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Best states for a public health epidemiologist
Quoted expert
Dr. Heidi Hancher-Rauch
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We decided to bring you a list of the best states for jobs for public health epidemiologists in the United States. Public health epidemiologist positions are available in every state, but not all states are the same. Some states do not offer the same wages, benefits, time off, etc for public health epidemiologists.In fact, our research shows that District of Columbia is the best state for public health epidemiologists in America. The best city in America for public health epidemiologists with the highest pay is San Mateo, CA.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for public health epidemiologists. District of Columbia is the best state for public health epidemiologists, where the median salary is $103,887.We found that District of Columbia is the best state for public health epidemiologist jobs, whereas Georgia is the worst.
10 best states for public health epidemiologists in 2026
1. District of Columbia
Total public health epidemiologist jobs: 239 Average annual salary: $103,887 Lowest 10 percent earn: $62,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $173,000 Location Quotient: 1.77
2. Vermont
Total public health epidemiologist jobs: 118 Average annual salary: $83,897 Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $150,000 Location Quotient: 1.91
3. Massachusetts
Total public health epidemiologist jobs: 1,090 Average annual salary: $88,040 Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $153,000 Location Quotient: 1.47
4. Rhode Island
Total public health epidemiologist jobs: 122 Average annual salary: $89,452 Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $154,000 Location Quotient: 1.25
5. California
Total public health epidemiologist jobs: 3,244 Average annual salary: $91,682 Lowest 10 percent earn: $53,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $157,000 Location Quotient: 1.38
6. Delaware
Total public health epidemiologist jobs: 115 Average annual salary: $87,881 Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $149,000 Location Quotient: 1.14
7. Maine
Total public health epidemiologist jobs: 19 Average annual salary: $97,653 Lowest 10 percent earn: $55,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $171,000 Location Quotient: 0.18
8. New Jersey
Total public health epidemiologist jobs: 128 Average annual salary: $100,565 Lowest 10 percent earn: $59,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $169,000 Location Quotient: 0.2
9. Ohio
Total public health epidemiologist jobs: 1,327 Average annual salary: $73,126 Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $124,000 Location Quotient: 1.61
10. Pennsylvania
Total public health epidemiologist jobs: 127 Average annual salary: $92,696 Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $157,000 Location Quotient: 0.14
Public health epidemiologist jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a public health epidemiologist
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a public health epidemiologist
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $103,887 | $62,000 | 693,972 | 239 |
| 2 | Vermont | $83,897 | $46,000 | 623,657 | 118 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $88,040 | $50,000 | 6,859,819 | 1,090 |
| 4 | Rhode Island | $89,452 | $51,000 | 1,059,639 | 122 |
| 5 | California | $91,682 | $53,000 | 39,536,653 | 3,244 |
| 6 | Delaware | $87,881 | $51,000 | 961,939 | 115 |
| 7 | Maine | $97,653 | $55,000 | 1,335,907 | 19 |
| 8 | New Jersey | $100,565 | $59,000 | 9,005,644 | 128 |
| 9 | Ohio | $73,126 | $43,000 | 11,658,609 | 1,327 |
| 10 | Pennsylvania | $92,696 | $54,000 | 12,805,537 | 127 |
| 11 | North Carolina | $74,059 | $43,000 | 10,273,419 | 1,241 |
| 12 | Michigan | $70,610 | $41,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,135 |
| 13 | Virginia | $81,140 | $48,000 | 8,470,020 | 967 |
| 14 | Maryland | $82,364 | $48,000 | 6,052,177 | 702 |
| 15 | Washington | $87,917 | $50,000 | 7,405,743 | 90 |
| 16 | New Hampshire | $79,678 | $44,000 | 1,342,795 | 115 |
| 17 | Kansas | $73,718 | $43,000 | 2,913,123 | 309 |
| 18 | Minnesota | $70,842 | $41,000 | 5,576,606 | 902 |
| 19 | Nevada | $74,854 | $43,000 | 2,998,039 | 198 |
| 20 | New York | $83,396 | $48,000 | 19,849,399 | 221 |
