Cardiac Anesthesiologist Salary Guide

Unfortunately, there is no reliable data on the average annual cardiac anesthesiologist salary in the United States. However, the average annual anesthesiologist salary is $339,470 per year in the U.S., according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Since cardiac anesthesiologists are more specialized than a general anesthesiologist, it’s reasonable to assume that pediatric providers make more.

Locum tenens cardiac anesthesiologists can make upward of $400 per hour on average, however, there are many factors that impact rates including location, years of experience, and the level of demand. 

If you were to extrapolate the low end of this range over a year (at 40 hours per week), a locum tenens pediatric anesthesiologist could make $832,000 per year or more.

That means locum tenens cardiac anesthesiologists could make 145% more per year than the average general anesthesiologist. Making direct salary comparisons between locum tenens and permanent providers can be complicated. While perm anesthesiologists are more likely to be salaried, locum tenens cardiac anesthesiologists are independent contractors earning an hourly rate, which can vary based on which assignments they take in a year.

Furthermore, because locum tenens cardiac anesthesiologists are paid by the hour, the hours they work are directly reflected in their pay, while a salaried cardiac anesthesiologist’s additional hours may not be reflected in their salary.

Finally, paid time off and insurance may be reflected in the permanent cardiac anesthesiologist’s salary structure, but locum tenens providers do have options when it comes to health insurance.

The most recent state breakdown of anesthesiologist salaries comes from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, though the BLS was not able to collect enough data for all 50 states. That said, some of the top 5 highest paying states for anesthesiologists are:

• Connecticut
• Hawaii
• Iowa
• Maine
• Maryland

How do Anesthesiologist Salaries Compare Against Other Physician Specialties?

Cardiac anesthesiologists are among the top five physician specialties surveyed in Medscape’s 2024 physician compensation report. These top five specialties (orthopedics, plastic surgery, cardiology, urology, gastroenterology) all reported annual income of greater than $500,000.

Anesthesiologist salaries have increased over the last several years, with a 5% increase in pay from 2023 to 2024, according to Medscape.

Check out and apply to our open locum tenens cardiac anesthesiologist jobs today!