How much do cardiovascular technologists make?

Cardiovascular Technologist salary 2026 · BLS occupation: Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians (SOC 29-2031) · Updated October 28, 2026

Answer

Cardiovascular technologists in the US earned a median of $74,310 a year ($35.73 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned $47,890 to $98,110.

Median annual pay: $74,310; Mean $76,940
Median hourly pay: $35.73; Mean $36.99
Typical range (10th–90th): $39.0K–$121K; $39,000 to $121,350
US jobs: 62,960; +3.7% projected, 2025–35

BLS OEWS, May 2025, released April 30, 2026. Wages include tips, commissions and production bonuses but not overtime premiums, shift differentials, other bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers are not included. Methodology

How to become a cardiovascular technologist: steps, years and cost · Best-paying state after cost of living: Utah

Cardiovascular Technologist pay range

Annual wages, May 2025

10th percentile$39,000
25th percentile$47,890
Median$74,310
75th percentile$98,110
90th percentile$121,350

Half of all cardiovascular technologists earned more than $74,310 and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% made under $39,000; the top 10% made over $121,350. The middle 50%, from the 25th to the 75th percentile, ran from $47,890 to $98,110.

These percentiles describe everyone in the occupation at one time. They are not pay steps by years of experience: they mix new and senior workers, different states, employers and hours. Pay generally rises with experience, credentials and specialization, but BLS does not publish pay by experience.

Percentile	Annual	Hourly	Monthly
10th	$39,000	$18.75	$3,250
25th	$47,890	$23.02	$3,991
Median (50th)	$74,310	$35.73	$6,193
75th	$98,110	$47.17	$8,176
90th	$121,350	$58.34	$10,113
Mean (average)	$76,940	$36.99	$6,412

Cardiovascular Technologist salary by state

Median annual pay; cost of living from BEA regional price parities 2024

Median annual pay for cardiovascular technologists by state. Darker tiles pay more.

Highest-paying states

1. Utah $113,510
2. Hawaii $111,730
3. Massachusetts $105,580
4. Rhode Island $104,000
5. Idaho $100,100

Lowest-paying states

51. Mississippi $38,000
50. Oklahoma $44,900
49. West Virginia $45,910
48. New Mexico $47,340
47. Alabama $47,650

Best after cost of living: Utah. Its median of $113,510 is worth about $114,814 at national-average prices.