| 21 | Illinois | $80,404 | $47,000 | 12,802,023 | 162 |
| 22 | Missouri | $69,169 | $41,000 | 6,113,532 | 698 |
| 23 | Connecticut | $81,875 | $47,000 | 3,588,184 | 43 |
| 24 | Alaska | $75,309 | $45,000 | 739,795 | 22 |
| 25 | Wyoming | $65,407 | $38,000 | 579,315 | 72 |
| 26 | Iowa | $67,003 | $39,000 | 3,145,711 | 376 |
| 27 | Oregon | $75,864 | $43,000 | 4,142,776 | 70 |
| 28 | Wisconsin | $65,100 | $38,000 | 5,795,483 | 659 |
| 29 | West Virginia | $71,348 | $42,000 | 1,815,857 | 21 |
| 30 | Oklahoma | $63,562 | $37,000 | 3,930,864 | 386 |
| 31 | Nebraska | $68,334 | $40,000 | 1,920,076 | 186 |
| 32 | Tennessee | $60,369 | $35,000 | 6,715,984 | 778 |
| 33 | Colorado | $67,612 | $40,000 | 5,607,154 | 515 |
| 34 | Alabama | $61,346 | $36,000 | 4,874,747 | 482 |
| 35 | Idaho | $56,525 | $32,000 | 1,716,943 | 222 |
| 36 | Arkansas | $55,130 | $32,000 | 3,004,279 | 339 |
| 37 | Texas | $63,862 | $37,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,767 |
| 38 | North Dakota | $59,872 | $35,000 | 755,393 | 89 |
| 39 | New Mexico | $65,144 | $38,000 | 2,088,070 | 30 |
| 40 | Louisiana | $56,519 | $32,000 | 4,684,333 | 362 |
| 41 | Arizona | $55,937 | $32,000 | 7,016,270 | 681 |
| 42 | Indiana | $53,188 | $31,000 | 6,666,818 | 945 |
| 43 | Kentucky | $53,972 | $32,000 | 4,454,189 | 405 |
| 44 | Utah | $58,897 | $34,000 | 3,101,833 | 261 |
| 45 | Hawaii | $48,556 | $33,000 | 1,427,538 | 94 |
| 46 | South Dakota | $53,492 | $31,000 | 869,666 | 93 |
| 47 | South Carolina | $55,575 | $32,000 | 5,024,369 | 76 |
| 48 | Florida | $55,774 | $32,000 | 20,984,400 | 266 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $51,312 | $30,000 | 2,984,100 | 204 |
| 50 | Montana | $53,050 | $30,000 | 1,050,493 | 34 |
| 51 | Georgia | $48,234 | $28,000 | 10,429,379 | 251 |
Highest paying states for public health epidemiologists
| Rank | State | Avg. Public Health Epidemiologist Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $103,887 |
| 2 | Vermont | $83,897 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $88,040 |
| 4 | Rhode Island | $89,452 |
| 5 | California | $91,682 |
| 6 | Delaware | $87,881 |
| 7 | Maine | $97,653 |
| 8 | New Jersey | $100,565 |
| 9 | Ohio | $73,126 |
| 10 | Pennsylvania | $92,696 |
| 11 | North Carolina | $74,059 |
| 12 | Michigan | $70,610 |
| 13 | Virginia | $81,140 |
| 14 | Maryland | $82,364 |
| 15 | Washington | $87,917 |
| 16 | New Hampshire | $79,678 |
| 17 | Kansas | $73,718 |
| 18 | Minnesota | $70,842 |
| 19 | Nevada | $74,854 |
| 20 | New York | $83,396 |
| 21 | Illinois | $80,404 |
| 22 | Missouri | $69,169 |
| 23 | Connecticut | $81,875 |
| 24 | Alaska | $75,309 |
| 25 | Wyoming | $65,407 |
| 26 | Iowa | $67,003 |
| 27 | Oregon | $75,864 |
| 28 | Wisconsin | $65,100 |
| 29 | West Virginia | $71,348 |
| 30 | Oklahoma | $63,562 |
| 31 | Nebraska | $68,334 |
| 32 | Tennessee | $60,369 |
| 33 | Colorado | $67,612 |
| 34 | Alabama | $61,346 |
| 35 | Idaho | $56,525 |
| 36 | Arkansas | $55,130 |
| 37 | Texas | $63,862 |
| 38 | North Dakota | $59,872 |
| 39 | New Mexico | $65,144 |
| 40 | Louisiana | $56,519 |
| 41 | Arizona | $55,937 |
| 42 | Indiana | $53,188 |
| 43 | Kentucky | $53,972 |
| 44 | Utah | $58,897 |
| 45 | Hawaii | $48,556 |
| 46 | South Dakota | $53,492 |
| 47 | South Carolina | $55,575 |
| 48 | Florida | $55,774 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $51,312 |
| 50 | Montana | $53,050 |
| 51 | Georgia | $48,234 |
Expert opinions on the best states for public health epidemiologists
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for public health epidemiologists to find work opportunities?
Dr. Heidi Hancher-Rauch
Associate Professor and Director, Public Health Program Kinesiology, Public Health, University of Indianapolis
Traditionally, public health jobs have been easiest to secure on the east or west coast or near metropolitan areas that house larger health departments, hospitals, and non-profit organizations. However, all cities and towns need public health workers. One thing that has changed during the pandemic is that more public health jobs are available across the nation. Many of our program graduates, and even current MPH students, are finding jobs relevant to the pandemic response. These are not just jobs in epidemiology but also roles in health education, health policy, contact tracing, and data management.
Public health epidemiologist best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025