Cardiac Nurse salary
A cardiac nurse earns about $97,340 a year — roughly $46.80/hour, with most earning between $79,030 and $104,810. This is an estimate — a starting point, not an exact figure.
Cardiac Nurse — U.S. national
Specialty estimateMedian annual pay
$97,340
Hourly
$46.80/hr
- Typical range
- $79,030–$104,810
- What most nurses earn
- High end
- $140,730
- Top earners
- Entry level
- $68,670
- Newer nurses
What affects this pay
- Telemetry and step-down acuity differentials
- ACLS and cardiac-vascular certification
- Hospital size and cardiac program complexity
- Night and weekend shift premiums
- Experience with drips and rhythm management
About Cardiac Nurses
What they do
Cardiac nurses look after patients with heart failure, arrhythmias, coronary artery disease, and those recovering from heart attacks, catheterizations, or cardiac surgery. Core responsibilities include continuous rhythm monitoring, titrating cardiac medications and drips, recognizing deteriorating patients early, assisting with stress tests and procedures, and coaching patients on diet, activity, and medication adherence after a cardiac event.
How to become a Cardiac Nurse
Cardiac nursing begins with an RN license, followed by orientation on a telemetry or cardiac unit where rhythm interpretation is learned on the job. Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) is expected early, and many hospitals fund it. After roughly two years of cardiac experience, nurses can sit for cardiac-vascular nursing board certification, which strengthens candidacy for step-down, cath lab, and cardiac ICU roles.
What drives the pay
Because public wage data reports all registered nurses together rather than tracking cardiac nursing separately, the estimates here are modeled upward from the registered nurse baseline. Pay tends to sit modestly above it for structural reasons: cardiac units demand rhythm interpretation and drip titration that qualify for acuity differentials, hospitals compete for certified telemetry-capable staff, and round-the-clock staffing brings night, weekend, and charge premiums many outpatient roles lack.
Cardiac Nurse pay by state
Estimated cardiac nurse pay where this role tends to earn the most. Open a state for the full local picture.
| State | Est. annual pay | vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| California | $134,330 | +38% vs national |
| Hawaii | $116,810 | +20% vs national |
| Alaska | $114,870 | +18% vs national |
| Oregon | $114,870 | +18% vs national |
| Washington | $114,870 | +18% vs national |
| Massachusetts | $111,950 | +15% vs national |
| New York | $110,000 | +13% vs national |
| District of Columbia | $109,030 | +12% vs national |
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Cardiac Nurse salary FAQ
- How much do Cardiac Nurses make?
- Cardiac Nurses earn an estimated $97,340 a year — about $46.80 an hour, with most between $79,030 and $104,810. Cardiac Nurses aren't reported as a separate role in public wage data, so this is a specialty estimate that starts from registered nurse pay.
- What is the hourly pay for Cardiac Nurses?
- Most Cardiac Nurses are paid an hourly wage. The national estimate works out to about $46.80 an hour at a full-time schedule, with a typical range of $38.00 to $50.39. Nights, weekends, and overtime differentials push the real hourly rate higher.
- Which state pays Cardiac Nurses the most?
- California is among the highest-paying states for Cardiac Nurses, at roughly $134,330 a year, followed by other West Coast and Northeast states. State figures are estimates based on national pay and local cost of living.
- Why is Cardiac Nurse pay shown as an estimate?
- No public source measures Cardiac Nurses as a separate occupation, so we start from registered nurse pay and apply the pay difference these nurses typically see. The figure is clearly labeled an estimate and sharpens as nurses submit their own pay.
- Why are some figures verified and others estimates?
- National pay for the main nursing roles — registered nurses, LPNs/LVNs, nurse practitioners, CRNAs, nurse midwives, and nursing assistants — comes from verified public wage data. State, city, and specialty figures that aren't reported on their own start from that national pay and are labeled "Estimated" or "Specialty estimate." We never show an estimate as a verified figure.
Source & confidence— An estimate for a specialty that public pay data does not list on its own. A ballpark to start from, not an exact figure.
Modeled specialty estimate
Cardiac Nurse is not broken out by BLS. Figures are modeled from the SOC 29-1141 median using a specialty differential of 1.04×, reflecting commonly reported pay differences. Treat as directional, not precise.
Source year 2024. Last reviewed June 1, 2025. Full methodology
This role isn’t broken out in public wage data, so the figure starts from registered nurse pay and sharpens as nurses submit their pay. Last reviewed June 1, 2025.