10 High-Paying Public Health Jobs: Salaries, Requirements, and More

Key takeaways

• A public health career can be a lucrative opportunity to earn a high salary while meaningfully contributing to a community's overall health.

• High-paying public health jobs often require at least a bachelor's degree in public health or a related field.

• Experienced public health professionals are in demand given the ongoing threat communicable diseases and other public health issues pose.

Learn more about some of the high-paying public health jobs you can explore, which range from administrative roles to lab-based research roles. Afterward, strengthen your public health knowledge with Imperial's Foundations of Public Health Practice Specialization, where you'll learn about the origins of public health, health improvement, behavior change, and health protection.

10 of the highest-paying public health jobs

Public health jobs span a range of responsibilities, which will depend on the area in which you work.

1. Environmental scientist

Environmental scientists study the environment and use their research and findings to help protect the ecosystem and human health. As an environmental scientist, your research may include climate change, pollution, or toxic waste management. You may also assist in instructing others on how to care for the environment.

To become an environmental scientist, you need a bachelor’s degree in environmental science or a related natural science field. As an environmental scientist, you’ll need strong research and analytical skills. To boost your resume and stand out to employers, you may also consider pursuing internships and eventually obtaining a master’s degree.

Median annual salary (US): $80,060 [1]

Job outlook (between 2023-2033): 7 percent growth [1]

Requirements: Bachelor’s degree

2. Emergency management director

Emergency management directors take control of dangerous situations by creating an action plan. These situations include weather-induced disasters or other events that may threaten public safety. In this role, you'll coordinate with various officials, companies, and government agencies to develop procedures and respond to emergencies as they arise.

To become an emergency management director, you’ll need a bachelor’s degree in emergency management, security and protective services, or business, and some experience in roles that require planning, initiative, and coordination. You must also have strong leadership and communication skills to articulate your action plans clearly. You may start your career as a community volunteer before studying to become an emergency management director.

Median annual salary (US): $86,130 [2]

Job outlook (between 2023-2033): 4 percent growth [2]

Requirements: Bachelor’s degree and field experience

3. Biostatistician 

Biostatisticians are skilled in math, statistics, and analytics. In this role, your responsibilities include studying biology and public health data. You'll analyze data and share it with other experts to solve problems and inspire change, such as policy change or new approaches to disease treatment.

To begin your career, you need at least a bachelor’s degree in a field such as mathematics or statistics. In addition, pursuing a master’s degree is likely to give you more career opportunities and access to higher-paying biostatistician positions.

Median annual salary (US): $104,350 [3]

Job outlook (between 2023-2033): 11 percent growth [3]

Requirements: Bachelor’s degree or master’s degree from a school accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) 

4. Health and safety engineer

As a health and safety engineer, you help create safe working and living environments for others. You evaluate products, procedures, and workplaces to ensure safety measures are taken. Your responsibilities may include confirming facilities meet safety codes, investigating injury reports, and advocating for health and safety concerns.

To become a health and safety engineer, you typically need to obtain a bachelor’s degree with a major in either engineering or environmental health and safety. Look for a program accredited by ABET, formerly the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology.

Median annual salary (US): $109,660 [4]

Job outlook (between 2023-2033): 5 percent growth [4]

Requirements: Bachelor’s degree

5. Nursing instructor

Nursing instructors teach those looking to pursue a career as a registered nurse. As a nursing instructor, you share your knowledge and skills with nursing students through classes and clinical experiences to prepare them for their nursing roles. You may also provide continuing education to nurses already in the field.

To start in this role, you will need a degree in nursing and clinical experience. If you are a registered nurse, you must have taken and passed the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) to obtain your nursing license. To become a nurse educator, you need to earn a master’s degree, typically in nursing education.

Mean annual salary (US): $86,530 [5]

Job outlook (between 2023-2033): 8 percent growth [6]

Requirements: Nursing license and master’s degree

6. Community service director

As a community service director, you organize health and well-being programs for community members. These programs may include mental health resources, veteran aid, or services for senior community members. You must have strong coordination and management skills, as your responsibilities include running programs and events, overseeing staff, and evaluating data to determine the effectiveness of programs. 

To become a community service director, employers typically prefer that you have completed a bachelor’s degree in social work or another social services field. However, some roles may require a master’s degree. To stand out to employers, you may benefit from gaining professional experience in social services and public health before becoming a community service director.

Median annual salary (US): $78,240 [7]

Job outlook (between 2023-2033): 8 percent growth [7]

Requirements: Bachelor’s degree

7. Epidemiologist

Epidemiologists study the spread of harmful diseases and research ways to prevent them. As an epidemiologist, you work with other health care professionals to communicate your findings and reduce the occurrence of diseases.

To start this career path, you must study public health, biology, social science, or a similar field. In most cases, you’ll also need a master’s degree. You must have strong research and analytical skills with an ability to collaborate well with others to get the job done and protect public health.

Median annual salary (US): $83,980 [8]

Job outlook (between 2023-2033): 19 percent growth [8]

Requirements: Master’s degree

8. Medical and health services manager

In this role, your responsibilities may include monitoring patients in a hospital or facility to ensure they receive high-quality care. You also oversee, train, manage, and schedule other health care employees within an organization.

To become a medical and health services manager, you typically need a bachelor’s degree in public health, business, health administration, or nursing. Depending on the institution where you work, employers may prefer a master’s degree in health management, health administration, or a similar field, or only require relevant work experience to qualify for the role.

Median annual salary (US): $117,960 [9]

Job outlook (between 2023-2033): 29 percent growth [9]

Requirements: Bachelor’s degree and experience

9. Health care consultant

Health care consultants ensure that organizations such as hospitals, clinics, and other health care facilities operate smoothly and provide sufficient public health services to patients. In this role, you'll work to solve problems, budget finances, and develop strategies and methods for improving public health facilities and the care people receive.

To become a health care consultant, you often need a bachelor’s degree in an area such as public health, nursing, or business. If you’re looking to advance your education, you may go on to receive a master’s degree in health administration, which could present more high-paying career opportunities. Experience in the health care industry is also important.

Median annual salary (US): $117,960 [9]

Job outlook (between 2023-2033): 29 percent growth [9]

Requirements: Bachelor’s degree

10. Sociologist

As a sociologist, your responsibilities include analyzing human social behavior and conducting research studies. You apply what you’ve learned to create reports that showcase your data findings and educate others to help address social problems.

To become a sociologist, you first need to complete a bachelor’s degree in a field related to human behavior before going on to obtain a master’s degree in sociology. Employers typically require a master’s degree or a PhD for this public health role.

Median annual salary (US): $101,690 [10]

Job outlook (between 2023-2033): 7 percent growth [10]

Requirements: Master’s degree or PhD

What area of public health makes the most money?

Two of the highest-paying jobs in public health include roles in public health administration or health care administration, both of which are high-paying areas within the broad field of public health. For example, a public health director, responsible for managing a public health organization, earns an average annual salary of $118,721 [11]. Medical directors, who typically hold a doctoral degree and oversee the operations of a health care facility, can earn even more, with an average annual salary of $235,696 [12]. 

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