The size of the US public health workforce has markedly declined in recent years, a trend exacerbated by economic instability and an aging demographic. There was a temporary surge in staffing through emergency hires during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the permanence of these positions remains uncertain. Concurrently, public health degree conferrals have sharply increased, creating a mismatch between the growing number of graduates and the actual needs of health departments.

This article analyzes the distribution of the potential public health labor supply (ie, public health graduates) within a 50- and 150-mile radius of health departments, to help inform public health workforce recruitment efforts.