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Best states for a cardiac surgeon
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
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- 41 - 51
Do you want to become a cardiac surgeon at Children's National Medical Center, and you wonder what that means or entails? We have the full list of best states for cardiac surgeons that you can check out, before you begin your journey. This way, if you are newly entering the job market, or you are looking to change jobs, you know which places are the best for cardiac surgeon jobs.
To do that, we looked at the most recent data we have available for the following criteria -- average annual wages, and availability of jobs for cardiac surgeons.We found that North Dakota is the best state for cardiac surgeon jobs, whereas California is the worst.
10 best states for cardiac surgeons in 2026
1. North Dakota
Total cardiac surgeon jobs: 22 Average annual salary: $222,054 Lowest 10 percent earn: $167,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $294,000 Location Quotient: 2.81
2. Alaska
Total cardiac surgeon jobs: 12 Average annual salary: $230,531 Lowest 10 percent earn: $177,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $299,000 Location Quotient: 1.7
3. Minnesota
Total cardiac surgeon jobs: 76 Average annual salary: $225,512 Lowest 10 percent earn: $171,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $295,000 Location Quotient: 1.36
4. Maine
Total cardiac surgeon jobs: 50 Average annual salary: $219,094 Lowest 10 percent earn: $164,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $291,000 Location Quotient: 4.47
5. Michigan
Total cardiac surgeon jobs: 71 Average annual salary: $224,414 Lowest 10 percent earn: $170,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $294,000 Location Quotient: 1.09
6. Pennsylvania
Total cardiac surgeon jobs: 151 Average annual salary: $219,259 Lowest 10 percent earn: $164,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $291,000 Location Quotient: 1.54
7. Indiana
Total cardiac surgeon jobs: 63 Average annual salary: $217,447 Lowest 10 percent earn: $162,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $291,000 Location Quotient: 1.14
8. Ohio
Total cardiac surgeon jobs: 63 Average annual salary: $221,227 Lowest 10 percent earn: $166,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $293,000 Location Quotient: 0.73
9. New Hampshire
Total cardiac surgeon jobs: 41 Average annual salary: $215,954 Lowest 10 percent earn: $160,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $289,000 Location Quotient: 2.78
10. Nebraska
Total cardiac surgeon jobs: 22 Average annual salary: $214,052 Lowest 10 percent earn: $157,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $290,000 Location Quotient: 1.17
Cardiac surgeon jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a cardiac surgeon
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a cardiac surgeon
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Dakota | $222,054 | $167,000 | 755,393 | 22 |
| 2 | Alaska | $230,531 | $177,000 | 739,795 | 12 |
| 3 | Minnesota | $225,512 | $171,000 | 5,576,606 | 76 |
| 4 | Maine | $219,094 | $164,000 | 1,335,907 | 50 |
| 5 | Michigan | $224,414 | $170,000 | 9,962,311 | 71 |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | $219,259 | $164,000 | 12,805,537 | 151 |
| 7 | Indiana | $217,447 | $162,000 | 6,666,818 | 63 |
| 8 | Ohio | $221,227 | $166,000 | 11,658,609 | 63 |
| 9 | New Hampshire | $215,954 | $160,000 | 1,342,795 | 41 |
| 10 | Nebraska | $214,052 | $157,000 | 1,920,076 | 22 |
| 11 | Washington | $220,777 | $165,000 | 7,405,743 | 71 |
| 12 | Iowa | $217,356 | $161,000 | 3,145,711 | 21 |
| 13 | Montana | $223,318 | $168,000 | 1,050,493 | 4 |
| 14 | Kentucky | $213,838 | $157,000 | 4,454,189 | 33 |
