Even before the pandemic hit, the field of public health had been experiencing explosive growth, with the number of public health degrees awarded swelling by more than 300% from 1992 to 2016. Interest in medical professions surged even more after the appearance of COVID-19 on the global stage, with some master’s degree programs in public health (MPH) seeing the largest ever year-over-year increase in applications in their history. That interest hasn’t waned much.
“Students are still very interested across all the different areas of public health,” says Toy Draine, director of career services at George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health. “The program continues to grow, and our student population continues to grow.”
For those who are interested in pursuing public health jobs, here are 10 of the field’s top-paying roles.
10. Public health director
Top-paying companies: Bipartisan Policy Center, Amazon, City of Detroit
Description: Public health directors work for governments at the state or local level to manage public healthcare organizations and programs. This role creates and manages programs to improve the overall well being of a population. Public health directors tackle health challenges at the administrative level by consulting with other public health professionals, developing budgets, and reviewing data. They also hold hearings regarding public health issues, create emergency response plans, and report to public health boards of directors.
Salary: $93,124, according to Glassdoor.
Top-paying localities: Boston, Mass. ($121,742), Columbia, S.C. ($100,783), Minneapolis, Minn. ($100,076), according to Zippia.
9. Public health advisor
Top-paying companies: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, NYC Health + Hospitals, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
Description: Public health advisors offer guidance and advice to government officials regarding community health. They work with medical and governmental personnel to create policies to address health issues. Often employed by federal agencies like the Centers for Disease Control, this role serves as the link between private medical personnel and the government.
Salary: $94,165, according to ZipRecruiter.
Top-paying localities: Berkeley, Calif. ($114,003), New York, N.Y. ($109,618), Renton, Wash. ($109,289), according to ZipRecruiter.
8. Environmental health and safety officer
Top-paying companies: Trane Technologies, Dunson and Associates, National Composites
Description: Environmental health and safety officers ensure that organizations comply with environmental laws and promote safe working practices. They monitor business operations to identify possible hazards and create procedures and policies to protect employees. This role may work for a single organization or contract to multiple organizations.
Salary: $100,120, according to Indeed
Top-paying localities: Marlborough, N.H. ($119,585), Springfield, Mo. ($109,758), Chicago, Ill. (106,263), according to Indeed.
7. Research scientist
Top-paying companies: NVIDIA, Citizens, Meta
Description: In the realm of public health, research scientists usually specialize in a certain aspect of tackling widespread health problems. By conducting experiments and investigations, they’re able to grapple with chronic diseases, poor nutrition, antibiotic resistance, and maternal mortality.
“They design and perform experiments, collect and analyze data, and publish findings to advance knowledge and inform public health practices,” Draine says.
Salary: $101,547, according to Indeed.
Top-paying localities: Menlo Park, Calif. ($168,417), Berkeley, Calif. ($123,453), San Diego, Calif. ($121,238), according to Indeed.
6. Medical and health services manager
Top-paying companies: AlliedMedix Resources, Advanced Medical and Professional Solutions, Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine Institute
Description: Medical and health services managers work behind the scenes to ensure that nursing homes, hospitals, and other group health facilities run smoothly. They plan, direct, and coordinate the actions of these facilities, and frequently liaise between administrators, doctors, and health insurance representatives. This role requires detail-oriented people with good analytical, communication, technical, and problem-solving skills.
Salary: $110,680, according to BLS.
Top-paying localities: Trenton, N.J. ($193,730), San Francisco, Calif. ($186,560), New York, N.Y. ($ 179,330), according to BLS.
5. Public health consultant
Top-paying companies: Triage Consulting Group, PwC, and Floyd Lee Locums
Description: Public health consultants work with businesses, communities, healthcare facilities, and government agencies to improve a population’s overall health. By providing information to these groups, public health consultants can directly impact the health of the public through improved policies and programs. This role also involves conducting research and, presenting findings to governmental agencies.
Public health consultants “have expertise in analyzing health data, development of public health strategies, evaluation of public health programs, and assisting with the development of policy with the goal of improvement of specific health challenges,” Draine says.
Salary: $112,000, according to Glassdoor.
Top-paying localities: Berkeley, Calif. ($92,733), Bailey’s Crossroads, Va. ($88,179), Daly City, Calif. ($87,761), according to ZipRecruiter.
4. Executive health director
Top-paying companies: Bristol Myers Squibb, Amgen, Alexion Pharmaceuticals
Description: Executive health directors oversee the delivery of healthcare services to communities on behalf of nongovernmental organizations and nonprofits. They make decisions about an organization’s budget and operations, and supervise its daily activities. They also manage program development, marketing, human resources, and fundraising.
“They are responsible for creating strategies and overseeing operations,” Draine says. “In this role they manage the budget of their organization and are the guiding force to [implement] public health programs and policies for improvement of community health.”
Salary: $121,754, according to Glassdoor.
Top-paying localities: San Buenaventura, Calif. ($169,832), Berkeley, Calif. ($117,542), New York, N.Y. ($113,721), according to ZipRecruiter.
3. Biostatistician
Top-paying companies: MWIDM Inc., Smith Hanley Associates LLC, Parexel
Description: Biostatisticians research public health topics using math and statistics. Through their high-level scientific research and analysis of information and data pulled from clinical research studies, biostatisticians can make data-driven decisions about the implementation of public health policies. In the context of public health, they figure out the best way to use resources to treat populations.
Salary: $125,350, according to Indeed.
Top-paying localities: Raleigh, N.C. ($159,790), Chicago, Ill. ($157,600), Redwood City, Calif. ($153,118), according to Indeed.
2. Natural sciences manager
Top-paying companies: Genentech, Chevron, Novartis
Description: Natural sciences managers are administrators who oversee teams of researchers, scientists, and technicians. Through the creation of research strategies, natural science managers lead these teams to achieve an organization’s goals. This role also communicates between researchers and management, determines staffing needs, oversees project resources, and evaluates the operations of an organization’s teams.
“A natural sciences manager within the public health space conducts research and development,” Draine says. “In addition, they manage data collection and analysis with the goal of making sure that scientific projects align with their organization’s public health objectives.”
Salary: $157,740, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Top-paying localities: Boston, Mass. ($222,080), New York, N.Y. ($199,990), Washington, D.C. ($166,780), according to BLS.
1. Medical director
Top-paying companies: VitalCore Health Strategies, Premise Health, Takeda Pharmaceuticals
Description: Medical directors manage a medical center or hospital’s daily operations. They guide and oversee the care that is provided at a facility and enact preventative measures to curb the transmission of disease. This leadership role provides a vision for quality improvement, organizes employee training, assesses the quality of healthcare services, and generally promotes the health and wellbeing of both patients and employees.
“A medical director in public health is usually a senior physician,” Draine says. “This role coordinates clinical aspects of public health programs and guides healthcare strategies and ensures compliance with health regulations.”
Salary: $199,661, according to Indeed.
Top-paying localities: Mishawaka, Ind. ($246,546), New Orleans, La. ($233,428), Bridgewater, N.J. ($219,879), according to Indeed.
The takeaway
With the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projecting 1.8 million job openings per year in healthcare through 2032, public health remains an in-demand field that’s perfect for people who want to make a difference.
For those who wish to learn more about public health, Draine recommends checking out the websites of public health organizations like the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control, National Institutes of Health, and the Pan American Health Organization.
“It always feels like we’re building a public health army to get out there and help prevent disease, prevent chronic illnesses and try to impact policy,” Draine says. “If anyone is interested in doing that, public health is a good place to be.”
