Epidemiologists
Investigate how diseases spread and what factors drive them.
At a glance
Looking to 2035, the projected change for Epidemiologists is +19%, 15 points above typical growth across the occupations we cover. Modeled AI exposure for Epidemiologists ranks at the 65th percentile; displacement risk is high and works-with-AI 5/100, closer to displacement than to help. Getting in usually takes a master's degree. A median wage of $87,220 sits 30% above the typical occupation we cover, but in line with the median across Life & Physical Science. Hiring volume is roughly 800 openings a year, a thin hiring pool by comparison. Compared with Environmental Scientists at +6.1%, projected growth here is +19%.
Similar pay in Life & Physical Science
Key skills
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
- Active Listening
- Writing
- Speaking
- Science
Pay and jobs by state
BLS OEWS May 2025, 50 states and DC. Sorted by jobs; per 1,000 is jobs per thousand workers in the state; vs national compares that rate with the country's. A tilde marks a figure estimated from the parent occupation group where BLS publishes none.
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 1,480 | 0.1 | 1.1× | $111k |
| Texas | 1,160 | 0.1 | 1.1× | $77k |
| Washington | 1,010 | 0.3 | 3.7× | $108k |
| New York | 670 | 0.1 | 0.9× | $80k |
| Massachusetts | 660 | 0.2 | 2.3× | $116k |
| Maryland | 600 | 0.2 | 2.8× | $102k |
| Georgia | 510 | 0.1 | 1.3× | $71k |
| Colorado | 430 | 0.1 | 1.9× | $74k |
| Pennsylvania | 360 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $88k |
| Arizona | 340 | 0.1 | 1.4× | $67k |
All 50 states and DC
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | 310 | 0.1 | 1.4× | $104k |
| Florida | 300 | 0.0 | 0.4× | $79k |
| Ohio | 300 | 0.1 | 0.7× | $76k |
| New Jersey | 290 | 0.1 | 0.9× | $110k |
| Michigan | 280 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $85k |
| Illinois | 240 | 0.0 | 0.5× | $103k |
| North Carolina | 220 | 0.0 | 0.6× | $85k |
| Tennessee | 220 | 0.1 | 0.9× | $97k |
| Virginia | 220 | 0.1 | 0.7× | $85k |
| Utah | 190 | 0.1 | 1.4× | $77k |
| Indiana | 170 | 0.1 | 0.7× | $77k |
| Connecticut | 160 | 0.1 | 1.2× | $84k |
| Oregon | 140 | 0.1 | 0.9× | $94k |
| Kentucky | 120 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $79k |
| Louisiana | 120 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $74k |
| Missouri | 120 | 0.0 | 0.5× | $67k |
| Oklahoma | 120 | 0.1 | 0.9× | $73k |
| Montana | 100 | 0.2 | 2.5× | $80k |
| West Virginia | 100 | 0.1 | 1.8× | $71k |
| Washington DC | 90 | 0.1 | 1.6× | $112k |
| Iowa | 90 | 0.1 | 0.7× | $80k |
| Wisconsin | 90 | 0.0 | 0.4× | $89k |
| Nebraska | 80 | 0.1 | 1.0× | $83k |
| Nevada | 80 | 0.1 | 0.7× | $100k |
| New Mexico | 80 | 0.1 | 1.2× | $80k |
| Alabama | 70 | 0.0 | 0.4× | $75k |
| Hawaii | 70 | 0.1 | 1.4× | $77k |
| Kansas | 70 | 0.0 | 0.6× | $80k |
| Arkansas | 64 (estimated) | 0.0 (estimated) | 0.6× (estimated) | $66k (estimated) |
| Maine | 60 | 0.1 | 1.2× | $69k |
| Alaska | 57 (estimated) | 0.2 (estimated) | 2.3× (estimated) | $91k (estimated) |
| Delaware | 50 (estimated) | 0.1 (estimated) | 1.3× (estimated) | $89k (estimated) |
| South Carolina | 50 | 0.0 | 0.3× | $85k |
| New Hampshire | 49 (estimated) | 0.1 (estimated) | 0.9× (estimated) | $84k (estimated) |
| Idaho | 40 | 0.0 | 0.6× | $66k |
| Mississippi | 40 | 0.0 | 0.4× | $57k |
| South Dakota | 39 (estimated) | 0.1 (estimated) | 1.1× (estimated) | $69k (estimated) |
| North Dakota | 38 (estimated) | 0.1 (estimated) | 1.1× (estimated) | $76k (estimated) |
| Wyoming | 36 (estimated) | 0.1 (estimated) | 1.6× (estimated) | $78k (estimated) |
| Rhode Island | 35 (estimated) | 0.1 (estimated) | 0.9× (estimated) | $94k (estimated) |
| Vermont | 30 | 0.1 | 1.3× | $80k (estimated) |
Top metro areas
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH620 jobs · $116k median
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA580 jobs · $124k median
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ400 jobs · $98k median
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA380 jobs · $105k median
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV380 jobs · $113k median
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA370 jobs · $71k median
- Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO370 jobs · $72k median
- Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA330 jobs · $108k median
Where this ranks
Explore Epidemiologists interactively →Pay and outlook from BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.