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Best states for a public health specialist
Quoted expert
Anita Killins Ph.D.
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Are you wondering which place in the United States is the best state for public health specialists? Knowing how challenging it is to figure out where to start your career or where to move to advance your career, we decided to bring you a list of best states for public health specialist jobs.Turns out, the median salary for the highest 10% of public health specialists in America is $73,000.
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 specialists. Idaho is the best state for public health specialists, where the median salary is $63,313.We found that Idaho is the best state for public health specialist jobs, whereas Georgia is the worst.
10 best states for public health specialists in 2025
1. Idaho
Total public health specialist jobs: 258 Average annual salary: $63,313 Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $84,000 Location Quotient: 1.292. Washington
Total public health specialist jobs: 1,298 Average annual salary: $61,500 Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $82,000 Location Quotient: 1.463. Alaska
Total public health specialist jobs: 93 Average annual salary: $71,166 Lowest 10 percent earn: $60,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $83,000 Location Quotient: 0.924. California
Total public health specialist jobs: 4,386 Average annual salary: $64,268 Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $87,000 Location Quotient: 1.235. Vermont
Total public health specialist jobs: 157 Average annual salary: $55,888 Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $84,000 Location Quotient: 1.686. Nevada
Total public health specialist jobs: 269 Average annual salary: $59,905 Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $81,000 Location Quotient: 1.067. South Dakota
Total public health specialist jobs: 125 Average annual salary: $59,413 Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $80,000 Location Quotient: 0.968. New Hampshire
Total public health specialist jobs: 167 Average annual salary: $59,394 Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $89,000 Location Quotient: 0.799. Wyoming
Total public health specialist jobs: 116 Average annual salary: $53,389 Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $71,000 Location Quotient: 1.5910. North Dakota
Total public health specialist jobs: 121 Average annual salary: $57,533 Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $76,000 Location Quotient: 1.07
Public health specialist jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a public health specialist
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a public health specialist
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Idaho | $63,313 | $47,000 | 1,716,943 | 258 |
| 2 | Washington | $61,500 | $46,000 | 7,405,743 | 1,298 |
| 3 | Alaska | $71,166 | $60,000 | 739,795 | 93 |
| 4 | California | $64,268 | $47,000 | 39,536,653 | 4,386 |
| 5 | Vermont | $55,888 | $37,000 | 623,657 | 157 |
| 6 | Nevada | $59,905 | $43,000 | 2,998,039 | 269 |
| 7 | South Dakota | $59,413 | $43,000 | 869,666 | 125 |
| 8 | New Hampshire | $59,394 | $39,000 | 1,342,795 | 167 |
| 9 | Wyoming | $53,389 | $39,000 | 579,315 | 116 |
| 10 | North Dakota | $57,533 | $43,000 | 755,393 | 121 |
| 11 | Rhode Island | $57,663 | $38,000 | 1,059,639 | 152 |
| 12 | Maryland | $60,252 | $40,000 | 6,052,177 | 895 |
| 13 | Arizona | $54,495 | $40,000 | 7,016,270 | 1,030 |
| 14 | District of Columbia | $58,310 | $39,000 | 693,972 | 316 |
| 15 | Oregon | $61,293 | $45,000 | 4,142,776 | 293 |
| 16 | Montana | $60,587 | $45,000 | 1,050,493 | 86 |
| 17 | Colorado | $59,555 | $44,000 | 5,607,154 | 726 |
| 18 | Utah | $58,547 | $43,000 | 3,101,833 | 364 |
| 19 | West Virginia | $55,871 | $38,000 | 1,815,857 | 129 |
| 20 | Connecticut | $59,682 | $39,000 | 3,588,184 | 187 |
| 21 | New Mexico | $58,832 | $43,000 | 2,088,070 | 113 |
| 22 | Mississippi | $55,739 | $39,000 | 2,984,100 | 249 |
| 23 | Delaware | $55,804 | $37,000 | 961,939 | 175 |
