Line up report dates
Before merging illness reports, check whether each date marks symptom onset or diagnosis, and make them match.
Career profile
Epidemiologist
Epidemiologists study who gets sick, what those people share, and ways to prevent more cases.
Rising illness reports could mean a real spread, or just more cases being counted. Records, comparisons and well-chosen questions are how you tell which.
A day in the life
Graph cases by date
Plot cases by date beside earlier counts, because a sudden cluster deserves a closer look.
Probe a food-linked outbreak
Calculate the share of eaters and non-eaters who fell ill, and weigh other causes before blaming the food.
Brief health officials on findings
Write a short summary or present a chart showing results, open questions, and what they mean for prevention.
Quick facts
Master’s degree
United States
$87,220/year
United States · May 2025
+18.7%
United States · 2025–2035
Quick orientation
Preparation, pay & outlook
Preparation
Master’s degreeGraduate study is the typical entry preparation.
Pay
$87,220/yearNational median for epidemiologists; equivalent to $41.93 an hour.
Outlook
+18.7%Projected employment growth, with about 800 openings a year on average.
Fit, tradeoffs & changing tools
You might like this if…
- You want to know why a pattern appears, even when the first explanation sounds convincing.
- You can stay patient while checking records and calculations.
- You enjoy explaining a complicated result in words someone else can use.
Things to weigh
- Expect substantial screen time and careful record checking alongside the investigations.
- Many jobs have regular hours, but fieldwork and public health emergencies can bring irregular schedules.
Where AI may help
Shared electronic records let office and field staff work with incoming information sooner. Software helps organize records, calculate comparisons, and update charts.
What people still lead
You choose a fair comparison and check whether missing information or the way people were selected could explain the result.
What we can’t predict yet
How much record handling can be automated depends on whether systems exchange usable data. Incompatible formats and missing details can still require follow-up.
Pay in context
Earnings
Pay varies with location, experience, and responsibility. Use national figures as a reference when comparing actual job offers.
The national pay range
The May 2025 median was $87,220 a year, equivalent to $41.93 an hour. The 10th and 90th percentile annual wages were $61,270 and $138,800. These mark the national wage spread, not starting and senior salaries.
Growth and openings
Employment is projected to grow 18.7% from 2025 to 2035. About 800 openings a year are projected on average, including growth and replacement needs. Openings are not all newly created jobs.
Getting started
Study public health with an epidemiology focus
- What the route involves
- Earn a Master of Public Health (MPH) focused on epidemiology. Look for disease-study methods, statistics, a public health agency practicum, and a capstone or thesis.
- What it can lead to
- Preparation to apply for public health agency and research roles, with practice connecting findings to programs and policy.
Build a research-focused master’s route
- What the route involves
- Earn a Master of Science (MS) in epidemiology through a program open to bachelor’s graduates. Study research methods and statistics, then complete a research thesis.
- What it can lead to
- Preparation for epidemiological research roles and further graduate research training.
Plan on a bachelor’s degree followed by graduate study. Two common degree directions emphasize different parts of the work; compare each program’s coursework and practical experience.
After entry
Career paths
This starts where the entry routes leave off: early work, growing capability, and advancement or specialization.
Get established
Learn your workplace’s records and definitions. Document how you prepare data so colleagues can follow your work.
Take on a study question
Plan the comparison, run the analysis, and ask colleagues to challenge your interpretation before you report it.
Lead or specialize
Move toward leading a public health program or specializing in an area such as chronic disease. Research directors often have a doctoral or medical degree.
Where you can work
State or local health department
Your work connects directly to community health decisions. Office analysis may alternate with surveys or field investigations, using reports from healthcare providers and laboratories.
- Office
- Field work
University research group
Work centers on studies and publication. Alongside analyzing data, you may help write research papers and funding proposals.
- Office
Try it
See whether the job clicks before you commit to the path.
Try a fictional outbreak comparison: 12 of 30 people who ate a dish became ill, compared with 3 of 30 who did not. Calculate each group’s percentage, then write one possible explanation and one question you would ask before blaming the dish. Notice whether you enjoy both the calculation and questioning what it means.
Sources
- O*NET OnLine. Epidemiologists — 19-1041.00. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Epidemiologists — Occupational Outlook Handbook. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, national estimates — pinned facts binding. Accessed 2026-09-29.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employment Projections Table 1.2, 2025–2035 — pinned facts binding. Accessed 2026-09-29.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Field Epidemiology Manual: Collecting Data. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Field Epidemiology Manual: Describing Epidemiologic Data. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Field Epidemiology Manual: Analyzing and Interpreting Data. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Field Epidemiology Manual: Using Technologies for Data Collection and Management. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- University of Washington School of Public Health. MPH in Epidemiology. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- University of Washington School of Public Health. MS in Epidemiology. Accessed 2026-10-09.