Trends and characteristics of the state and local public health workforce, 2010-2013

We assessed state and local public health workforce characteristics by occupational category from 2010 to 2013. We also examined health department characteristics to determine whether workforce size and composition varied across these domains.

We analyzed Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (2010, 2012) and National Association of County and City Health Officials (2010, 2013) profile study data, including 47 state health departments and 2005 and 1953 local health departments (LHDs) in 2010 and 2013, respectively. We determined number of workers and percentage of change by occupation, population size, geographic region, and governance structure.

The LHD workforce remained stable between 2010 and 2013. In states, the workforce decreased by 4%, with notable decreases in public information (-33%) and public health informatics (-29%); state health departments in small (-9%), New England (-13%), and centralized (-7%) states reported the largest decrease in number of workers.

Study findings provide evidence of a shifting public health workforce profile, primarily at the state level. Future research should seek to explain changing workforce patterns and determine whether they are planned or forced responses to changing budgets and service priorities.