Alabama	$47,650	47	$53,646	47	$22.91	930	0.44
Alaska	$79,040	22	$77,218	27	$38.00	160	0.48
Arizona	$74,900	29	$74,396	33	$36.01	1,450	0.45
Arkansas	$74,800	30	$86,039	14	$35.96	410	0.32
California	$78,170	24	$70,602	38	$37.58	5,570	0.31
Colorado	$94,190	9	$91,400	8	$45.29	720	0.25
Connecticut	$94,940	8	$91,632	7	$45.64	620	0.37
Delaware	$87,640	11	$87,809	12	$42.13	290	0.59
District of Columbia	$99,380	6	$90,427	10	$47.78	280	0.40
Florida	$77,140	26	$74,593	32	$37.09	5,640	0.57
Georgia	$78,070	25	$81,075	23	$37.53	2,580	0.53
Hawaii	$111,730	2	$101,618	4	$53.72	140	0.23
Idaho	$100,100	5	$104,823	2	$48.13	220	0.26
Illinois	$61,870	39	$61,896	42	$29.75	1,710	0.28
Indiana	$79,380	20	$85,054	16	$38.16	1,380	0.43
Iowa	$78,850	23	$89,845	11	$37.91	380	0.24
Kansas	$69,060	36	$76,675	28	$33.20	540	0.37
Kentucky	$60,980	40	$67,636	39	$29.32	940	0.47
Louisiana	$50,050	46	$56,742	45	$24.06	890	0.46
Maine	$82,050	18	$84,544	17	$39.45	220	0.35
Maryland	$86,440	12	$82,356	21	$41.56	970	0.35
Massachusetts	$105,580	3	$99,833	5	$50.76	1,110	0.31
Michigan	$80,650	19	$83,821	18	$38.77	2,070	0.47
Minnesota	$71,520	33	$72,520	35	$34.38	950	0.32
Mississippi	$38,000	51	$43,702	51	$18.27	590	0.51
Missouri	$73,680	32	$81,130	22	$35.43	850	0.29
Montana	$82,850	16	$87,538	13	$39.83	190	0.37
Nebraska	$60,000	41	$66,590	40	$28.85	330	0.32
Nevada	$71,240	34	$71,255	36	$34.25	380	0.25
New Hampshire	$83,100	15	$79,777	24	$39.95	150	0.22
New Jersey	$82,710	17	$76,017	30	$39.76	2,440	0.57
New Mexico	$47,340	48	$51,338	48	$22.76	400	0.46
New York	$89,570	10	$82,996	20	$43.06	3,540	0.37
North Carolina	$55,460	44	$58,796	44	$26.67	1,990	0.40
North Dakota	$65,890	38	$74,068	34	$31.68	120	0.27
Ohio	$79,270	21	$85,444	15	$38.11	2,140	0.39
Oklahoma	$44,900	50	$51,114	50	$21.59	830	0.48
Oregon	$99,240	7	$96,013	6	$47.71	550	0.28
Pennsylvania	$58,090	43	$59,536	43	$27.93	3,630	0.60
Rhode Island	$104,000	4	$101,682	3	$50.00	260	0.52
South Carolina	$59,170	42	$63,115	41	$28.45	890	0.39
South Dakota	$67,290	37	$75,960	31	$32.35	200	0.43
Tennessee	$76,650	28	$83,433	19	$36.85	1,030	0.32
Texas	$53,000	45	$54,607	46	$25.48	6,140	0.44
Utah	$113,510	1	$114,814	1	$54.57	1,250	0.72
Vermont	$69,620	35	$71,071	37	$33.47	50	0.17
Virginia	$76,880	27	$76,041	29	$36.96	2,410	0.59
Washington	$83,790	14	$78,299	26	$40.28	1,110	0.31
West Virginia	$45,910	49	$51,298	49	$22.07	350	0.50
Wisconsin	$74,380	31	$79,048	25	$35.76	900	0.31
Wyoming	$84,140	13	$90,775	9	$40.45	60	0.22

BLS OEWS, May 2025, state estimates. Adjusted pay = median ÷ (state price level ÷ 100), using BEA regional price parities for 2024; it ignores taxes. Figures for states with few workers in the occupation have larger survey errors and can change sharply from one year to the next. “—” means BLS did not publish the figure. State names link to each state’s highest-paying jobs.

Best-paying metro areas for cardiovascular technologists

187 metro areas with published pay

Highest median pay
Metro area	Median	Adjusted	Jobs
Salt Lake City-Murray, UT	$224,280	$222,350	810
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA	$128,530	$116,281	50
Urban Honolulu, HI	$111,730	$100,693	130
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	$107,710	$96,920	640
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	$107,000	$98,831	780
Bakersfield-Delano, CA	$106,340	$105,406	70
Modesto, CA	$105,400	$101,241	80
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT	$104,050	$97,367	170
Providence-Warwick, RI-MA	$104,000	$102,188	330
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$103,060	$89,142	500

Most jobs
Metro area	Jobs	Median	Adjusted
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	4,180	$87,210	$77,477
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	2,600	$66,090	$58,195
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	1,880	$73,380	$71,553
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	1,660	$50,590	$49,074
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX	1,480	$60,650	$61,493
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	1,420	$81,120	$71,061
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	1,410	$79,250	$79,204
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	1,390	$93,030	$85,440
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	1,340	$58,390	$56,364
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ	950	$68,330	$66,137

BLS OEWS, May 2025, metropolitan statistical areas; adjusted with BEA metro price parities (2024).

What moves cardiovascular technologist pay: employers and settings

This occupation mixes jobs with very different training, from EKG technicians who may start with a short certificate to registered cath lab specialists from two-year accredited programs. Pay runs from $39,000, the 10th percentile, to $121,350, the 90th, a wide spread for a single occupation, and BLS does not publish separate figures for each role.

Setting matters too. Hospitals employ about three out of four techs at a median of $71,320. Outpatient care centers pay a median of $95,080; staffing agencies pay $83,290; medical and diagnostic labs $81,200 and physicians' offices $76,850. Private employers pay a median of $75,960; state government pays $69,020 and local government $59,170.

