Public health officials in Arizona have brought about substantial improvements in the health of the state’s residents, although challenges remain. Professionals in the public arena who have a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree are much more likely to end up in higher paying positions such as public administration where they will be in a position to effect change.
Some of Arizona’s strengths in the area of public health include having low rates of occupational fatalities and preventable hospitalizations. The state also had the fifth lowest cancer rate in the country as of 2014. In addition, its teen pregnancy prevention efforts have helped the rate of teen pregnancy drop 38% between 2007 and 2012.The state has made some great strides with innovate approaches to ensuring public health and safety. One such example can be seen in a program in which healthcare workers that visit the homes of new parents screen for lead paint dangers.
The Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) employs many of the state’s public health officials ranging from environmental health specialists to biostatisticians. Recently, the ADHS made major improvements to the state’s medical Electronic Disease Surveillance Intelligence System and implemented a Spanish version to be able to share bi-national infection cases with Mexico. In addition to monitoring such national threats as measles, it also tracks diseases such as valley fever that are endemic to Arizona.
Academic researchers in Arizona are also making highly significant contributions to improving public health in the state. For instance, Tucson is the site of cutting-edge biomedical research that has resulted in a promising new vaccine for valley fever. Biologists with expertise in many disciplines made this research possible.
Comparing Public Health Professional Salaries in Arizona’s Major Cities
The Arizona Office of Employment and Population Statistics provides the salaries of many types of public health professionals from 2013. Such professionals with a Master’s in Public Health are much more likely to have salaries in the 90th percentile:
Public Health Career,Phoenix-90th Percentile,Phoenix-50th Percentile,Tucson-90th Percentile,Tucson-50th Percentile
Community and Social Services-Community Health Workers
$61651
$31346
$46717
$27893
Community and Social Services-Health Educators
$90563
$50877
$83262
$37752
Community and Social Services-Healthcare Social Workers
$77501
$50128
$71157
$50710
Community and Social Services-Rehabilitation Counselors
$43451
$27040
$55058
$32510
Community and Social Services-Substance Abuse & Behavioral Counselors
$58760
$39499
$53082
$33946
Computers and Mathematics-Statisticians
$109907
$80350
$103397
$77043
Engineering-Mining and Geological Engineers
$133557
$81162
$105706
$76336
Healthcare Practitioners-Occupational Health & Safety Specialists
$94120
$63253
$92394
$52250
Life and Social Sciences-Biological Scientists
$84448
$68598
unavailable
unavailable
Life and Social Sciences-Environmental Scientists & Specialists
$104416
$53165
$92123
$54891
Life and Social Sciences-Epidemiologists
$69326
$47070
$69347
$54122
Life and Social Sciences-Microbiologists
$82534
$57554
$106933
$50690
Life and Social Sciences-Social Science Research Assistants
$70616
$35526
$38792
$29286
Life and Social Sciences-Social Scientists
$112445
$76336
$92747
$61069
Public Administration-Social & Community Service Managers
$100443
$63960
$96741
$54246
An Analysis of Public Health Professional Salaries in Arizona
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics analyzes the hourly wages and annual salaries of a broad array of public health positions in Arizona as of 2014. These findings are shown here for comparative purposes:
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
1540
33.09
68830
29.53
39.10
50.33
61430
81320
104690
Statisticians
510
37.77
78560
36.80
46.07
54.66
76540
95830
113700
Mining and Geological Engineers Including Mining Safety Engineers
560
39.56
82290
37.81
45.62
55.94
78650
94880
116360
Biochemists and Biophysicists
110
28.54
59350
23.01
33.53
52.88
47870
69730
110000
Microbiologists
150
30.16
62740
29.26
36.04
42.39
60860
74950
88170
Biological Scientists All Other
590
29.53
61420
30.67
36.23
38.27
63790
75370
79600
Epidemiologists
Estimate not released
25.96
54000
24.45
29.09
35.68
50850
60500
74220
Environmental Scientists and Specialists Including Health
1480
30.59
63620
26.62
35.75
47.93
55370
74360
99700
Sociologists
40
29.07
60470
28.59
36.10
44.40
59470
75090
92360
Social Scientists and Related Workers All Other
560
37.50
78000
36.76
44.70
50.32
76460
92980
104670
Social Science Research Assistants
250
18.40
38280
15.85
21.51
29.22
32960
44740
60770
Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors
2340
20.16
41940
19
23
28.90
39510
47850
60120
Rehabilitation Counselors
800
15.54
32320
15.20
18.16
21.97
31610
37770
45690
Healthcare Social Workers
2950
24.15
50240
23.23
28.79
35.55
48320
59890
73940
Health Educators
1290
23.38
48620
21.46
28.27
38.98
44640
58800
81070
Community Health Workers
860
19.69
40960
17.75
23.76
32.07
36920
49420
66710
Occupational Health and Safety Specialists
1300
30.97
64420
29.92
38.99
45.97
62230
81090
95610
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