| 15 | Wisconsin | $209,483 | $152,000 | 5,795,483 | 85 |
| 16 | South Dakota | $207,622 | $150,000 | 869,666 | 15 |
| 17 | Oregon | $220,128 | $164,000 | 4,142,776 | 36 |
| 18 | Illinois | $214,962 | $159,000 | 12,802,023 | 110 |
| 19 | Idaho | $215,240 | $158,000 | 1,716,943 | 7 |
| 20 | Kansas | $206,518 | $149,000 | 2,913,123 | 31 |
| 21 | Alabama | $210,762 | $154,000 | 4,874,747 | 24 |
| 22 | Vermont | $206,940 | $150,000 | 623,657 | 18 |
| 23 | West Virginia | $208,139 | $151,000 | 1,815,857 | 10 |
| 24 | Mississippi | $210,249 | $154,000 | 2,984,100 | 11 |
| 25 | New Jersey | $210,399 | $154,000 | 9,005,644 | 86 |
| 26 | Delaware | $211,592 | $155,000 | 961,939 | 9 |
| 27 | Maryland | $213,796 | $158,000 | 6,052,177 | 42 |
| 28 | Oklahoma | $207,515 | $150,000 | 3,930,864 | 17 |
| 29 | Connecticut | $210,275 | $154,000 | 3,588,184 | 23 |
| 30 | New Mexico | $200,659 | $143,000 | 2,088,070 | 22 |
| 31 | Georgia | $205,892 | $149,000 | 10,429,379 | 98 |
| 32 | Arizona | $209,033 | $152,000 | 7,016,270 | 30 |
| 33 | Wyoming | $202,678 | $144,000 | 579,315 | 4 |
| 34 | Utah | $206,441 | $148,000 | 3,101,833 | 14 |
| 35 | Tennessee | $195,192 | $137,000 | 6,715,984 | 57 |
| 36 | Colorado | $210,242 | $153,000 | 5,607,154 | 17 |
| 37 | Massachusetts | $201,585 | $144,000 | 6,859,819 | 89 |
| 38 | Louisiana | $207,723 | $151,000 | 4,684,333 | 10 |
| 39 | New York | $197,390 | $139,000 | 19,849,399 | 147 |
| 40 | South Carolina | $201,568 | $144,000 | 5,024,369 | 23 |
| 41 | Missouri | $197,685 | $139,000 | 6,113,532 | 48 |
| 42 | Arkansas | $188,311 | $130,000 | 3,004,279 | 20 |
| 43 | North Carolina | $187,909 | $130,000 | 10,273,419 | 92 |
| 44 | Texas | $195,233 | $137,000 | 28,304,596 | 142 |
| 45 | Hawaii | $132,269 | $73,000 | 1,427,538 | 12 |
| 46 | Nevada | $188,622 | $130,000 | 2,998,039 | 18 |
| 47 | Rhode Island | $199,754 | $142,000 | 1,059,639 | 2 |
| 48 | Florida | $178,390 | $120,000 | 20,984,400 | 141 |
| 49 | Virginia | $197,841 | $140,000 | 8,470,020 | 41 |
| 50 | District of Columbia | $197,823 | $140,000 | 693,972 | 6 |
| 51 | California | $193,312 | $135,000 | 39,536,653 | 152 |
Highest paying states for cardiac surgeons
| Rank | State | Avg. Cardiac Surgeon Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Dakota | $222,054 |
| 2 | Alaska | $230,531 |
| 3 | Minnesota | $225,512 |
| 4 | Maine | $219,094 |
| 5 | Michigan | $224,414 |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | $219,259 |
| 7 | Indiana | $217,447 |
| 8 | Ohio | $221,227 |
| 9 | New Hampshire | $215,954 |
| 10 | Nebraska | $214,052 |
| 11 | Washington | $220,777 |
| 12 | Iowa | $217,356 |
| 13 | Montana | $223,318 |
| 14 | Kentucky | $213,838 |
| 15 | Wisconsin | $209,483 |
| 16 | South Dakota | $207,622 |
| 17 | Oregon | $220,128 |
| 18 | Illinois | $214,962 |
| 19 | Idaho | $215,240 |
| 20 | Kansas | $206,518 |
| 21 | Alabama | $210,762 |
| 22 | Vermont | $206,940 |
| 23 | West Virginia | $208,139 |
| 24 | Mississippi | $210,249 |
| 25 | New Jersey | $210,399 |
| 26 | Delaware | $211,592 |
| 27 | Maryland | $213,796 |
| 28 | Oklahoma | $207,515 |
| 29 | Connecticut | $210,275 |
| 30 | New Mexico | $200,659 |
| 31 | Georgia | $205,892 |
| 32 | Arizona | $209,033 |
| 33 | Wyoming | $202,678 |
| 34 | Utah | $206,441 |
| 35 | Tennessee | $195,192 |
| 36 | Colorado | $210,242 |
| 37 | Massachusetts | $201,585 |
| 38 | Louisiana | $207,723 |
| 39 | New York | $197,390 |
| 40 | South Carolina | $201,568 |
| 41 | Missouri | $197,685 |
| 42 | Arkansas | $188,311 |
| 43 | North Carolina | $187,909 |
| 44 | Texas | $195,233 |
| 45 | Hawaii | $132,269 |
| 46 | Nevada | $188,622 |
| 47 | Rhode Island | $199,754 |
| 48 | Florida | $178,390 |
| 49 | Virginia | $197,841 |
| 50 | District of Columbia | $197,823 |
| 51 | California | $193,312 |
Cardiac surgeon best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025