Public Health Analyst: Job Roles, Courses, and Salaries

Key takeaways

A public health analyst collects and analyzes data and uses the insights they get from it to improve public health.

• A public health analyst earns a total median pay of $103,000 in the US [1].

• Common public health analyst job titles include trainee public health analyst, senior public health analyst, health economist, and field epidemiologist.

• You can become a public health analyst by getting at least a bachelor’s degree with courses in areas like epidemiology and health policies, or getting a certification like the Certified in Public Health (CPH) or Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES).

Explore what the role of a public health analyst entails, the qualifications you’ll need, and the career path you can expect to follow. If you’re ready to start preparing for a role in public health analyst, enroll in the Foundations of Public Health Practice Specialization. You’ll have the opportunity to learn fundamental public health concepts like intelligence collection and analysis, behavioral analysis, health assessment, epidemiology, and more in as little as four weeks. Upon completion, you’ll have earned a career certificate for your resume.

What is a public health analyst?

A public health analyst collects and analyzes data and uses the insights they get from it to improve public health. In this role, you'll provide education and information to the public, community groups, organizations, and governmental agencies. You help create solutions, provide health information, and communicate with policymakers, the media, and the public. 

In your work as a public health analyst, you will work across various demographics to help create effective solutions to health-related problems. You may visit different locations to evaluate health care costs in a specific area or gauge an organization's performance. You may contribute to publications by providing insights to researchers and journalists.

Read more: 6 Public Health Issues to Know + Jobs Handling Them

What do public health analysts do?

Your work could cover a broad array of public health-related subjects, or you may choose to focus on specific public health concerns like environmental hazards, mental health, substance abuse, or infectious diseases. Your day-to-day tasks will vary depending on where you work and who you work for. Everyday activities you can expect to engage in as a public health analyst include: 

• Using technology to conduct research and analysis on public health issues

• Analyzing public health information using quantitative and qualitative methods 

• Creating and implementing public health programs based on data

• Improving health programs’ effectiveness using data-driven insights

• Storing health records and program documentation

• Following HIPAA procedures when handling patient information

• Educating individuals, organizations, and the public at large about specific health concerns 

• Communicating with groups, policymakers, and organizations to research public health issues

Many different obstacles and challenges can impact public health. You may work on various programs and projects designed to address existing issues and prevent or mitigate the impact of future problems. For example, you may head up vaccination programs to help control a specific infectious disease or contribute to implementing cancer screening programs to help catch cancers at the earliest possible stage. 

You might analyze substance abuse programs or policy data to find ways to improve them. You could participate in various initiatives, including evaluating community health programs, contributing to seminars to educate specific groups, analyzing data on environmental hazards, and presenting your findings to governmental agencies or nonprofit organizations.

What is a public health analysis?

A public health analysis involves using techniques in data analysis, like data mining, to put together and analyze large public health data sets. Public health analysts evaluate data using statistical analysis software to find patterns and public health trends in data. Their analysis aims to improve public health outcomes, patient care, and health care efficiency.

How much do public health analysts make? Public health analyst salary and job roles

To get a job in public health analysis, it often helps to have some experience in the health field and proficiency in working with data analysis. You might have transferable skills from being a business or data analyst, such as interpersonal communications or research, that benefit public health analysts. A public health analyst's total median pay is $103,000, with a likely total pay range of $79,000 to $136,000 since this career encompasses a few different job roles [1]. These figures include base salary and additional pay, which may represent profit-sharing, commissions, bonuses, or other compensation.

Some examples of specific job roles for public health analysts include the following.

All salary information represents the median total pay from Glassdoor as of April 2026. These figures include base salary and additional pay, which may represent profit-sharing, commissions, bonuses, or other compensation.

1. Trainee public health analyst

In this role, which may also be called a junior public health care analyst, you could make a total median pay of $102,000 [2]. This is an entry-level role, although employers often look for you to have a background in health care data analysis and proficiency in using common database platforms and analysis tools.

2. Health care analyst

As a health care analyst, you could make up to $145,000, although the median total pay is $113,000 [3]. You'll conduct research, identify trends, and in this role.

3. Senior public health analyst

As you gain work experience, you may be able to advance to a senior-level position. The median total pay for senior health care analysts is $163,000, with a typical range that goes up to $215,000 [4].

4. Principal public health analyst

As a principal public health analyst, you will analyze data and ensure reports are distributed to the correct people when problems are detected, provide investigation metrics to leadership, and support external partnerships. The median total pay is $183,000, with a typical range of $146,000 to $232,000 [5].

