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Have a heart healthy Valentine’s Day

February 14, 2025

How are you spending Valentine’s Day? While many are celebrating with that special someone, let’s not lose sight of where true love comes from: the heart! Cardiologists get a close up look at the heart all year round (including during Heart Healthy Month in February), and they are compensated handsomely for it. In May 2023, the annual mean wage for cardiologists was $423,250.

Annual mean wages for selected occupations, May 2023
Occupation Annual mean wage (in dollars)

Cardiologists

423,250

Cardiovascular technologists and technicians

70,270

Dietitians and nutritionists

71,280

Exercise physiologists

57,050

Exercise trainers and group fitness instructors

51,270

Preventive care recommendations often include prioritizing exercise and healthy eating (of course, exceptions for yummy candy on February 14 must be considered). Dietitians and nutritionists who help us learn about eating healthier had average annual wages of $71,280. The annual mean wage for exercise physiologists was $57,050 per year, while exercise trainers and group fitness instructors averaged $51,270.

A cardiologist's salary may sound enticing, but the projected employment increase of 5.0 percent from 2023 to 2033 pales in comparison to projected growth for some occupations in the exercise field. Exercise trainers and group fitness instructors are expected to have a 13.6-percent gain in employment over this period, while exercise physiologists are projected to have a 10.4-percent gain.

Projected percent change in employment for selected occupations, 2023–33
Occupation Projected percent change in employment

Cardiologists

5.0

Cardiovascular technologists and technicians

4.2

Dietitians and nutritionists

7.4

Exercise physiologists

10.4

Exercise trainers and group fitness instructors

13.6

These data are from the Occupational Employment Statistics program and the Employment Projections program. To learn more, see "Employment Projections — 2023–2033" and the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) Tables. We also have detailed tables about the latest projections.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Have a heart healthy Valentine’s Day at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2025/have-a-heart-healthy-valentines-day.htm (visited March 18, 2025).

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