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Student Loan Debt Burden in the Public Health Workforce.
Jonathon P Leider1, Moriah Robins1, Nicole McDaniel1
1At the time of the study, Jonathon P. Leider, Nicole McDaniel, and Hunter Doyle were with the Center for Public Health Systems, Division of Health Policy and Management, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis. Moriah Robins, Rachel Hare Bork, and Brian C. Castrucci were with the de Beaumont Foundation, Bethesda, MD.
American Journal of Public Health
|January 22, 2026
Summary
Over 40% of public health staff have student loan debt, averaging $48,000. Loan forgiveness programs are crucial for addressing public health workforce shortages.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Health Policy
- Workforce Development
Background:
- State and local public health agencies face recruitment and retention challenges.
- High turnover rates impact the stability and effectiveness of the public health workforce.
- Student loan debt is a significant financial burden for many public health professionals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the extent of student loan debt among state and local public health staff.
- To explore the role of loan forgiveness and repayment in public health workforce development.
- To identify demographic correlates of student loan debt within the public health sector.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of data from the 2024 Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey (57,000 respondents).
- Descriptive statistics were calculated to summarize the student loan debt landscape.
- Interval regression was used to identify factors associated with student loan balances.
Main Results:
- More than 40% of public health staff reported having outstanding student loan debt.
- The average student loan balance among indebted staff was $48,000.
- Significant differences in debt levels were observed based on age, race/ethnicity, and academic degree.
Conclusions:
- Student loan debt is a considerable financial stressor for public health employees, potentially hindering recruitment and retention.
- Loan forgiveness and repayment initiatives are vital policy tools to mitigate workforce shortages.
- Recent federal legislative changes may impact the effectiveness of these loan relief programs.
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