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Cardiothoracic surgeon salary
Average cardiothoracic surgeon salary
$409,035
Cardiothoracic Surgeon Salary Overview
As of October 2025, the average salary for a cardiothoracic surgeon is around $409,035 annually. This figure represents a significant income, but earnings can vary widely depending on geographic location, years of experience, and the specific healthcare facility. For instance, cardiothoracic surgeons in states like California and New York often report higher salaries due to the cost of living and demand for specialized medical professionals.
Salary by State
Analyzing data by state reveals that some regions offer substantially higher compensation. States such as California, New York, and Texas frequently top the list for highest-paying cardiothoracic surgeon positions. In contrast, surgeons in states with lower living costs may earn less, yet still enjoy a comfortable salary compared to other professions.
Career Opportunities
In addition to salary, prospective cardiothoracic surgeons should consider the various career paths available. Roles in academic settings, private practices, and hospitals can differ significantly in terms of pay and benefits. Exploring these opportunities can provide valuable insights into the most rewarding jobs within this specialty.
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Where can a Cardiothoracic Surgeon earn more?
Cardiothoracic surgeon salary estimates from across the web
Average cardiothoracic surgeon salary by state
The highest-paying states for cardiothoracic surgeons are Michigan, Minnesota, and Illinois. The lowest average cardiothoracic surgeon salary states are North Carolina, California, and Arkansas.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for cardiothoracic surgeons
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maine | $221,477 | $106.48 |
| 2 | Pennsylvania | $221,801 | $106.64 |
| 3 | Michigan | $224,164 | $107.77 |
| 4 | North Dakota | $218,845 | $105.21 |
| 5 | Minnesota | $223,741 | $107.57 |
| 6 | Indiana | $217,780 | $104.70 |
| 7 | Kentucky | $218,127 | $104.87 |
| 8 | Alaska | $217,811 | $104.72 |
| 9 | Illinois | $222,266 | $106.86 |
| 10 | Ohio | $221,669 | $106.57 |
| 11 | New Hampshire | $218,686 | $105.14 |
| 12 | Nebraska | $212,921 | $102.37 |
| 13 | Wisconsin | $209,356 | $100.65 |
| 14 | Montana | $218,110 | $104.86 |
| 15 | Washington | $213,302 | $102.55 |
| 16 | West Virginia | $210,428 | $101.17 |
| 17 | Mississippi | $212,909 | $102.36 |
| 18 | Oregon | $213,567 | $102.68 |
| 19 | Tennessee | $210,430 | $101.17 |
| 20 | Alabama | $213,477 | $102.63 |
| 21 | Vermont | $210,283 | $101.10 |
| 22 | Connecticut | $213,806 | $102.79 |
| 23 | Iowa | $210,166 | $101.04 |
| 24 | Georgia | $211,464 | $101.67 |
| 25 | Delaware | $215,311 | $103.51 |
| 26 | South Dakota | $205,747 | $98.92 |
| 27 | Idaho | $210,070 | $101.00 |
| 28 | Maryland | $216,929 | $104.29 |
| 29 | Louisiana | $210,772 | $101.33 |
| 30 | New Jersey | $214,212 | $102.99 |
| 31 | Oklahoma | $209,450 | $100.70 |
| 32 | Kansas | $207,062 | $99.55 |
| 33 | Arizona | $209,766 | $100.85 |
| 34 | Texas | $205,884 | $98.98 |
| 35 | New Mexico | $202,310 | $97.26 |
| 36 | New York | $202,610 | $97.41 |
| 37 | Massachusetts | $205,684 | $98.89 |
| 38 | Wyoming | $199,551 | $95.94 |
| 39 | South Carolina | $205,854 | $98.97 |
| 40 | Colorado | $209,069 | $100.51 |
| 41 | North Carolina | $193,544 | $93.05 |
| 42 | Arkansas | $192,155 | $92.38 |
| 43 | Utah | $203,656 | $97.91 |
| 44 | Nevada | $188,114 | $90.44 |
| 45 | Florida | $188,779 | $90.76 |
| 46 | Hawaii | $146,840 | $70.60 |
| 47 | Rhode Island | $204,197 | $98.17 |
| 48 | Missouri | $198,906 | $95.63 |
| 49 | Virginia | $203,121 | $97.65 |
| 50 | California | $192,409 | $92.50 |
| 51 | District of Columbia | $199,382 | $95.86 |
Highest paying cities for cardiothoracic surgeons
The highest-paying cities for cardiothoracic surgeons are Minneapolis, MN, Grand Rapids, MI, and Hoffman Estates, IL.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minneapolis, MN | $461,736 | $221.99 |
| 2 | Grand Rapids, MI | $443,211 | $213.08 |
| 3 | Hoffman Estates, IL | $433,250 | $208.29 |
| 4 | Pittsburgh, PA | $399,268 | $191.96 |
| 5 | Columbus, OH | $398,568 | $191.62 |
| 6 | Bangor, ME | $383,124 | $184.19 |
| 7 | Indianapolis, IN | $379,007 | $182.21 |
| 8 | Springfield, OR | $374,462 | $180.03 |
| 9 | Pocatello, ID | $361,629 | $173.86 |
| 10 | Madison, WI | $342,866 | $164.84 |
| 11 | Ridgewood, NJ | $341,667 | $164.26 |
| 12 | Kansas City, KS | $333,144 | $160.17 |
| 13 | Meridian, MS | $325,990 | $156.73 |
| 14 | Charleston, WV | $324,944 | $156.22 |
