Public health nurses (PHNs) are one of the largest public health occupation groups, bringing important expertise to the activities of public health; however, their roles and distribution differ across the country. The local-level need for and role of PHNs differ across the United States based on factors such as community characteristics, health needs, and public health structure. Recent data also show that more than one-fifth of PHNs intend to leave the profession within a year and nearly one-quarter intend to retire within 5 years.

This article identifies priority areas at the county level with a high need for and low supply of PHNs by defining area-level need for PHNs, describing the distribution of PHNs, and identifying priority tiers based on relative need and supply.

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