Governmental public health has been saddled with underinvestment and stagnant wages, making recruitment into the sector challenging. Although governmental public health pays reasonably well overall, it is also generally viewed as uncompetitive with the healthcare and tech sectors, which often capture recent graduates and recent hires. The growing concern of student loan debt, coupled with compensation challenges, presents a significant barrier to service in governmental public health.

This article characterizes the national landscape of student loan debt for state and local public health workers and considers the potential roles of loan forgiveness and repayment in workforce development.