Public Health Salary: What Can I Expect as an MPH Graduate?

Public health salaries can vary widely based on your education level, job role and whether you work in the public or private sector. For many professionals, understanding how a Master of Public Health (MPH) can shape long-term earning potential is a key part of choosing the right program.

Whether you’re simply exploring what public health professionals earn or actively weighing the return on investment of an MPH, having a clear picture of future salary opportunities can help you make a confident, informed decision about your next step.
 
Read on to learn how much you can make in the field of public health and what factors influence the salaries earned by several professionals in public health.
 

Several factors influence public health career salaries and earning potential:

• Geographic location: You can typically expect to earn more working in a city versus a rural area because higher salaries are necessary to offset higher costs of living
• Terminal level of education: You'll usually make more money with a higher degree level¹
• Employment sector: All else being equal, private sector employees tend to make more money than government and nonprofit workers²
• Industry and career path: Certain industries and career fields tend to have higher earnings potential than others. Federal government positions, for example, usually offer competitive compensation packages with generous benefits²
• Specialized skillset: Developing niche skills in sought-after areas such as epidemiology, biostatistics or health informatics can dramatically boost earnings potential³      

Public health master's salary expectations differ quite a bit depending on the career field you choose to enter. Moreover, compensation structures and advancement opportunities may also vary depending on the type of job you want to do. Understanding salary ranges for these roles can help you make an informed decision when choosing which path to pursue.
 

Epidemiology represents a fast-growing field, with a median annual salary of $84,000 and top earners making $124,000 per year.⁴ According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, job growth is advancing extremely quickly, with a projected growth rate of 16% between 2024 and 2034.⁵
 
Top-paying industries in this field include scientific research and development services. As an epidemiologist, you'll work to create studies dealing with disease patterns and risk prevention. To succeed in this area, you'll need statistical analysis skills, the ability to create and run large-scale studies and a deep understanding of the American healthcare regulatory environment.
 

Public health analysts earn a healthy median wage of $105,000 per year, with top earners bringing in more than $140,000.⁶ Government agencies hire a significant number of these professionals, such as the Health Resources and Services Administration operating as major employers.
 
To succeed in this career field, it's important to have a solid command of analytics and data interpretation. Those with advanced statistical knowledge and programming capabilities are often able to negotiate more lucrative compensation packages.⁶
 

Health educators make a median salary of $68,000 per year, with top earners reporting salaries of $85,000 or more.⁷ Community health workers tend to make less money, with reported median salaries of $52,000 per year and top-end earnings of $63,000 per year.⁸ In part, this pay discrepancy reflects a difference in education requirements and job responsibilities. 
 
It's important to remember that both areas offer opportunities for career growth and specialization. For example, the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) credential, which qualifies you to teach the public about health matters, can boost your career prospects.⁹ You can earn it by taking a certification course from the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing (NCHEC).
 

Healthcare policy advisors bring in a median annual salary of roughly $117,000, with top earners making up to $190,000 per year, making this professional choice a lucrative example of what you can do with an MPH degree.¹⁰ This career's high salary reflects the need for a specialized skillset and advanced credentials, such as an MPH.
 
As an MPH graduate, you'll have the opportunity to influence policy development through research, analysis and advocacy. If you’re hoping to gain policy experience, consider pursuing opportunities with the following organizations:

• The American Public Health Association is a professional membership and advocacy organization for public health professionals that offers internships and fellowships for undergraduate and graduate students¹¹
• The Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) Applied Epidemiology Fellowship Program provides MPH graduates with an opportunity to gain two years of on-the-job training at a State, Tribal, Local or Territorial health department under the guidance of two experienced mentors¹²

Specialized fields that require strong quantitative and analytical skills tend to offer competitive salaries in public health.¹³ Consider the following specialized areas:

• Biostatistics uses statistical methods to analyze and interpret data relating to biological research, clinical trials and public health more broadly.¹⁴ As a biostatistician, you'll get the opportunity to analyze and interpret field data and information taken from large-scale trials.¹⁵ To succeed in this field, you'll need a strong grounding in advanced statistical methods and data interpretation
• Epidemiology studies how diseases spread throughout populations.¹⁶ Professionals in this field work to prevent disease outbreaks and reduce the spread of illnesses throughout large groups of people.¹⁷ As an epidemiologist, you'll have the chance to design and run field studies, analyze public health data and influence policy decisions and regulatory frameworks.¹⁷ In addition to hard skills such as advanced knowledge of epidemiologic investigations and disease surveillance, you'll also need excellent communication abilities
• Health informatics is an interdisciplinary field that relies on information technology to organize and analyze health records for improved healthcare outcomes. You'll use data science techniques to extract actionable insights from large datasets consisting of patient records.¹⁸ Successful health informatics professionals typically have a background in statistical analysis and strong interpersonal skills.¹⁸ Much of the day-to-day work requires collaboration and communication with coworkers and key stakeholders

As in many other fields, public health salaries tend to rise as you build experience, specialize and move into roles with more responsibility. For MPH graduates, many entry-level roles, such as research assistant, program coordinator or entry-level epidemiologist, typically fall in roughly the $60,000–$75,000 range.¹⁹

By the mid-career stage (around five to ten years in the field), salaries often climb into the $80,000–$110,000+ range, especially for professionals who move into roles like epidemiologist, public health program manager or health services manager. Recent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data reports a median annual wage of $83,980 for epidemiologists⁵ and $117,960 for medical and health services managers, with the top 10% in these roles earning well into six figures.²⁰ For those who advance into senior leadership, such as public health directors, earnings can increase even further. Entry-level public health directors earn around $75,000, compared with about $135,000 for senior directors, illustrating how compensation can nearly double over the course of a career.²¹

While your exact path will depend on factors like location, employer type and specialization, these benchmarks show how an MPH can support meaningful salary growth from entry-level to mid- and senior-career roles.

Kent State's online MPH program—ranked number 10 nationally by Fortune22—prepares you to command higher salaries and take leadership roles in public health. Choose from three degree paths: Health Policy and Management, Social and Behavioral Sciences or STEM-designated Epidemiology program.

Our distinguished faculty bring years of diverse professional experience to help you put theory into practice. Accreditation from the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) and recognition from Quality Matters assure you of rigorous academics. The online format gives you the flexibility to study around your work and family commitments.

You'll join a network of successful graduates like Chris T., MPH '22, who credits the program with providing "the knowledge, confidence, and connections I needed to make the big first leap into my career in public health."

No GRE is required: we use a holistic admissions approach designed for working professionals. Schedule a call with an admissions outreach advisor today to discuss how Kent State's online MPH can transform your future.