Public Health Career · BLS May 2025

Epidemiologist Salary and How to Become One

How Much Does an Epidemiologist Make, and How Do You Become One?

The median epidemiologist salary was $87,220 in May 2025, across 12,090 jobs (BLS). Massachusetts ($115,890 median, 660 jobs) and California ($110,760, 1,480 jobs) pay the most among large employers. The usual route is a master's degree, most often an MPH in epidemiology; 218 programs on this site offer it, listed in epidemiology MPH programs.

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Epidemiologist Pay: $61,270 to $138,800

Epidemiologists, annual wages, United States (BLS OEWS, May 2025)

The median is the midpoint: half of epidemiologists earned more and half less. The 90th percentile shows where experienced and senior roles land; the 10th, where many new graduates start.

What an Epidemiologist Does All Day

Epidemiologists investigate the patterns and causes of disease and injury. In practice, that means a mix of desk work and field work. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) lists the core tasks as planning studies of public health problems, collecting and analyzing data from surveys, interviews and biological samples, and explaining what the data shows to officials and the public.

A typical week might include cleaning a surveillance dataset, running an analysis in a statistics package, writing a report for a health officer, and joining a call about a cluster of cases. Senior epidemiologists also manage programs, supervise staff and write grant proposals.

Most people specialize. BLS names chronic diseases, environmental health, infectious diseases, injury, and maternal and child health as common areas. An infectious disease epidemiologist at a state health department and a research epidemiologist at a university draw on the same methods but spend their days very differently. During outbreaks or other public health emergencies, fieldwork can take over the schedule.

Where Epidemiologists Work

Government is the main employer by a wide margin, which shapes both the work and the pay.

Employer Share of epidemiologist jobs
State government 33%
Local government 22%
Hospitals 10%
Scientific research and development 9%
Colleges and universities 6%

Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook. Government rows exclude education and hospitals.

More than half of all epidemiologists work for a state or local health department. That’s where most entry level epidemiology jobs are: disease surveillance, outbreak response and program evaluation. Hospitals hire epidemiologists for infection prevention, and research firms and universities hire them to run studies. If you want the pharmaceutical or clinical research side, expect a research-heavy degree and strong statistics.

Epidemiologist Salary by State: Where the Jobs Actually Are

The state pay table on this page ranks states by median. The job count tells a different story, because a few states hold most of the positions. These are the states with the most epidemiologist jobs in May 2025:

State Jobs Median pay
California 1,480 $110,760
Texas 1,160 $77,170
Washington 1,010 $108,240
New York 670 $80,220
Massachusetts 660 $115,890
Maryland 600 $101,830
Georgia 510 $70,880
Colorado 430 $73,750

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025.

Three patterns stand out:

  • California and Washington combine volume and pay. Both have more than 1,000 jobs, with medians of $110,760 and $108,240.
  • Big job markets don’t always pay well. Texas has the second-most jobs but a median of $77,170, below the national $87,220. Georgia ($70,880, 510 jobs) and New York ($80,220, 670 jobs) also sit under the national median.
  • Small markets can pay well. The District of Columbia has a $112,370 median but only 90 jobs, and Nevada reports $99,880 across 80 jobs.

At the other end, the lowest medians are in Puerto Rico ($48,380, 40 jobs), Mississippi ($56,930, 40 jobs), Idaho ($66,280, 40 jobs) and Missouri ($66,890, 120 jobs). BLS publishes estimates for 43 states and territories; the rest have too few epidemiologists to report.

Entry-Level Pay and Job Outlook

The pay band shows where you’re likely to start. A quarter of epidemiologists earned less than $71,090 in May 2025, and a tenth earned less than $61,270. Treat those figures, not the median, as the benchmark for a first job, especially in states such as Georgia ($70,880 median) or Arizona ($67,260 median, 340 jobs). The top quarter earned more than $112,640, a level typically reached with experience, a supervisory role, a doctorate, or a job in a high-paying state.

Demand is strong. BLS projects employment of epidemiologists to grow 19 percent from 2025 to 2035, much faster than the average for all occupations, with about 800 openings a year. The field is still small, with 12,090 jobs nationally, so a practicum at a health department is worth planning early: it puts you in front of the employers that hire most epidemiologists.

How to Become an Epidemiologist

BLS is direct about the entry requirement: epidemiologists typically need at least a master’s degree. The most common is an MPH with an epidemiology concentration. Some go on to a doctorate in epidemiology or a medical degree, usually for research leadership. Undergraduate majors vary; BLS mentions biology, public policy and social science.

A practical path looks like this:

  1. Build a quantitative base. Statistics and biology coursework makes graduate epidemiology courses easier.
  2. Earn an MPH or MS in epidemiology. Both lead to the job. The MPH adds public health practice and a required field experience; the MS leans toward research methods. See MPH vs MS for the trade-off.
  3. Get applied experience during the degree. A practicum at a health department is the most direct bridge to the employers that hire most epidemiologists.
  4. Consider the CPH credential. The Certified in Public Health exam is open to students and graduates of CEPH-accredited programs. It isn’t required for epidemiologist jobs, but it signals public health breadth. Details are in the CPH certification guide.

One common misunderstanding: CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service, the best-known “disease detective” program, is a two-year post-doctoral training program. With an MPH alone, your usual first job is at a state or local health department, a hospital or a research group.

