Life, Physical, and Social Science · Holland code ISC
Epidemiologists
Investigate and describe the determinants and distribution of disease, disability, or health outcomes. May develop the means for prevention and control.
Also called: Epidemiologist, Infection Control Practitioner (ICP), Nurse Epidemiologist, Research Epidemiologist, Chronic Disease Epidemiologist, Communicable Diseases Specialist, Environmental Epidemiologist, Epidemiology Investigator.
O*NET 19-1041.00
At a glance
- US median annual pay
- $87,220
- Middle half earn $71,090 to $112,640. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
- Most common education
- Master's Degree
- 67% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
- Preparation needed
- Job Zone 5 of 5
- Extensive preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
- US employment outlook, 2024 to 2034
- +16% · Much faster than average
- 12,300 jobs in 2024, projected 14,300. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, which groups this with similar roles as "Epidemiologists".
What the work involves
The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.
- Communicate research findings on various types of diseases to health practitioners, policy makers, and the public.
- Oversee public health programs, including statistical analysis, health care planning, surveillance systems, and public health improvement.
- Investigate diseases or parasites to determine cause and risk factors, progress, life cycle, or mode of transmission.
- Educate healthcare workers, patients, and the public about infectious and communicable diseases, including disease transmission and prevention.
- Monitor and report incidents of infectious diseases to local and state health agencies.
- Plan and direct studies to investigate human or animal disease, preventive methods, and treatments for disease.
- Provide expertise in the design, management and evaluation of study protocols and health status questionnaires, sample selection, and analysis.
- Write articles for publication in professional journals.
Skills and knowledge it leans on
Skills
- Reading Comprehension4.3 / 5
- Critical Thinking4.3 / 5
- Active Listening4.1 / 5
- Writing4.1 / 5
- Speaking4.1 / 5
- Science4.1 / 5
Knowledge areas
- Mathematics4.5 / 5
- Biology4.3 / 5
- Medicine and Dentistry4.0 / 5
- English Language4.0 / 5
- Computers and Electronics3.5 / 5
- Communications and Media3.5 / 5
Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.
Who tends to enjoy it
How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.
- Realistic30
- Investigative100
- Artistic20
- Social52
- Enterprising23
- Conventional44
The same work abroad
Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.
European occupation titles (ESCO)
- biometrician · DE Biometriker/Biometrikerin · FR biométricien/biométricienne
- physiologist · DE Physiologe/Physiologin · FR physiologiste
- toxicologist · DE Toxikologe/Toxikologin · FR toxicologue
- epidemiologist · DE Epidemiologe/Epidemiologin · FR épidémiologiste
- immunologist · DE Immunologe/Immunologin · FR immunologiste
- policy officer · DE Referent/Referentin · FR chargé de mission/chargée de mission
Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)
- Social workers (2461)139,800 employed
- Probation officers (2462)11,900 employed
- Youth work professionals (2464)10,200 employed
Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.
Pay across Europe, for the whole group
Median annual earnings of all employees in “Professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.
| Country | Median pay |
|---|---|
| Belgium | €61,714 |
| Germany | €59,529 |
| Ireland | €56,877 |
| Austria | €55,374 |
| Netherlands | €53,595 |
| Sweden | €43,567 |
| France | €41,515 |
| Spain | €35,735 |
| Italy | €33,649 |
| Portugal | €26,072 |
| Poland | €14,380 |
Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.
Exposure to AI
This occupation sits in the higher third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of +1.44. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.
Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.
Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (19-1041).
Related careers
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