The active lifestyles of New Mexico’s residents contribute to a relatively low rate of obesity when compared to the rest of the United States. The state’s residents also enjoy a relatively high level of public health funding. In fact, New Mexico had the seventh highest per capita level of combined state and federal public health spending in the country in 2014, according to the United Health Foundation. When looking at CDC funding alone, New Mexico received the fifth highest dollar amount allocated for public health initiatives in the country in 2014.
This level of funding makes it possible for New Mexico to retain top public health professionals, and increases the potential salaries that these professionals can earn.
New Mexico’s flagship public health agency is its Department of Health (NMDOH). It emphasizes the prevention of chronic and infectious disease, which is one of the most cost-effective ways to improve public health. Public health officials also respond to disease outbreaks. For instance, epidemiologists closely monitor such key conditions as Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome.
The NMDOH works in concert with the New Mexico Environment Department to ensure that drinking water in the state remains safe. Environmental health scientists work with the CDC as part of the Rocky Mountain Biomonitoring Consortium to track the levels of arsenic in drinking water and in individuals. These types of scientists also closely track the incidence of asthma in New Mexico and pesticide exposure among farm workers.
Working together, New Mexico’s state and local public health officials, non-governmental agencies, healthcare providers, and academic researchers contribute to improving the state of public health in the state, and are well compensated while doing so.
Salaries for Public Health Professionals in Albuquerque
The New Mexico Workforce Commission provides salaries for a number of public health professionals who worked in the Albuquerque metropolitan statistical area in 2013. Some of these salaries vary widely, but professionals with advanced degrees such as a Master of Public Health are likely to have the experience to earn on the high end of the salary scale.
The salaries for epidemiologists who worked for the state of New Mexico in 2015 varied depending on the level of experience required for the position:
Salary Comparison of Public Health Professionals throughout New Mexico
In the table below, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics provides a detailed analysis of the hourly wages and annual salaries for a number of public health positions in New Mexico for 2014.
