Public Health Salary

By an allied health world contributing writer
Published: February 17th, 2010

What is the salary in the public health field?

Of course the salary range in public health is dependent on a variety of factors including level of education, years of experience, area of expertise, level of position, and geographic location. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the bulk of jobs in the public health field are in the below specialties:

Learn more about the public health degree.

Health Services Administration average salary range: $37,050 - $161,400

Biostatistics average salary range: $33,000 - $63,000

Epidemiology average salary range: $38,175 - $136,237

Health Education/Behavioral Science average salary range: $33,000 - $86,625

Environmental Health average salary range: $44,550 - $143,700

International Health average salary range: $31,500 - $86,625

Nutrition average salary range: $31,500 - $70,875

Public Health Practice/Program Management average salary range: $41,175 - $102,000

Biomedical Laboratory average salary range: $31,500 - $78,750

What types of professionals do those in public health work with?

The types of people public health professionals work with can also run the gamut. Of course health care professionals such as doctors, nurses, and lab personnel are important in this field. In addition, public health employees may work with social workers, politicians, and legislators just to name a few.

Learn more about public health jobs.

What are the challenges of a career in this field?

Perhaps the greatest challenge in the field of public health is that change can be hard to come by and take a great deal of time. Funding and policy are not always things public health professionals can control but yet they are limited by these factors. Also in public health it can be very difficult to change the behavior and health decisions of the populations being served.

What are the benefits to a job in public health?

Individuals with a variety of educational backgrounds come to the public health field because they find it rewarding to serve and improve the lives of others. The field of public health is also very exciting and is improving constantly to find better ways to handle complex health issues and reduce illness and injury. Someone who is an excellent communicator, both verbally and written, and is also patient and hard working may enjoy a job in this field.