Epidemiologists: Salary, Job Outlook & How to Become One (2026 Parent Guide)
Life, Physical, and Social Science · SOC 19-1041 · O*NET 19-1041.00
Investigate and describe the determinants and distribution of disease, disability, or health outcomes. May develop the means for prevention and control.
Epidemiologists fall under the Life, Physical, and Social Science category in the U.S. occupational classification. Epidemiologists earn a median salary of $83,980 per year, ranking in the top 21% of all U.S. occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects +16.2% job growth through 2034, projected to grow far faster than the US average. Entry into this field typically requires a bachelor's degree, with specific licensing or certification depending on the state and employer. For parents whose teenager is exploring this path, the most actionable step is mapping the education requirements to specific colleges and majors before junior year — not waiting until application season.
What parents should know about epidemiologists right now
If your teen is the kind of student who loves biology but also wants their work to protect whole communities, epidemiology deserves a serious look. Epidemiologists are the scientists who study patterns of disease and injury, and they anchor the public health system that responds to everything from foodborne outbreaks to pandemics. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, epidemiologists earned a median wage of $83,980 in May 2024, with the lowest tenth of earners near $56,950 and the top tenth above $134,860, so pay climbs meaningfully with experience and advanced degrees. The BLS also projects 16.2 percent employment growth, much faster than the average for all occupations, which means real demand for the students entering this field now. One trend worth flagging: the AI in epidemiology market is estimated at roughly $0.84 to $0.89 billion in 2025 and is projected to grow at about 27 percent annually, and machine-learning biosurveillance is already helping detect outbreaks earlier, with one real-world electronic-health-record system catching 33.3 percent of outbreaks sooner. AI is augmenting epidemiologists rather than replacing them, and it is reshaping the job toward data science, statistics, and model oversight. That has a practical implication for your child, because the entry credential here is a master's degree, typically a CEPH-accredited MPH or an MS in Epidemiology built on top of a science bachelor's. In high school, the strongest preparation is a heavy dose of biology, chemistry, and above all statistics and math, since biostatistics is the backbone of the field. Encourage AP Biology, AP Statistics or AP Calculus, and strong writing skills for research communication. A part-time job or volunteer role at a local health department, hospital, or research lab is gold, and any project involving spreadsheets, data, or basic coding (Python or R) will pay off later. This is a long educational road, roughly six to twelve years counting graduate study, but it leads to stable, mission-driven, well-compensated work that is only becoming more essential.
What do epidemiologists earn?
The median annual wage for epidemiologists is $83,980. That puts epidemiologists at #170 on the BLS ranked list of all U.S. occupations by median pay. This salary is above the U.S. median for individual workers and reflects a stable, credentialed occupation. Actual pay varies meaningfully by state, employer type, and years of experience — entry-level salaries are typically 30–40% below the median, while top-decile earners often exceed it by 50% or more.
| 10th percentile (entry-level) | $56,950 |
| 25th percentile | $68,040 |
| 50th percentile (median) | $83,980 |
| 75th percentile | $106,040 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $134,860 |
| Median hourly wage | $40.38/hr |
Is epidemiologists a growing career?
The 10-year outlook for epidemiologists is +16.2%, projected to grow far faster than the US average. Employment is projected to move from approximately 12K positions in 2024 to 14K in 2034, a net change of 2K. Very fast growth indicates significant talent shortages and unusually strong hiring momentum — often the most resilient outlook a teenager can plan toward.
What do epidemiologists do every day?
According to O*NET task surveys of working epidemiologists, these are the core responsibilities most professionals perform. This is what your teen would actually be doing in this role.
- 1.Communicate research findings on various types of diseases to health practitioners, policy makers, and the public.
- 2.Oversee public health programs, including statistical analysis, health care planning, surveillance systems, and public health improvement.
- 3.Investigate diseases or parasites to determine cause and risk factors, progress, life cycle, or mode of transmission.
- 4.Educate healthcare workers, patients, and the public about infectious and communicable diseases, including disease transmission and prevention.
- 5.Monitor and report incidents of infectious diseases to local and state health agencies.
- 6.Plan and direct studies to investigate human or animal disease, preventive methods, and treatments for disease.
- 7.Provide expertise in the design, management and evaluation of study protocols and health status questionnaires, sample selection, and analysis.
- 8.Write articles for publication in professional journals.