| 15 | Amarillo, TX | $318,228 | $152.99 |
| 16 | Buffalo, NY | $316,393 | $152.11 |
| 17 | New Orleans, LA | $309,926 | $149.00 |
| 18 | Peoria, AZ | $309,725 | $148.91 |
| 19 | Andover, MA | $298,190 | $143.36 |
| 20 | Kansas City, MO | $293,556 | $141.13 |
Cardiothoracic surgeon salary details
A cardiothoracic surgeon's salary ranges from $205,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $813,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a cardiothoracic surgeon's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $813,000 | $67,750 | $391 |
| 75th Percentile | $587,000 | $48,917 | $282 |
| Average | $409,035 | $34,086 | $197 |
| 25th Percentile | $284,000 | $23,667 | $137 |
| 10th Percentile | $205,000 | $17,083 | $99 |
Highest paying cardiothoracic surgeon jobs
The highest paying types of cardiothoracic surgeons are foot and ankle surgeon, thoracic surgeon, and upper extremity surgeon.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doctor | $208,582 | $17,382 | $100.28 | 14,571 |
| Neurosurgeon | $365,411 | $30,451 | $175.68 | 2,412 |
| Surgeon | $155,553 | $12,963 | $74.78 | 37,918 |
| Dental Surgeon | $279,537 | $23,295 | $134.39 | 32,596 |
| Vascular Surgeon | $324,217 | $27,018 | $155.87 | 20,391 |
| General Surgeon | $223,321 | $18,610 | $107.37 | 45,174 |
Top companies hiring cardiothoracic surgeons now:
Which companies pay cardiothoracic surgeons the most?
Cardiothoracic surgeon salaries at Allina Health and OSF HealthCare are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average cardiothoracic surgeon salary at companies like University of Southern Indiana and Houston Methodist are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Allina Health | $548,540 | $263.72 |
| 2 | OSF HealthCare | $546,895 | $262.93 |
| 3 | University of Southern Indiana | $491,239 | $236.17 |
| 4 | Houston Methodist | $479,828 | $230.69 |
| 5 | University of Maryland, Baltimore | $477,464 | $229.55 |
| 6 | ProMedica Toledo Hospital | $434,649 | $208.97 |
| 7 | Ascension Michigan | $429,929 | $206.70 |
| 8 | Green Janet Lynne | $421,203 | $202.50 |
| 9 | UT Medicine | $420,377 | $202.10 |
| 10 | Harrison Steve MD | $419,439 | $201.65 |
| 11 | Catholic Health Initiatives - Colorado | $413,808 | $198.95 |
| 12 | Beth Israel Lahey Health | $413,808 | $198.95 |
| 13 | Integrity Locums | $409,538 | $196.89 |
| 14 | CHRISTUS Health | $406,789 | $195.57 |
| 15 | The Medicus Firm | $404,647 | $194.54 |
| 16 | UnityPoint Health | $402,174 | $193.35 |
| 17 | Ardent Health Services | $387,843 | $186.46 |
| 18 | Reading Health System | $384,809 | $185.00 |
| 19 | Barton Associates | $383,710 | $184.48 |
| 20 | SoutheastHEALTH | $379,717 | $182.56 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Cardiothoracic surgeon salary trends
The average cardiothoracic surgeon salary has risen by $52,902 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average cardiothoracic surgeon earned $356,133 annually, but today, they earn $409,035 a year. That works out to a 5% change in pay for cardiothoracic surgeons over the last decade.
Compare cardiothoracic surgeon salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average cardiothoracic surgeon salary over time
Compare cardiothoracic surgeon salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Cardiothoracic surgeon salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $409,000 | $196.65 | +2.4% |
| 2024 | $399,000 | $191.88 | +1.7% |
| 2023 | $392,000 | $188.64 | +1.3% |
| 2022 | $387,000 | $186.26 | -0.4% |
| 2021 | $389,000 | $187.01 | +2.1% |
Recently added cardiothoracic surgeon salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Department of Veterans Affairs | Cardiothoracic Surgeon | Columbia, MO | 06/26/2025 | $380,000 |
| Virginia Mason Franciscan Health | Cardiothoracic Surgeon | Tacoma, WA | 06/20/2025 | $851,475 |
| Atlantic Medsearch | Cardiothoracic Surgery Job Near | Decatur, AL | 06/10/2025 | $41,740 |
| Atlantic Medsearch | Cardiothoracic Surgery Job Near | Knoxville, TN | 06/10/2025 | $48,262 |
| Atlantic Medsearch | Cardiothoracic Surgery Job Near | Saginaw, MI | 06/10/2025 | $44,349 |
| Atlantic Medsearch | Cardiothoracic Surgery Job Near | Lawrence, KS | 06/10/2025 | $46,958 |
| UCLA Health | Procurement Recovery Surgeon-Cardiothoracic | Los Angeles, CA | 06/04/2025 | $83,800 |
| AMN Healthcare | Cape Girardeau, MO-Cardiothoracic Surgery | Cape Girardeau, MO | 06/03/2025 | $50,000 |
| Mercy | Physician-Cardiothoracic Surgeon With Mercy | Joplin, MO | 05/18/2025 | $50,000 |
| UCLA Health | Procurement Recovery Surgeon-Cardiothoracic | Los Angeles, CA | 05/15/2025 | $83,800 |
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