirm the issued credential and the employer's own privileges and onboarding.
Build a cardiology offer checklist
Use the actual job description to check the work that sits behind the pay number. These are questions for the hiring team, not claims about available Saile jobs.
- Name the actual scope: general, noninvasive, invasive, interventional or electrophysiology. An occupation-level wage row does not price each of these jobs separately.
- Ask about clinic, procedure and call time, interpretation work and inpatient coverage. Confirm the incentive formula and the time available for documentation.
- Check the required site privileges and equipment, coverage and referral arrangements. Separate a one-time payment from recurring compensation and confirm any repayment terms.
Compare a written physician offer · Credentialing a second physician job
Cardiology salary questions in California
What is the average cardiology doctor salary in California?
BLS May 2025 estimates a mean annual employee wage of $296,940 and a median of $185,610 for cardiologists in California. The mean is the average; the median is the midpoint. These are covered employee wages, not total compensation, a guaranteed offer or a salary range.
What is the hourly pay equivalent in California?
Dividing the annual wage estimates by 2,080 hours gives about $142.76 per hour for the mean and $89.24 for the median, rounded to cents. This is an arithmetic equivalent, not a quoted locums, per-diem or telemedicine rate. Contract hours and benefits differ.
How does California cardiology pay compare nationally?
The California BLS figures cover employee wages. The three national cardiology cards report $604,635 from Doximity, $575,000 from Medscape and $648,852 from AMGA. The AMGA benchmark covers general non-invasive cardiology, not every subspecialty. Their populations and compensation definitions differ from local employee wages, so the figures provide separate context and are not directly comparable.
What should I verify before starting cardiology work in California?
California's Medical Board distinguishes the physician and surgeon license from a postgraduate training license. Its MD application asks for education and examination evidence from the issuing sources, and postgraduate-training verification from the program. A physician who has held a postgraduate training license uses the transition route. Osteopathic physicians use a separate board. Before accepting a start date, match the application to your training and license history, then confirm the issued credential and the employer's own privileges and onboarding.
How can I find higher-paying or part-time cardiology work?
Compare written offers with the same hours, duties and benefits. Use the Saile app to explore part-time, per-diem, locums, telemedicine and full-time work through the existing search. Matching depends on specialty, credentials and location; these wage estimates do not prove current openings or guarantee higher pay.
Source definitions
BLS May 2025 OEWS combines six survey panels over three years. It covers wage and salary employees, not self-employed physicians or unincorporated owners. Wages include straight-time gross pay and certain incentives, but exclude benefits, overtime, shift differentials and nonproduction bonuses. The relative standard error describes estimate uncertainty, not your pay spread.
BLS methods · State data · National survey methods and specialty table
Medical Board of California: physician and surgeon license · HHS: licensing across state lines
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