Top skills for epidemiologists
O*NET ranks these as the most important skills for this occupation, on a 1–5 importance scale derived from worker surveys.
What education does my child need to become epidemiologist?
The standard path into epidemiologists begins with a bachelor's degree in a related field, followed by entry-level experience or internships during college. For parents helping a teen prepare, the highest-leverage step before junior year is identifying colleges and programs that feed reliably into this occupation — Solyo's college search lets parents filter by major and admissions data side by side.
Based on O*NET surveys of incumbents — what people in this job actually have, not what employers list as required.
How to become epidemiologist: step by step
The typical education and licensing pathway from high school into this profession. Total time to entry is about 6-12+ years. Steps marked optional are common for advancement but not required to start.
- 1
Bachelor's Degree in a Science Field
~4 yearsA science bachelor's is the required foundation. The CDC expects candidates to hold at minimum a science bachelor's before advancing to the graduate credential that actually qualifies them for epidemiologist roles.
- •Earn a bachelor's degree in biology, public health, statistics, or a health science
- •Build a foundation in biology, chemistry, mathematics, and statistics
- •This degree alone does not qualify a person as an epidemiologist; it is a prerequisite for graduate admission
- 2
Master's Degree (MPH or MS in Epidemiology) , Entry Credential
~2.5 yearsThe master's is the true entry credential and matches the BLS typical entry education for the role. Nearly all entry-level epidemiologist positions treat a CEPH-accredited MPH or MS in Epidemiology as non-negotiable, which is what distinguishes this from a bachelor's-only analyst job.
- •Complete a CEPH-accredited graduate program (Council on Education for Public Health)
- •Choose an applied track (MPH with epidemiology concentration) or a research track (MS in Epidemiology)
- •Coursework in biostatistics, epidemiologic methods, environmental health, community/behavioral health, health services administration, and research methodology
- 3
Certified in Public Health (CPH) , Voluntary Board Certification
Optional~0.5 yearsNot legally required to practice, since there is no state license for epidemiologists, but the CPH is increasingly expected and valued by employers. It signals mastery of the five core public health competencies and strengthens candidacy for advancement.
- •Be a current student or graduate of a CEPH-accredited program covering the five core MPH content areas, OR qualify via a work-experience pathway (bachelor's + 5 yrs, relevant graduate degree + 3 yrs, or CEPH graduate certificate + 3 yrs)
- •Administered by the National Board of Public Health Examiners (NBPHE)
- •Recertify every 2 years with at least 50 recertification credits
CPH exam: computer-based, 200 multiple-choice questions (175 scored + 25 pretest), 4-hour window, passing score 500 - 4
Doctorate + CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) Fellowship
Optional~6 yearsThe advanced tier for senior research, academic, leadership, and outbreak-response roles. The doctorate takes 4-6 years and can be followed by the 2-year CDC EIS fellowship. This phase is optional for most practicing epidemiologists but standard for those leading investigations or research.
- •Earn a PhD in Epidemiology (research/academic), a DrPH (practice leadership), or enter public health with an MD/DVM
- •For EIS: a doctoral-level degree (PhD/MD/DVM) is required in most cases; an MPH alone is explicitly NOT a qualifying degree
- •CDC EIS is a 2-year applied-epidemiology training fellowship (the 'disease detectives'), roughly 80 fellows per class, about 6 weeks classroom over 2 years with the rest on-the-job
Related careers your child might also consider
How parents help teens explore careers like this
Solyo helps parents map a teen's interests to specific careers, then back to the colleges and majors that lead there. Salary, outlook, and education data come from BLS and O*NET — the same sources high school counselors use — but presented for the parent's planning lens, not the student's exploration view.
Common questions parents ask about epidemiologists
What is the median salary for epidemiologists?
The median annual salary for epidemiologists is $83,980 according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Is epidemiologists a growing career?
BLS projects +16.2% growth for epidemiologists from 2024 through 2034, which is very fast growth projected to grow far faster than the US average.
What education does my child need to become epidemiologist?
The typical entry path requires a bachelor's degree, plus any state licensure or certification specific to the role. Programs that align well with this career can be filtered inside Solyo's college search.
What careers are similar to epidemiologists?
Related occupations within the Life, Physical, and Social Science category share education paths and skill profiles, so they're a useful starting set when a teen is uncertain. The "Related careers" section below lists nearby options.
Salary data sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics program. Skills, tasks, and education distribution from the O*NET database. Job outlook from the BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 release.