Location adds another large swing. Utah leads with a median of $113,510, followed by Hawaii at $111,730, Massachusetts at $105,580, Rhode Island at $104,000, and Idaho at $100,100. At the low end are West Virginia at $45,910, Oklahoma at $44,900, and Mississippi at $38,000. Adjusted for living costs, Utah still comes out best at $114,814. Call pay and shift differentials in hospital cath labs can add to base pay.

Where cardiovascular technologists work
Industry	Share of jobs	Median pay
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	76.5%	$71,320
Offices of Physicians	13%	$76,850
Outpatient Care Centers	2.2%	$95,080
Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals	1.6%	$51,240
Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories	1.5%	$81,200
Employment Services	1.3%	$83,290

Private employers and government
Employer type	Jobs	Median pay
Private employers	57,310	$75,960
State government (incl. schools and hospitals)	2,060	$69,020
Local government (incl. schools and hospitals)	3,580	$59,170

BLS OEWS, May 2025, national industry-specific and ownership estimates (4-digit NAICS).

Cardiovascular Technologist pay over time

Median annual pay, 2015–2025

$74.3K $54.9K

2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025

Nominal median (dollars of each year)In May 2025 dollars (adjusted with CPI-U)

The median rose from $54,880 in 2015 to $74,310 in 2025, up 35% in nominal dollars. After inflation, the 2015 median is worth $74,187 in May 2025 dollars, so real pay was about flat over the period.

BLS OEWS, May 2025 and earlier May releases; inflation from the CPI-U, US city average, May of each year.

What cardiovascular technologists do

Cardiovascular technologists and technicians run the tests and assist with the procedures doctors use to find and treat heart and blood vessel problems. The title covers several distinct jobs. An EKG tech places electrodes on a patient's chest and limbs and records the heart's electrical activity, at rest or during a treadmill stress test. A cath lab tech, formally a cardiovascular invasive specialist, works beside the cardiologist during catheterizations, stent placements and pacemaker implants, monitoring pressures and heart rhythm and handing off equipment. A cardiac sonographer, or echo tech, uses ultrasound to image the heart's chambers and valves; this page covers that path too, but BLS counts heart ultrasound under diagnostic medical sonographers, so the pay figures here mainly reflect EKG, cath lab and other cardiovascular techs.

About three in four work in hospitals, in cardiology departments, echo labs, emergency departments and catheterization labs. Most of the rest work in cardiologists' offices and outpatient centers. The job is hands-on and on your feet: you position and lift patients, and hospital techs often cover evenings, weekends or on-call shifts, because heart attacks do not wait for business hours. Cardiologists rely on the tech's tracings, images and measurements to make the diagnosis.

A typical day

Check the order, confirm the patient's identity and explain what the test will feel like
Attach EKG leads and run resting, stress or Holter monitor recordings
Scan the heart with ultrasound and capture the views and measurements the cardiologist needs
In the cath lab, prep the access site, watch blood pressure and rhythm, and pass catheters and wires
Flag dangerous rhythms or sudden changes in the patient to the physician right away
Write up preliminary findings and file images and tracings in the patient's record
Clean, test and troubleshoot EKG carts, ultrasound machines and monitoring systems

Also called: cardiovascular tech, cardiac sonographer, echo tech, ekg technician, ekg tech, cardiac tech, echocardiographer, cath lab tech.

How to become a cardiovascular technologist

Full guide

Most cardiovascular technologists finish a two-year accredited cardiovascular technology program, usually an associate degree, then pass a registry exam such as the RCS, RCIS or RDCS. EKG technicians can start with a short certificate and the CCT exam.

Typical time: 2-3 years (cardiovascular technologist); Fastest: Under 1 year (EKG technician)
Minimum education: High school diploma for EKG technicians; associate degree or certificate from a CAAHEP-accredited cardiovascular technology program for technologists
License: Not licensed in most states; some states require a license, and employers usually require a national credential
Typical training cost: $9.5K–$14.3K; See the guide for what it includes

Read the step-by-step guide to becoming a cardiovascular technologist: each step with its time and cost, education options, exams, licensing and advancement.

