Epidemiologists
What Epidemiologists Do
Investigate and describe the determinants and distribution of disease, disability, or health outcomes. May develop the means for prevention and control.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- None
- Self-employed
- Not available
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 5 of 5Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
- Experience
- Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience.
- Education
- Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
- Job training
- Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Key Knowledge Areas
Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.
- Mathematicsimportance 4.5/5
- Biologyimportance 4.3/5
- Medicine and Dentistryimportance 4.0/5
- English Languageimportance 4.0/5
- Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.5/5
- Communications and Mediaimportance 3.5/5
- Education and Trainingimportance 3.4/5
- Sociology and Anthropologyimportance 3.2/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- E-Mail5.0/5
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled4.7/5
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate4.7/5
- Telephone Conversations4.7/5
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.7/5
- Freedom to Make Decisions4.6/5
Careers With Similar Skills
Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.
- Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists99% skill match
- Geographers98% skill match
- Management Analysts98% skill match
- Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary98% skill match
- Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary98% skill match
- Education Teachers, Postsecondary98% skill match
- Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary98% skill match
- Sociologists98% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Complex Problem Solvingimportance 4.3/5
- Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 4.3/5
- Systems Analysisimportance 4.0/5
- Systems Evaluationimportance 4.0/5
- Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.9/5
- Coordinationimportance 3.8/5
- Instructingimportance 3.3/5
- Service Orientationimportance 3.3/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Hot Technologies
Other Software Used
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC WONDER
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Epi Info
- Circle Systems Stat/Transfer
- Cytel Egret
- Data visualization software
- Database software
- Disease Mapping and Analysis Program DMAP
- ESRI ArcInfo
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Attention to Detail
- Intellectual Curiosity
- Dependability
- Integrity
- Cautiousness
- Adaptability
- Achievement Orientation
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- InvestigativeHigh
- SocialMedium
- ConventionalMedium
- RealisticLow
- EnterprisingLow
- ArtisticLow
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where epidemiologists make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA32.57× national avg
- 2Trenton-Princeton, NJ5.79× national avg
- 3Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA3.58× national avg
- 4Ann Arbor, MI3.17× national avg
- 5Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA3.14× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- Pediatricians, GeneralCareer Change
- SociologistsLateral Move
- Political ScientistsLateral Move
- Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, PostsecondaryCareer Change
Related Education Programs
Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.
Environmental Health
- George Washington University (Washington, DC)grads earn ~$92,573
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Chapel Hill, NC)grads earn ~$86,115
- Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, MD)grads earn ~$99,605
- University of South Carolina-Columbia (Columbia, SC)grads earn ~$58,715
- Columbia University in the City of New York (New York, NY)grads earn ~$98,728
Ecology
- Boston University (Boston, MA)grads earn ~$96,565
- Columbia University in the City of New York (New York, NY)grads earn ~$108,698
- University of Colorado Boulder (Boulder, CO)grads earn ~$53,429
- Emory University (Atlanta, GA)grads earn ~$88,235
- University of Miami (Coral Gables, FL)grads earn ~$73,547
Cell/Cellular Biology and Histology
- University of California-Berkeley (Berkeley, CA)grads earn ~$66,577
- University of California-San Diego (La Jolla, CA)
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (Champaign, IL)grads earn ~$70,213
- University of California-Los Angeles (Los Angeles, CA)grads earn ~$72,443
- Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, MD)grads earn ~$56,543