Local, state, tribal, and territorial government public health departments in the United States act as the front-line against disease, but are severely understaffed. Although there are other factors that can attract job candidates, salary is known to be paramount in recruitment competition, including public health. While previous studies have compared salaries between different occupations within public health departments, few have contrasted salaries for the same occupations within government versus the private sector or ask directly about wage competition.

This article assesses salary differences between workers within key public health occupations in local or state government and workers in the same occupations in the private sector.