Cardiology faces an ongoing workforce shortage with significant implications for patients, as well as physicians and other providers currently working in the specialty.
According to a Medicus white paper published in February, the U.S. is projected to see a shortage of 8,650 cardiologists by 2037. Currently, nearly 50% of U.S. counties lack access to a cardiologist, leaving 22 million Americans without access to cardiac care.
The demand for cardiologists is expected to outpace supply year over year as the U.S. population becomes older and more prone to cardiovascular disease. To address this shortage, more medical students will be needed in the specialty to boost the number of practicing cardiologists across the U.S.
Here are five notes on the state of cardiology residencies and fellowships:
1. Interventional cardiology joined the National Residency Matching Program for the first time in 2025. The subspecialty offered 326 positions across 156 programs, of which 83.4% were filled.
2. According to the American College of Cardiology, the shortage is most acute in general cardiology. Most fellows go into subspecialty training after fellowship, resulting in the industry being heavy on proceduralists and more advanced clinicians.
3. According to 2025 NRMP data, more than 99% of the 1,262 positions offered in cardiovascular disease were filled.
4. Among the subspecialties adult congenital heart disease and clinical cardiac electrophysiology, 73% and 98% of positions were filled, respectively.
5. According to one study published by researchers at Baylor University Medical Center in Waco, Texas, the number of cardiology programs that were opened or expanded between 2017 and 2021 increased by more than 20%.
