West Virginia had the eighth highest level of per capita state funding for public health in the nation as of 2014. The state spent more than $111.7 million on public health initiatives that year, and also received significant levels of federal health funding. In fact, funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration for West Virginia in fiscal year 2013-14 represented the fourth highest level of per capita spending in the nation.
Such levels of funding help to provide salaries for the nearly 6,000 people that work for the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHRR) and its branch agencies at the municipal level. Of course, this funding also supports the programs these professionals are responsible for managing.
In one example, environmental health specialists with the Office of Environmental Health Services helped members of the public mitigate such health hazards as radon and asbestos in people’s homes.
In addition to state and local public health officials, West Virginia’s public health community is made up of professionals in academia and in non-governmental organizations. Together, their work has significantly contributed to improving public health in West Virginia.
A Look at Public Health Salaries in Charleston
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics provides salary information for public health professionals working in the Charleston metropolitan statistical area in 2014:
Public Health Profession
90th Percentile Annual Salary
Median Annual Salary
Health Educators
$46820
$27500
Healthcare Social Workers
$61500
$46490
Rehabilitation Counselors
$55310
$35000
Substance Abuse & Behavioral Disorder Counselors
$44410
$30720
Mining & Geological Engineers
$105220
$61290
Occupational Health & Safety Specialists
$96460
$77970
Environmental Scientists & Specialists
$75420
$45860
Epidemiologists
$69370
$49120
Social Science Research Assistants
$60000
$38800
Social Scientists
$44860
$35740
Social & Community Service Managers
$76880
$57540
An Analysis of Public Health Salaries Statewide
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics provides a detailed analysis of the hourly wages and annual salaries for public health professionals employed throughout West Virginia in 2014:
Occupation
Employment
Hourly mean wage
Annual mean wage
Hourly median wage
Hourly 75th percentile wage
Hourly 90th percentile wage
Annual median wage
Annual 75th percentile wage
Annual 90th percentile wage
Social and Community Service Managers
620
25.61
53260
24.03
31.32
36.22
49970
65140
75340
Statisticians
130
28.89
60080
21.80
43.32
56.46
45340
90110
117440
Mining and Geological Engineers Including Mining Safety Engineers
330
37.17
77310
30.28
45.44
60.92
62990
94520
126710
Microbiologists
50
23.82
49540
16.89
31.34
46.06
35140
65190
95810
Biological Scientists All Other
160
32.90
68440
33.45
39.99
43.44
69580
83180
90350
Epidemiologists
40
23.51
48900
22.84
27.57
31.60
47510
57350
65730
Environmental Scientists and Specialists Including Health
620
21.89
45540
20.28
25.04
34.38
42180
52080
71510
Social Scientists and Related Workers All Other
530
22.33
46440
18.54
29.73
35.31
38550
61850
73440
Social Science Research Assistants
210
21.87
45480
21.10
26.14
31.22
43880
54380
64950
Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors
450
14.66
30500
13.84
16.27
19.60
28780
33840
40760
Rehabilitation Counselors
560
16.86
35060
16.19
18.45
23.84
33680
38380
49580
Healthcare Social Workers
700
20.98
43640
21.35
26.54
29.60
44420
55210
61580
Health Educators
510
19.07
39660
15.93
26.46
35.12
33130
55030
73040
Community Health Workers
300
12.43
25860
10.48
13.53
20.68
21800
28130
43010
Occupational Health and Safety Specialists
560
35.95
74780
36.76
41.06
45.02
76450
85400
93650
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