How To Become A Sanitarian: What It Is and Career Path

What is a sanitarian and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

The average sanitarian salary is $47,406. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an biology major. It usually takes 4-6 years of experience to become a sanitarian. Sanitarians with a Certified Food Manager (CFM) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 6% and produce 7,500 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreSanitarianUS Average

Salary

3.7

Avg. Salary $47,406

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

7.9

Growth Rate 6%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.24%

Asian 5.80%

Black or African American 9.31%

Hispanic or Latino 14.64%

Unknown 6.09%

White 62.92%

Gender

female 39.04%

male 60.96%

Age - 45

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 45

Stress Level

7.9

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

8.3

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

3.6

Work Life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a sanitarian

Explore sanitarian education requirements

Most common sanitarian degrees

Bachelor's

69.5 %

Master's

11.7 %

Associate

10.6 %

Start to develop specific sanitarian skills

Skills	Percentages
FDA	6.32%
Inspection Reports	5.67%
Federal Laws	5.09%
USDA	4.95%
GMP	4.85%

Complete relevant sanitarian training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New sanitarians learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a sanitarian based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real sanitarian resumes.

Research sanitarian duties and responsibilities

Manage organization's injury/illness recordkeeping and handle worker's compensation claims.
Evaluate and recommend new sanitary systems to increase the establishment, follow-up, and compliance with NYC and NYS health code.
Audit plant for GMP compliance.
Educate clients on proper sanitation and HACCP implementation.

Prepare your sanitarian resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your sanitarian resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a sanitarian resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Sanitarian Resume templates

Build a professional Sanitarian resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Sanitarian resume.

Apply for sanitarian jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a sanitarian job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do sanitarians rate their job?