Average Salary

• The salary comparison website PayScale.com listed the average annual basic pay for a cardiovascular surgeon working in America, through December 2010, as between $151,416 and $386,181. Actual compensation packages will differ according to the benefits and bonuses offered by an employer. Other factors also affect salary levels.
  
  

Salary by Experience

• The salary survey conducted by PayScale.com found that average income for cardiovascular surgeons with less than a year of experience in the field varied enormously, stretching from $143,797 to $491,318. In comparison, those with 20 years or more experience earned between $227,833 and $403,365. However, the more experienced practitioners are likely to have accrued better auxiliary benefits such as pension provisions.
  
  

Salary by Employer

• The cardiovascular surgeon's employer will also affect her earning potential. PayScale.com found that the top of the salary range for hospitals and private practice - the two most common employment types for cardiovascular surgeons - were fairly even at $388,292 and $367,942 respectively. However, both were trumped by salaries at companies and universities, peaking at $406,946 and $412,121 respectively.
  
  

Salary by Location

• The survey conducted by PayScale.com of salaries in metropolitan locales shows that New York and Houston, Texas offer the broadest range of average pay -- $101,736 to $393,054 in New York and $60,000 to $400,000 in Houston. The top level for other locations are fairly commensurate with Boston, Massachusetts, Chicago, Illinois and Baltimore, Maryland offering $398,876, $387,500 and $380,000 respectively.
  
  

Training

• To achieve even the cardiovascular surgeon's starting salary, an individual must undertake a great deal of training. This starts with a bachelor's degree and four years of medical school. Successful graduation leads to a required five years in general medical practice. After that, a surgeon must complete an apprenticeship in cardiovascular surgery, undertaking extensive further training of between two to three years under the supervision of a qualified practitioner.
  
  

Outlook

• The American Association of Thoracic Surgery predicts that the aging population in the United States and the expansion of the medical sector that will be attendant to it will fuel a rise in demand for qualified surgeons in the future. As such, salaries should remain extremely competitive. The AATS suggests that earning potential will increase for those practitioners willing to work in rural or low-income areas.