Public health advisors offer assistance and advice on matters that involve improving public health activities. Generally, they work with local or state government to promote public health or control health hazards.

The majority of public health advisors have a college degree. To cement their career as a public health advisor, candidates should have a high school degree. They will usually need experience in nursing, health visiting, social work, or counseling. Additionally, some employers may accept applicants with a degree in a subject such as sociology, health science, public health, health promotion, or psychology with relevant experience in a health care setting.

Public health advisors can earn as much as $29.61 per hour, amounting to $61,599 a year.

What Does a Public Health Advisor Do

There are certain skills that many public health advisors have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed analytical skills, instructional skills and writing skills.

Learn more about what a Public Health Advisor does

How To Become a Public Health Advisor

If you're interested in becoming a public health advisor, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 60.0% of public health advisors have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 28.5% of public health advisors have master's degrees. Even though most public health advisors have a college degree, it's impossible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Learn More About How To Become a Public Health Advisor

Public Health Advisor Career Paths

Average Salary for a Public Health Advisor

Public Health Advisors in America make an average salary of $44,541 per year or $21 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $64,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $30,000 per year.
Average Public Health Advisor Salary
$44,541 Yearly
$21.41 hourly

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Roles and Types of Public Health Advisor

There are several types of public health advisor, including:

Health Educator

Role:

Primarily, health educators are providers of healthcare education to organizations, communities, or specific populations. They perform assessments and surveys to determine the health education needs of their target area. They work with health specialists and stakeholders to define goals and achieve results. Similarly, they create plans and policies to aid in achieving and monitoring the progress of set objectives. Furthermore, they create and distribute health education materials and aids like pamphlets, notices, video and audio clips, images, and posters. Additionally, they organize health education events, workshops, conferences, and presentations and also promote health education initiatives through various platforms.

Ideally, you need at least a bachelor's degree in public health or a related field. You must have a minimum of three years in healthcare education. Employers prefer candidates with professional certification. You need presentation, customer service, computer, communication, and networking skills for this role. Your salary will vary between $35,000 and $66,000, with an annual average of $47,822.

  • Average Salary: $42,570
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Health Coach

Role:

Health coaches help people achieve their health and fitness goals by counseling, motivating, and working with them. Whether it's adopting a healthier lifestyle or achieving ambitious fitness goals, health coaches can help. Two of their main tools are nutrition and exercise.

When you hire a health coach, he/she or she may start by talking about your life and habits. They identify what your goals are and why you might not be meeting them. They also strive to understand what you might have done in the past and how it turned out. Health coaches often take on the role of personal trainer, even though the two careers require different certifications.

You can become a health coach by completing the ACE Health Coach Certification course. This will include reviewing the course material, passing the final exam, and getting licensed.

  • Average Salary: $38,671
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Public Health Nurse

Role:

Public health nurses are crucial to the overall health of entire communities. These professionals are registered nurses who push for positive health outcomes in communities. They provide education and counseling to the public via healthcare settings, community clinics, and outreaches. A public health nurse's goal is to ensure that people know how to stay healthy and safe.

A day in the life of a public health nurse may involve holding presentations about health, conducting assessments, gathering information on the knowledge level of people in a community, and collaborating with community healthcare providers. A public health nurse's job involves more education than actual medical care or treatment.

You can become a public health nurse by attending nursing school and getting a license to practice in your state. Next, a degree or additional qualifications in public health can help you develop the knowledge and skills you'll need.
  • Average Salary: $60,319
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

States With The Most Public Health Advisor Jobs

Mouse over a state to see the number of active public health advisor jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where public health advisors earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary: Job Openings:

Number Of Public Health Advisor Jobs By State

RankStateNumber of JobsAverage Salary
1California4,768$55,304
2Texas2,872$42,939
3Ohio1,758$49,234
4North Carolina1,682$40,294
5Michigan1,631$42,856
6Minnesota1,433$48,673
7Virginia1,391$52,495
8Florida1,346$33,245
9Indiana1,204$51,592
10Wisconsin1,178$48,975
11Missouri1,092$39,396
12Arizona1,074$42,215
13Maryland1,007$54,123
14New York963$37,258
15Illinois952$49,918
16Colorado867$47,738
17Pennsylvania726$49,260
18Alabama700$42,454
19Georgia663$42,443
20Kentucky574$45,846
21Massachusetts557$48,597
22Utah550$44,065
23Louisiana547$48,019
24New Jersey540$51,075
25Iowa523$44,467
26Washington438$61,754
27Connecticut411$57,921
28Tennessee382$37,154
29Oklahoma375$45,868
30Arkansas339$39,502
31Nevada327$48,153
32Mississippi317$37,717
33Kansas306$48,088
34Idaho292$51,047
35Nebraska284$42,279
36Oregon268$58,519
37South Carolina232$37,347
38Rhode Island215$47,093
39New Hampshire198$57,657
40North Dakota188$49,878
41Delaware168$45,890
42Hawaii151$46,443
43Vermont149$48,441
44South Dakota139$41,772
45New Mexico138$43,504
46Wyoming134$50,572
47Maine90$50,264
48Alaska69$55,013
49West Virginia67$47,033
50Montana34$45,409