MPH in Epidemiology vs a Master of Science

Of the 218 epidemiology programs on this site, 157 are MPH degrees and 61 are related master’s degrees: 56 MS, 4 MSPH and 1 MHS. The choice matters less for getting hired than for the kind of work you want.

MPH in epidemiology MS in epidemiology
Programs on this site 157 56
Typical focus Applied practice, program work, public health breadth Research methods, analysis, thesis work
Example UNR MPH in Epidemiology, 42 credits University of Delaware online MS in Epidemiology, 30 credits, 12 months
Best fit Health department and program roles Research, clinical studies, a path to a PhD

Most programs sit near 42 credits: the middle half of programs that publish credits fall between 42 and 45. Shorter options exist. The Delaware MS runs 30 credits in 12 months, and accelerated MPH tracks at UC Berkeley (an 11-month epidemiology option) and UC Davis (10 to 12 months) compress the degree into about a year.

What an Epidemiology Degree Costs

Tuition varies more than almost any other factor. Among 84 epidemiology programs that publish a per-credit rate, the range runs from $205 to $2,824 a credit, with a median of $895. The table below shows estimated tuition (published per-credit rate times credits, before fees) at the ends of that range.

Program Credits Per credit Estimated tuition
University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences, MPH in Epidemiology 56 $205 $11,480
UTHealth Houston MPH (Texas resident rate) 45 $287 $12,915
Stony Brook MS in Epidemiology and Clinical Research 33 $471 $15,543
University of Nevada, Reno MPH in Epidemiology 42 $383.25 $16,097
NYU MPH: Epidemiology 46 $2,507 $115,322
Baylor University MPH (on campus) 42 $2,824 $118,608

Across the 76 programs where both figures are published, the median estimated tuition is $39,606. Against a median epidemiologist salary of $87,220, a public-university MPH is a far easier loan to carry than a $115,322 private program. UTHealth’s non-resident rate is $1,124 a credit, so residency changes the picture there.

Online and Flexible Epidemiology Programs

If you’re working while you study, 72 of the 218 programs offer an online format and 27 are hybrid. Several are MPH programs at CEPH-accredited schools with an epidemiology concentration:

For more choices, compare all online MPH programs or the MPH programs that don’t require the GRE.

How to Choose an Epidemiology Program

  • Accreditation. 200 of the 218 programs are at CEPH-accredited schools. CEPH accreditation is what makes you eligible for the CPH exam as a student, and some government public health jobs require it. The CEPH accreditation guide explains the statuses.
  • Degree type. Pick the MPH for practice roles and the MS for research. Both lead to the job.
  • Cost against pay where you’ll work. A $12,915 in-state MPH and a $115,322 private one lead to the same job titles. If you plan to work in Texas (median $77,170) or Georgia ($70,880), cost matters even more.
  • Application route. 130 of these programs use SOPHAS and 55 take applications directly. Read the SOPHAS guide before you apply to several.
  • Related skills. Epidemiology and biostatistics overlap heavily. If you like the data side most, compare the biostatistician career and biostatistics programs.

Highest-Paying States for Epidemiologists

StateMedian90th percentileJobs
Massachusetts$115,890$212,890660
District of Columbia$112,370$168,97090
California$110,760$168,2201,480
New Jersey$109,760$162,460290
Washington$108,240$159,7301,010
Minnesota$104,460$124,300310
Illinois$102,720$138,800240
Maryland$101,830$132,630600
Nevada$99,880$187,68080
Tennessee$97,310$137,580220

BLS publishes 19-1041 estimates for 43 states. Full list on the MPH salary page.

The MPH Path: Epidemiology

218 programs we verified offer epidemiology, as an MPH concentration or a related master's degree. These online MPH programs at CEPH-accredited schools are a place to start:

All epidemiology programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How Much Does an Epidemiologist Make an Hour?

The median hourly wage for epidemiologists was $41.93 in May 2025. The mean annual wage was $97,890, pulled above the median by a high-earning top tier: the 90th percentile was $138,800.

Is Epidemiology a Growing Field?

Yes. BLS projects employment of epidemiologists to grow 19 percent from 2025 to 2035, much faster than the average for all occupations, with about 800 openings a year on average over the decade.

Do You Need a PhD to Be an Epidemiologist?

No. BLS says epidemiologists typically need at least a master's degree to enter the field, and the MPH is a common one. Some epidemiologists go on to a doctorate in epidemiology or a medical degree, which matters most for research leadership and for CDC's Epidemic Intelligence Service, a two-year post-doctoral training program.

Can You Study Epidemiology Online?

Yes. Of the 218 epidemiology programs on this site, 72 offer an online format and 32 are online only. Examples include the University of Delaware's 30-credit online MS in Epidemiology (12 months, 7-week courses) and the University of Arizona's 42-credit online MPH with an Applied Epidemiology option.

Which Epidemiology Programs Skip the GRE?

Among the 218 programs, 79 say the GRE is not required and 37 more make it optional. UAB, Georgia State and Colorado's online MPH are among the programs that do not require it.

Sources

  1. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 19-1041 Epidemiologists, May 2025
  2. Official program pages of the schools listed, reviewed September 2026
  3. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Epidemiologists
  4. NBPHE: CPH eligibility requirements
  5. CDC: About the Epidemic Intelligence Service

Every program here was checked against the school's own website. Accreditation comes from the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) list, and graduate counts from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS). Sponsored listings are labeled and never change which programs we list. How we verify programs