Preventive Medicine Physicians Career, Salary and Skills
Preventive Medicine Physicians have a BLS-reported national median annual wage of $265,930 based on the 2025 OEWS dataset, with reported national employment of 342,720. Wage data is published for 384 locations.
Occupation description
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.
O*NET code
29-1229.05
Job zone
5
Typical education
Post-Doctoral Training
Experience
Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years
National salary and employment
Median annual
$265,930
Hourly median
$127.85
Employment
342,720
Data year
2025
National salary distribution
Top skills
| Skill | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 4.38 | 5.50 |
| Speaking | 4.25 | 4.88 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 4.25 | 5.00 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 4.25 | 5.00 |
| Active Listening | 4.25 | 4.50 |
| Critical Thinking | 4.25 | 5.12 |
| Monitoring | 4.12 | 4.62 |
| Writing | 4.12 | 4.88 |
| Coordination | 4.00 | 4.50 |
| Active Learning | 4.00 | 4.88 |
Typical tasks
- Direct or manage prevention programs in specialty areas such as aerospace, occupational, infectious disease, and environmental medicine.
- Document or review comprehensive patients' histories with an emphasis on occupation or environmental risks.
- 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.
- Direct public health education programs dealing with topics such as preventable diseases, injuries, nutrition, food service sanitation, water supply safety, sewage and waste disposal, insect control, and immunizations.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of prescribed risk reduction measures or other interventions.
Technology
- Biostatistical software
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Epi Info
- Database software
- Email software
- Epidemiological software
- Insightful S-PLUS
- Medical surveillance software
- Microsoft Access
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Word
- NCSS
- NCSS Power Analysis and Sample Size PASS
Preventive Medicine Physicians salary by location
Areas with the highest reported employment for this occupation.
- Preventive Medicine Physicians Salary in TXMedian $269,800 · Employment 30,720
- Preventive Medicine Physicians Salary in CAMedian $281,590 · Employment 25,530
- Preventive Medicine Physicians Salary in PAMedian $217,310 · Employment 23,800
- Preventive Medicine Physicians Salary in FLMedian $262,180 · Employment 23,390
- Preventive Medicine Physicians Salary in OHMedian $297,440 · Employment 21,160
- Preventive Medicine Physicians Salary in ILMedian $132,540 · Employment 20,790
- Preventive Medicine Physicians Salary in New York, NYMedian $265,930 · Employment 17,210
- Preventive Medicine Physicians Salary in Chicago, ILMedian $94,820 · Employment 16,950
- Preventive Medicine Physicians Salary in NYMedian $242,500 · Employment 16,600
- Preventive Medicine Physicians Salary in NCMedian $260,330 · Employment 14,080
- Preventive Medicine Physicians Salary in Dallas, TXMedian $222,410 · Employment 13,580
- Preventive Medicine Physicians Salary in MIMedian $155,480 · Employment 13,150
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- Acute Care NursesNational median $97,550
- Registered NursesNational median $97,550
- Advanced Practice Psychiatric NursesNational median $97,550
Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0 (onetcenter.org). Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, 2025 (bls.gov/oes). Figures are published survey estimates, not real-time market data.