Best states for cardiology
Ranked by what's actually left: each state's wage, minus estimated federal, FICA and state income tax, then adjusted for local prices. The biggest headline salary is often not the best deal.
For cardiology, adjusted take-home is highest in Nebraska at $430,572 — about 152% further than California, the lowest of the 23 states BLS publishes.
| # | State | Annual mean | Est. take-home | Adjusted take-home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nebraska | $627,390 | $387,945 | $430,572 |
| 2 | Tennessee | $551,190 | $371,905 | $404,684 |
| 3 | Georgia | $616,040 | $379,976 | $394,575 |
| 4 | Kentucky | $522,350 | $333,074 | $369,262 |
| 5 | Missouri | $523,380 | $330,764 | $364,278 |
| 6 | Wisconsin | $549,880 | $338,050 | $359,245 |
| 7 | Washington | $562,160 | $378,778 | $353,998 |
| 8 | Ohio | $493,580 | $320,003 | $344,831 |
| 9 | Alabama | $471,790 | $298,761 | $336,443 |
| 10 | Indiana | $474,380 | $309,552 | $331,781 |
| 11 | Pennsylvania | $492,490 | $320,010 | $327,879 |
| 12 | Illinois | $484,120 | $305,922 | $305,922 |
| 13 | Virginia | $446,630 | $281,463 | $278,401 |
| 14 | Texas | $386,680 | $268,840 | $276,869 |
| 15 | Florida | $406,400 | $281,194 | $271,948 |
| 16 | New York | $437,490 | $273,651 | $253,615 |
| 17 | Connecticut | $416,360 | $261,955 | $252,852 |
| 18 | Michigan | $354,940 | $233,870 | $243,108 |
| 19 | Iowa | $306,670 | $207,060 | $235,831 |
| 20 | Maryland | $380,510 | $244,865 | $233,205 |
| 21 | Rhode Island | $344,820 | $225,664 | $220,590 |
| 22 | New Jersey | $325,020 | $211,632 | $194,515 |
| 23 | California | $296,940 | $188,975 | $170,709 |
Method: annual mean wage from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (“Cardiologists”, May 2025); take-home estimated for a single filer taking the standard deduction (federal + FICA + state income tax, wages only — Tax Foundation for state brackets); adjusted using U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities (2024) price levels where US average = 100. Only states with both a published wage and a published price level can be ranked honestly, so 23 states appear. This is an estimate for comparison, not tax advice, and wages exclude many self-employed/partnership physicians. VitalPost shows sourced public data for context only.