State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
Preventive Medicine Physician Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
Preventive Medicine Physicians earn a median of $265,930 per year ($127.85/hr) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to grow 2.5% through 2034, with about 9,600 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: Doctoral or professional degree.
SOC 29-1229Healthcare Practitioners and TechnicalLast updated August 15, 2026
- Median pay
- $265,930
- Projected growth
- +2.5%
- Openings a year
- 9,600
- Typical education
- Doctorate
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: Occupational Medicine Physician, Occupational Physician, Physician, Preventive Medicine Physician, Primary Clinician, Public Health Officer.
How much do Preventive Medicine Physicians make?
10th percentile$69,170
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$102,930
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$265,930
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$378,770
Upper quartile
90th percentile$452,360
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $265,930 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | $127.85/hr |
| Mean annual wage | $262,040 |
| People employed | 342,720 |
Versus all US occupations
At $265,930, Preventive Medicine Physicians earn 422% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $214,950 a year.
Versus healthcare practitioners and technical occupations
Inside the Healthcare Practitioners and Technical group, where the middle occupation pays $97,870, this is 172% above the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $452,360 or more while the bottom 10% earn $69,170, a gap of 6.5×. That is an unusually wide spread, which usually tracks specialisation, employer type and years of experience.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 98% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
North Dakota pays the most at $454,550, and still leads at $510,966 once local prices are taken into account.
Which states pay Preventive Medicine Physicians the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Dakota | $454,550 | $510,966 | 740 |
| Montana | $438,850 | $463,680 | 580 |
| Maine | $419,410 | $432,159 | 1,340 |
| Wisconsin | $391,740 | $416,324 | 6,350 |
| Minnesota | $367,320 | $372,456 | 5,350 |
| Indiana | $366,190 | $392,365 | 6,760 |
| New Hampshire | $361,300 | $346,854 | 1,000 |
| Alaska | $355,100 | $346,916 | 270 |
| Louisiana | $350,920 | $397,837 | 4,740 |
| Oregon | $347,180 | $335,891 | 4,130 |
Is Preventive Medicine Physician a growing career?
Preventive Medicine Physicians2.5%
All US occupations3.1%
+2.5% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
About as fast as average
BLS projects employment of Preventive Medicine Physicians to change 2.5% over 2024–2034, against 3.1% projected for all occupations. That is 8,600 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 9,600 openings are projected each year, 2.8% of the 340,700 jobs that existed in 2024. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Overall employment of physicians and surgeons is projected to grow 3 percent from 2024 to 2034, about as fast as the average for all occupations.
Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Projected employment of physicians and surgeons varies by occupation (see table). An increasing number of older adults, who are more likely than younger people to experience health problems and to need complex care, is expected to drive overall employment growth for physicians and surgeons.
In addition, increasing rates of chronic illnesses, such as diabetes, cancer, and heart disease, will result in continued reliance on physicians and surgeons by large numbers of people seeking medical care.
How to become a Preventive Medicine Physician
Physicians and surgeons typically need a bachelor’s degree as well as a degree from a medical school, which takes an additional 4 years to complete. Depending on their specialty, they also need 3 to 9 years in internship and residency programs. Subspecialization includes additional training in a fellowship of 1 to 3 years.
| Typical entry-level education | Doctoral or professional degree |
|---|---|
| Preparation needed (O*NET job zone) | Considerable preparation |
| Work experience in a related occupation | None |
| Typical on-the-job training | Internship/residency |
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as preventive medicine physicians.
- Post-Doctoral Training73.7%
- Doctoral Degree26.3%
What does a Preventive Medicine Physician do?
Apply knowledge of general preventive medicine and public health issues to promote health care to groups or individuals, and aid in the prevention or reduction of risk of disease, injury, disability, or death. May practice population-based medicine or diagnose and treat patients in the context of clinical health promotion and disease prevention.
Physicians and surgeons diagnose and treat injuries or illnesses and address health maintenance. Physicians examine patients; take medical histories; prescribe medications; and order, perform, and interpret diagnostic tests. They often counsel patients on diet, hygiene, and preventive healthcare. Surgeons operate on patients to treat injuries, such as broken bones; diseases, such as cancerous tumors; and deformities, such as cleft palates.
There are two types of physicians, with similar degrees: M.D. (Medical Doctor) and D.O. (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine). Both use the same methods of treatment, including drugs and surgery, but D.O.s place additional emphasis on the body's musculoskeletal system, preventive medicine, and holistic (whole-person) patient care. D.O.s are most likely to be primary care physicians, although they work in all specialties.
Day-to-day tasks
- Identify groups at risk for specific preventable diseases or injuries.
- Perform epidemiological investigations of acute and chronic diseases.
- Supervise or coordinate the work of physicians, nurses, statisticians, or other professional staff members.
- Design or use surveillance tools, such as screening, lab reports, and vital records, to identify health risks.
- Provide information about potential health hazards and possible interventions to the media, the public, other health care professionals, or local, state, and federal health authorities.
- Teach or train medical staff regarding preventive medicine issues.
- Design, implement, or evaluate health service delivery systems to improve the health of targeted populations.
- Develop or implement interventions to address behavioral causes of diseases.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Core skills
- Reading Comprehension4.4/5
- Active Listening4.3/5
- Speaking4.3/5
- Critical Thinking4.3/5
- Writing4.1/5
- Monitoring4.1/5
- Active Learning4.0/5
- Science3.8/5
Transferable skills
- Complex Problem Solving4.3/5
- Judgment and Decision Making4.3/5
- Social Perceptiveness4.0/5
- Coordination4.0/5
- Instructing3.8/5
- Service Orientation3.8/5
- Systems Analysis3.8/5
- Systems Evaluation3.8/5
Tools and software
- Analytical or scientific software · in demand
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Object or component oriented development software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Calendar and scheduling software
- Electronic mail software
- Internet browser software
- Medical software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
What personality type suits a Preventive Medicine Physician?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realistic3.4
Investigativeprimary6.7
Artistic1.9
Socialprimary5.4
Enterprising2.4
Conventionalprimary3.4
Day to day this is work built around investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data, combined with teaching, helping and working directly with other people.
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Preventive Medicine Physician: frequently asked questions
How much do Preventive Medicine Physicians make?
Preventive Medicine Physicians earn a median of $265,930 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). That is 422% above the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $127.85/hr. The middle half earn between $102,930 and $378,770. The top 10% earn $452,360 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Preventive Medicine Physician?
Yes, and beyond a bachelor's: BLS lists a doctoral or professional degree as the typical entry requirement for Preventive Medicine Physicians. BLS also lists internship/residency as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 73.7% hold post-doctoral training.
Is Preventive Medicine Physician a growing career?
It is stable rather than fast-growing: employment is projected to change 2.5% over 2024–2034, about the same as the 3.1% projected across all occupations (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 9,600 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Preventive Medicine Physician do?
Physicians and surgeons diagnose and treat injuries or illnesses and address health maintenance. A core O*NET task: identify groups at risk for specific preventable diseases or injuries. Employers most often ask for Analytical or scientific software, Data base user interface and query software, Object or component oriented development software.
Which states pay Preventive Medicine Physicians the most?
The highest state medians for Preventive Medicine Physicians are North Dakota ($454,550), Montana ($438,850), Maine ($419,410) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits a Preventive Medicine Physician?
O*NET scores Preventive Medicine Physicians highest on the Investigative, Social and Conventional interest areas, so the work mixes investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data with teaching, helping and working directly with other people. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 923 occupations in the bank.