Also called: Health Commissioner, Health Department Director
Leads a city, county or state health department, overseeing disease tracking, vaccine clinics, restaurant inspections and emergency plans.
Oversees restaurant inspections, vaccine clinics, disease tracking, and the emergency plan for the next pandemic. Holds press conferences during outbreaks and fights for budget money.
Estimate; varies widely by jurisdiction size.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Master's degree, about 6 years after high school. Master of Public Health (MPH) or doctorate plus 10+ years of public health experience.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school, On-the-job training. Training cost: $60k – $150k.
Majors to look at: Public Health, Epidemiology, Biology, Health Administration.
Growing about average. Steady.
Low risk for 10 years. AI drafts reports and models budgets; leading staff through outbreaks, politics and press conferences stays human.
Classes: Government, Statistics, Speech/Debate, Biology.
Official data: O*NET occupation 11-9111.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.