Salary and Job Requirement Differences for Jobs in Local and State Health Departments Versus the Private Sector:...

While some research shows that health departments pay comparably low wages for many jobs, 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. Our goal was to utilize data from job postings to determine if there were significant differences in salary, education, or experience requirements when comparing jobs in local or state government health departments with the same types of jobs posted in other sectors.

We used Lightcast, a large-scale and comprehensive database of job postings, to gather real-time data on salary, education, and experience requirements for 44 public health occupations, contrasting those in state and local health departments (SLHDs) with those in all other sectors. We used interval regression analysis to assess salary differences and contrasted minimum education and experience levels using a partial proportional odds model.

A total of 16 284 job postings were collected for the government, and 12 609 441 in the private sector. Twenty-seven occupations paid significantly less in SLHDs, and 6 paid significantly more. For 37 occupations, SLHDs were less likely to require at least a Master's degree than the private sector. Certain SLHD positions require less education and/or experience, while also paying less.

Many, though not all, roles in the SLHD workforce are comparatively underpaid, and job requirements are often lower, potentially creating recruitment and retention challenges and producing a workforce that may be less prepared for public health crises. SLHDs can use data from job postings to benchmark their salaries and advocate for more competitive wages, especially for "hard-to-fill" positions, and can also better advertise their benefits to attract candidates.