Public Health Salaries in Massachusetts

Massachusetts has made great strides in improving the health of its citizens, and was rated the third healthiest state in the nation in 2014 by the United Health Foundation. Further, Massachusetts had the highest percentage of residents with health insurance in the country in 2013, according to the Trust for America’s Health. Additionally, in a February 2015 report the Anne E. Casey Foundation highlighted Massachusetts as the state with the best overall health and well-being for children and teens.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has been instrumental in improving public health through education, public policy advocacy, and monitoring environmental health hazards and infectious diseases. The state has long been proactive in its approach to tracking environmental issues affecting public health. Its health department was one of only seven in the country to receive funding to implement such tracking systems in 2002. For instance, Massachusetts is in its fourth year of tracking pediatric asthma cases and has correlated episodes of this disorder in schools with the presence of moisture problems.

FIND SCHOOLS
Sponsored Content

Epidemiologists at the Bureau of Infectious Disease identified Massachusetts’ first case of enterovirus D68 in 2015 and committed to working with healthcare partners and local public health to contain this highly contagious disease.

With its well-compensated state, local, academic, and non-governmental public health professionals, Massachusetts is well equipped to prevent virtually any public health crisis, and effectively deal with those that do occur.

A Salary Analysis of Public Health Professionals in Boston

The Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development provides a comparison of the salaries of public health professionals in the Boston metropolitan area for 2014. The pay for any given position can vary dramatically, but professionals with advanced degrees such as a Master of Public Health are likely to be those with experience who earn salaries on the high end of the scale.

Public Health Profession
Experienced Annual Salary
Community and Social Services: Community Health Workers
$49380
Community and Social Services: Health Educators
$63950
Community and Social Services: Healthcare Social Workers
$67620
Community and Social Services: Rehabilitation Counselors
$47640
Community and Social Services: Substance Abuse & Behavioral Disorder Counselors
$49720
Computers and Mathematics: Statisticians
$103870
Healthcare Practitioners: Occupational Health & Safety Specialists
$84060
Life and Social Sciences: Biological Scientists
$117260
Life and Social Sciences: Environmental Scientists & Specialists
$81540
Life and Social Sciences: Epidemiologists
$100980
Life and Social Sciences: Microbiologists
$77900
Life and Social Sciences: Social Science Research Assistants
$60070
Life and Social Sciences: Social Scientists
$90870
Life and Social Sciences: Sociologists
$118290
Public Administration: Social & Community Service Managers
$79120

A Statewide Analysis of Public Health Professional Salaries in Massachusetts

For comparison, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics provides a high level of detail on the hourly wages and annual salaries of public health professionals throughout Massachusetts for 2014.

Occupation
Employment
Annual mean wage
Social and Community Service Managers
6500
64910
Statisticians
2310
86940
Microbiologists(191022)
1980
64240
Biological Scientists All Other
1920
88930
Epidemiologists
430
85950
Environmental Scientists and Specialists Including Health
2340
68550
Sociologists
130
91070
Social Scientists and Related Workers All Other
810
75840
Social Science Research Assistants
1560
51380
Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors
3570
42560
Rehabilitation Counselors
5500
38970
Healthcare Social Workers
11090
57740
Health Educators
2300
52380
Community Health Workers
1900
41550
Occupational Health and Safety Specialists
1050
74000

Back to Top