The governmental public health workforce, especially in state and local health departments, is significantly short-staffed, and labor market competition for public health graduates and others with high-demand skills can make recruitment and retention challenging. While some research shows that public health workers generally earn less than those in similar jobs in other sectors, federal data on salaries for employees of local and state health departments are limited. Job postings provide an alternative, real-time method to assess job requirements and salaries.

This article utilizes data from public health job postings to discuss differences in salary, education, and experience requirements compared to jobs in local or state government health departments with the same types of jobs posted in other sectors.