Doctors, nurses and other medical personnel are there when people get sick, but public health workers try to prevent sickness in the first place. Public health careers are varied, ranging from field work as nutritionists and community workers to lab and office jobs like epidemiologists and biostatisticians. Read on to find more information about public health jobs, salaries and projected job growth in the varied fields of public health.

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The public health field is wide, with public health professionals involved in everything from disease identification to creation of public policy. According to the American Public Health Association, workers in public health careers promote and protect the health of people and their communities. They also promote wellness by encouraging healthy behaviors.

Public health professionals tend to focus on one of three broad activities, according to the Association of Schools of Public Health:

A public health professional with a master’s in public health degree from an institution accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health can be expected to demonstrate a firm grasp of core content as well as, in most cases, expertise in a selected specialization area.

The Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health has compiled the core competencies for a master’s in public health (PDF, 406 KB), which include:

There is a growing need for public health professionals. But studies say there is a lack of career path transparency in the public health field, with students needing knowledge of career options and strategies to help them secure desired positions, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information. Read on to find out about some of desirable jobs in public health, their salary opportunities, best places for those jobs and overall employment outlooks.

Let’s focus on five of key jobs in public health: biostatistics, community health, epidemiology, nutrition and public health leadership. We’ll look at the jobs, their pay, their prospects and where you might find your best chance at employment.

Biostatisticians develop or apply accepted theories and methods to collect, organize, interpret and summarize data, according to BLS data on statisticians. This biological data is fashioned into usable information usable by health authorities, policymakers and others who need it.

Those in the community health field help individuals and communities to adopt healthy behaviors, according to BLS data on community health workers. They conduct outreach to implement programs that promote, maintain and improve individual and community health. Professionals also may advocate for individuals and community health needs, provide information on available resources, provide social support and informal counseling, and provide services such as blood pressure screening and first aid.

Epidemiologists conduct investigations into disease, disability, or health outcomes, according to BLS data on epidemiologists. They may develop the means for prevention and control of these health challenges.

Nutritionists and dietitians plan and conduct food service or nutritional programs to help promote health and disease control, according to BLS data on dietitians and nutritionists. They may supervise activities of an agency or facility that provides public food services, may counsel individuals, or even conduct nutritional research.

Leaders are needed in public health to oversee medical and health services, according to BLS data on medical and health services managers. These health managers oversee hospitals, clinics, managed care organizations, public health agencies or similar organizations.

The employment outlook for public health jobs overall is positive. The BLS says health care employment is projected to grow 14% from 2018 to 2028, faster than the average for all jobs, adding about 1.9 million new jobs. Health care is primed to add more jobs than any of the other groups. This is primarily due to a growing older population, leading to greater demand for health services.

For biostatisticians—and statisticians in general—the job field is projected to grow 30% from 2018 to 2028, which is a bigger leap than the average for all occupations, according to BLS statistics. Health care will need biostatisticians to analyze the increasing volume of digital and electronic data.

Community health is another field projected to grow. The BLS says the overall employment of community health workers is projected to grow 11% from 2018 to 2028, also outpacing total averages. Growth is expected because of the growing need for better health outcomes and to reduce health care costs by teaching healthy practices and how to use health care services.

Dietitians and nutritionists can expect their field to grow by 11% from 2018 to 2028, also a positive projection by the BLS. The expectation is that more dietitians and nutritionists will be needed to provide care for patients with various medical conditions and to advise people who want to improve their overall health.

Employment of epidemiologists is projected to grow 5% from 2018 to 2028, which is the average pace of all occupations. This is still a good projection for epidemiologists as they are likely to have good job prospects overall, the BLS says.

Health care needs qualified leaders, and employment of medical and health services managers is projected to grow 18% from 2018 to 2028. That’s a larger expected growth than the average for all occupations. There is likely to be more demand for health care services as baby boomers age and stay active later in life.

Salaries for public health practitioners reflect the growing need for their services. From undertaking scientific research to educating about health, people in the field of public health work provide value to the community. Here is a breakdown of the median public health salaries that can be expected in our five public health concentration specialties.

Professionals in public health have a variety of locations to consider when weighing career options. A survey of the BLS record of average pay for the five specialties listed above shows these five metropolitan areas are the top paying for public health careers. Population data in the following list is from the U.S. Census City and Town Population totals.

Some states average higher pay for the five public health specialties highlighted in this article. The top-paying jobs include biostatistics, health leadership and epidemiology. The highest pay is centered on the East Coast, with the rest on the West Coast.

This list of top states for public health jobs is also based on information from the BLS.

Public health workers with a master’s degree, and those who have experience working with a specific population, may be able to compete for entry-level as well as more senior-level public health job opportunities. Additional opportunities for public health jobs are often open to candidates who speak a second language or come from the culture or the community that they intend to serve. If you are interested in helping others, reflect on whether a public health career is right for you.

Last Updated May 2020