5. Director of public health

As a director of public health, you'll use your skills to assist facilities and organizations, provide feedback about issues, address barriers to care, coordinate and oversee other people's work, help figure out funding needs for programs and services, and more. In this role, you could make anywhere from $105,000 to $193,000, although the median total pay is $140,000 [6].

6. Health economist

As a health economist, you can expect to analyze the allocation of resources within a medical operation and use the data to increase efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Health care economists work in both public and private industries, dealing with a range of issues, including research funding, building public health centers, and allocating medical professionals to health care facilities. The median total pay is $167,000, with a common range of $132,000 to $215,000 [7].

7. Field epidemiologist

As a field epidemiologist, you'll work to contain infectious diseases, limiting outbreaks and minimizing their spread. Common duties include collecting data for tests, investigating diseases, and creating reports about potential disease spread. The median total pay is $105,000, with a common range of up to $147,000 [8].

Key qualifications: Education and certifications

One of the most notable public health analyst qualifications is education. Most employers look for candidates with a bachelor's degree at a minimum. Depending on the role you're seeking, you may need a master's degree, particularly if you're going into academic research roles, which typically require expertise in specific areas of public health.

Common degrees and majors for public health analyst jobs

The two most common degrees among public health analysts are bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Research shows that 56 percent of public health analysts have a bachelor's degree. Another 31 percent have a master's degree [9]. Common majors include public health, public policy, health administration, and health management. Some of the coursework you may encounter includes:

• Data analysis in public health

• Epidemiology

• Environmental health

• Health policies

• Sociology

• Health sciences

• Social work

• Psychology

• Biostatistics

• Emergency preparedness

• Global health

Common public health analyst certifications

Getting certified isn't a strict requirement. It can, however, help you stand out from other candidates when you apply for jobs. Earning one or more certifications demonstrates that you’ve mastered a specific subject or set of skills. Some of the standard certifications to consider include:

• Certified in Public Health (CPH): This general certification requires a bachelor’s degree and five years of work experience in public health or a master’s degree in a relevant field and three years of work experience.

• Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES): If your goal is to take your public health analyst skills in an educational direction, this might be a good option. To qualify, you need to have at least a bachelor's degree and transcripts that either document that you majored in health education or completed 25 or more semester hours covering the eight areas of responsibility and competency for health education specialists.

• Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES): If you already have experience working in health education, you could advance to this certification, which requires a CHES and five years of working as a certified health education specialist. Alternatively, you could be eligible if you have a master's degree or higher in public health or a related field and have at least five years of experience working as a certified health education specialist.

• Certified Emergency Response Coordinator (CERC): If emergency preparedness is the direction you want to take your career in, consider this certification. To qualify, you must provide evidence of experience or educational achievements in public health, community health assessments, environmental health, applied epidemiology, infectious disease preparedness and response, or public health policy. 

Skills needed for a public health data analyst career

You'll need to cultivate various skills to work as a public health analyst. Data collection and analysis are two essential technical skills to consider learning. Other vital competencies include:

• Ability to conduct research and derive insights from it

• Strong written and verbal communication abilities

• Ability to engage audiences with proficient public speaking abilities

• Statistical analysis to determine the urgency of health issues and discover trends 

• Project management, including the ability to delegate tasks, evaluate metrics, and review success

• Problem-solving and the ability to confidently approach challenges

• Interpersonal skills and the ability to collaborate with other professionals

• Strong computer skills and familiarity with data management and content management systems

How to become a public health analyst

There's no single path to becoming a public health analyst. Many begin their careers in entry-level positions, such as administrative assistants, interns in health care or a public health setting, or research assistants at a university, or gain experience in social work, counseling, or nursing. Your early experience can help you understand how public health organizations work and help you further hone your skills.

After gaining years of experience as a public health analyst, you have a variety of options to advance your career. You might work as a consultant or program manager before becoming a supervisor, program director, or quality assurance director. After five years, you may move into a senior case manager position. After seven to eight years, you may advance to director of public affairs or project director. After 12 to 13 years, you might advance to director of analytics or director of quality management.

Get free practical tools for meaningful growth

Explore career paths, assess your skills, and connect with resume guidance while browsing our Career Resources Hub. Or if you want to learn more about data analysis and public health, check out these free resources:

• Get expert tips: Data Analysis: Where to Start and How to Build This High-Income Skill

• Learn key concepts: Data Analysis Terms & Definitions

• Watch on YouTube: What Can You Do with a Public Health Degree

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