Is it worth it? Training cost against pay

Compare careers

Training time: 2-3 years (cardiovascular technologist); Typical path in our guide
Training cost: $9.5K–$14.3K; Tuition and exam fees, before aid
Median pay: $74,310; $23,330 above the all-jobs median ($50,980)
Cost vs. one year's pay: 13–19%; Training cost as a share of a year at the median

Once qualified, the pay difference over the typical US job at the median ($23,330 a year before tax) would repay the training cost in less than a year after training ends (2-3 years (cardiovascular technologist) in our guide). This is a rough guide: it ignores taxes, financial aid, interest, earnings given up while training and how pay changes over a career. How we calculate ROI.

Job outlook for cardiovascular technologists

BLS Employment Projections 2025–35

Projected growth: +3.7%; All occupations +3.5%
Jobs in 2025: 64,500; 66,900 projected for 2035
Openings each year: 3,400; New jobs plus replacements
Self-employed: 1.2%; Not in the pay figures above

BLS projects jobs for cardiovascular technologists and technicians to grow 3.7% from 2025 to 2035, from 64,500 to 66,900. That is about the same as the 3.5% average for all occupations. Roughly 3,400 openings are expected each year, many of them to replace techs who retire or change careers.

The demand comes from an aging population and more people living with heart disease, which means more EKGs, echocardiograms and catheterizations.

Related careers and their pay

Related occupations from O*NET 31.0; median annual pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.

Cardiovascular Technologist salary FAQ

How much do cardiovascular technologists make an hour?

The median hourly wage for cardiovascular technologists was $35.73 in May 2025. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $18.75 an hour and the highest-paid 10% more than $58.34. Hourly figures are BLS estimates for all workers in the occupation, full-time and part-time.

Which state pays cardiovascular technologists the most?

Utah has the highest median pay for cardiovascular technologists, $113,510 a year, followed by Hawaii ($111,730) and Massachusetts ($105,580). After adjusting for each state's price level, Utah comes out ahead at about $114,814 in national-average dollars.

Do cardiovascular technologists make six figures?

Some do: based on the BLS percentiles, between 10% and 25% of cardiovascular technologists earn more than $100,000 a year. The median is $74,310, and the top 10% earn more than $121,350. Pay generally rises with experience, specialization and location.

What is the difference between an EKG tech and a cardiovascular technologist?

An EKG technician records the heart's electrical activity, usually after a short certificate program or on-the-job training, and may earn the CCT credential. A cardiovascular technologist has broader, longer training, usually a two-year accredited program, and specializes in echocardiography, invasive cath lab work or vascular testing. Technologists earn registry-level credentials such as the RCS or RCIS and take on more complex, higher-responsibility procedures.

Is a cardiac sonographer the same as an echo tech?

Yes. Echo tech, cardiac sonographer and echocardiographer all describe someone who uses ultrasound to image the heart. They may hold the RCS credential from Cardiovascular Credentialing International or the RDCS from Inteleos (ARDMS). BLS describes ultrasound imaging of the heart in its profile of diagnostic medical sonographers, so the job overlaps with our ultrasound technician page.

What does a cath lab tech do?

A cath lab tech, or cardiovascular invasive specialist, works in the catheterization lab with the cardiologist and nurses. They prepare the patient and sterile field, monitor pressures and heart rhythm during the procedure, hand the physician catheters, balloons and stents, and record what was done. Many hospital cath labs require staff to take call, so a tech may be paged in at night for an emergency heart attack.

Sources

Data updated October 28, 2026 · Text checked against its sources October 28, 2026

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates, released April 30, 2026, SOC 29-2031
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035, released September 2026
O*NET 31.0 Database (29-2031.00), U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0; tasks rewritten by Careers and Salaries
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by state and metro area, 2024
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, May values
U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study and institution data, most recent cohorts, released 2026-10-15
Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians, Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · checked October 28, 2026
Certified Cardiographic Technician (CCT), Cardiovascular Credentialing International · checked October 28, 2026
Registered Cardiovascular Invasive Specialist (RCIS) and Registered Cardiac Sonographer (RCS), Cardiovascular Credentialing International · checked October 28, 2026
Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer (RDCS), Inteleos · checked October 28, 2026
Joint Review Committee on Education in Cardiovascular Technology, JRC-CVT · checked October 28, 2026
Find a Program, Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs · checked October 28, 2026
License Finder, CareerOneStop, U.S. Department of Labor · checked October 28, 2026

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