Public Health Advisor Education

Public Health Advisor Majors

Public Health Advisor Degrees

Bachelors

60.0 %

Masters

28.5 %

Associate

4.9 %

Top Colleges for Public Health Advisors

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,381

Enrollment

34,564

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Biology
Business
Psychology
Public Relations
Public Health

2. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Biology
Public Health
Health Care Administration
Public Relations

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-State Tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Biology
Business
Communication
Psychology
Political Science

4. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-State Tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Biology
Business
Psychology
Nursing
Public Health

5. Texas A&M University

College Station, TX • Private

In-State Tuition

$11,870

Enrollment

53,194

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Biology
Business
Psychology
Political Science
Sociology

6. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Biology
Psychology
Public Health
Nursing

7. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Biology
Business
Nursing
Political Science
Health Care Administration

8. Saint Louis University

Saint Louis, MO • Private

In-State Tuition

$43,884

Enrollment

6,917

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Nursing
Biology
Business
Public Health
Health Care Administration

9. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-State Tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Biology
Psychology
Nursing
Political Science

10. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$9,625

Enrollment

17,407

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Biology
Nursing
Business
Psychology
Political Science

Top Skills For a Public Health Advisor

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 11.9% of public health advisors listed health education on their resume, but soft skills such as analytical skills and instructional skills are important as well.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Public Health Advisor Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Public Health Advisor templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Public Health Advisor resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

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Public Health Advisor Demographics

Public Health Advisor Gender Distribution

Female
Female
65%
Male
Male
35%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • Among public health advisors, 64.7% of them are women, while 35.3% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among public health advisors is White, which makes up 52.5% of all public health advisors.

  • The most common foreign language among public health advisors is Spanish at 47.5%.

Online Courses For Public Health Advisor That You May Like

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1. Disease Screening in Public Health

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Current and future public health is characterized by the increase of chronic and degenerative diseases, corresponding to the worldwide ageing of the population. The increasing prevalence of these conditions together with the long incubation period of the chronic diseases and the continual technological innovations, offer new opportunities to develop strategies for early diagnosis. Public Health has an important mandate to critically assess the promises and the pitfalls of disease screening...

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2. Epidemiology: The Basic Science of Public Health

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Often called “the cornerstone” of public health, epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of diseases, health conditions, or events among populations and the application of that study to control health problems. By applying the concepts learned in this course to current public health problems and issues, students will understand the practice of epidemiology as it relates to real life and makes for a better appreciation of public health programs and policies. This course...

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3. Environmental Health: the Foundation of Global Public Health

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The first course of the Impacts of the Environment on Global Public Health specialization will provide you with a foundation in environmental health sciences (EHS). We will explore four main topics. The first is an introduction to EHS and the exposure-disease model – a very useful framework for understanding the influence of the environment on human health. The second topic is key concepts in EHS and environmental health policies that can be used to address and reduce the impacts of...

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Best States For a Public Health Advisor

Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a public health advisor. The best states for people in this position are Washington, Oregon, Connecticut, and New Hampshire. Public health advisors make the most in Washington with an average salary of $61,754. Whereas in Oregon and Connecticut, they would average $58,519 and $57,921, respectively. While public health advisors would only make an average of $57,657 in New Hampshire, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.

1. District of Columbia

Total Public Health Advisor Jobs: 366
Highest 10% Earn:
$95,000
Location Quotient:
1.7

2. Wyoming

Total Public Health Advisor Jobs: 134
Highest 10% Earn:
$72,000
Location Quotient:
1.74

3. Indiana

Total Public Health Advisor Jobs: 1,204
Highest 10% Earn:
$76,000
Location Quotient:
1.43
Full List Of Best States For Public Health Advisors

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Top Public Health Advisor Employers

Most Common Employers For Public Health Advisor

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1Centers For Disease Control And Prevention$64,362$30.9481
2U.S. Department of State$60,015$28.853
3National Institutes of Health$57,132$27.472
4NYC Health + Hospitals$56,608$27.226
5City of New York$55,390$26.634
6Washington State University$52,199$25.102
7Carter Consulting$51,202$24.623
8National Cancer Institute$51,167$24.603
9SciMetrika$51,134$24.584
10HHS.gov$50,089$24.0814

Public Health Advisor Videos