| 24 | North Carolina | $52,057 | $35,000 | 10,273,419 | 1,561 |
| 25 | Oklahoma | $50,751 | $36,000 | 3,930,864 | 472 |
| 26 | Minnesota | $52,637 | $38,000 | 5,576,606 | 984 |
| 27 | Virginia | $54,551 | $36,000 | 8,470,020 | 1,321 |
| 28 | Wisconsin | $49,966 | $35,000 | 5,795,483 | 872 |
| 29 | Michigan | $53,484 | $36,000 | 9,962,311 | 445 |
| 30 | Hawaii | $54,562 | $48,000 | 1,427,538 | 144 |
| 31 | Iowa | $50,187 | $35,000 | 3,145,711 | 542 |
| 32 | Maine | $53,783 | $35,000 | 1,335,907 | 73 |
| 33 | Indiana | $47,463 | $33,000 | 6,666,818 | 1,118 |
| 34 | New York | $54,194 | $36,000 | 19,849,399 | 829 |
| 35 | Nebraska | $49,873 | $36,000 | 1,920,076 | 269 |
| 36 | Ohio | $47,702 | $32,000 | 11,658,609 | 1,559 |
| 37 | Massachusetts | $50,636 | $33,000 | 6,859,819 | 1,345 |
| 38 | Louisiana | $47,638 | $34,000 | 4,684,333 | 490 |
| 39 | Arkansas | $44,985 | $32,000 | 3,004,279 | 496 |
| 40 | Texas | $48,843 | $36,000 | 28,304,596 | 2,523 |
| 41 | Tennessee | $45,262 | $31,000 | 6,715,984 | 987 |
| 42 | Alabama | $45,347 | $32,000 | 4,874,747 | 721 |
| 43 | Pennsylvania | $50,218 | $33,000 | 12,805,537 | 739 |
| 44 | Missouri | $47,528 | $33,000 | 6,113,532 | 849 |
| 45 | South Carolina | $44,694 | $31,000 | 5,024,369 | 783 |
| 46 | Illinois | $49,971 | $34,000 | 12,802,023 | 626 |
| 47 | Kentucky | $44,268 | $30,000 | 4,454,189 | 520 |
| 48 | New Jersey | $51,301 | $34,000 | 9,005,644 | 402 |
| 49 | Florida | $47,051 | $34,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,246 |
| 50 | Kansas | $42,173 | $30,000 | 2,913,123 | 353 |
| 51 | Georgia | $42,934 | $30,000 | 10,429,379 | 759 |
Highest paying states for public health specialists
| Rank | State | Avg. Public Health Specialist Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Idaho | $63,313 |
| 2 | Washington | $61,500 |
| 3 | Alaska | $71,166 |
| 4 | California | $64,268 |
| 5 | Vermont | $55,888 |
| 6 | Nevada | $59,905 |
| 7 | South Dakota | $59,413 |
| 8 | New Hampshire | $59,394 |
| 9 | Wyoming | $53,389 |
| 10 | North Dakota | $57,533 |
| 11 | Rhode Island | $57,663 |
| 12 | Maryland | $60,252 |
| 13 | Arizona | $54,495 |
| 14 | District of Columbia | $58,310 |
| 15 | Oregon | $61,293 |
| 16 | Montana | $60,587 |
| 17 | Colorado | $59,555 |
| 18 | Utah | $58,547 |
| 19 | West Virginia | $55,871 |
| 20 | Connecticut | $59,682 |
| 21 | New Mexico | $58,832 |
| 22 | Mississippi | $55,739 |
| 23 | Delaware | $55,804 |
| 24 | North Carolina | $52,057 |
| 25 | Oklahoma | $50,751 |
| 26 | Minnesota | $52,637 |
| 27 | Virginia | $54,551 |
| 28 | Wisconsin | $49,966 |
| 29 | Michigan | $53,484 |
| 30 | Hawaii | $54,562 |
| 31 | Iowa | $50,187 |
| 32 | Maine | $53,783 |
| 33 | Indiana | $47,463 |
| 34 | New York | $54,194 |
| 35 | Nebraska | $49,873 |
| 36 | Ohio | $47,702 |
| 37 | Massachusetts | $50,636 |
| 38 | Louisiana | $47,638 |
| 39 | Arkansas | $44,985 |
| 40 | Texas | $48,843 |
| 41 | Tennessee | $45,262 |
| 42 | Alabama | $45,347 |
| 43 | Pennsylvania | $50,218 |
| 44 | Missouri | $47,528 |
| 45 | South Carolina | $44,694 |
| 46 | Illinois | $49,971 |
| 47 | Kentucky | $44,268 |
| 48 | New Jersey | $51,301 |
| 49 | Florida | $47,051 |
| 50 | Kansas | $42,173 |
| 51 | Georgia | $42,934 |
Expert opinions on the best states for public health specialists
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for public health specialists to find work opportunities?
Anita Killins Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Harding University
This is a difficult question to answer. We have graduates that have found positions all over the country.
Our students often decide where they want to live first, and then search for a position in that area, with quite a bit of success. Finding a job might be a bit more challenging during this time, depending on the virus's location and status. However, many recent physical therapy graduates are still finding jobs.
Public health specialist best states FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common healthcare practitioner and technical questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025