Public Health Funding measures the dollars per person that are spent on public or population health through funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Health Resources Services Administration and the state. This does not include spending from other sources such as county or city governments nor does it include state spending for health that is included under other departmental spending such as education and transportation. The ranks are based on data from the two preceding years from the Trust for America’s Health (http://healthyamericans.org/).  

High levels of spending on public health programs are indicative of states that are proactively implementing preventive and education programs aimed at improving health. Spending on public health programs represents only a small fraction of all health care spending (~ 2%), yet its impact can be tremendous[1]. Recent research has shown that an investment of $10 per person per year in proven community-based programs to increase physical activity, improve nutrition, and prevent smoking or other tobacco use could save the country more than $16 billion annually within five years. This is a return of $5.60 for every $1 invested[2]. Public health funding that contributes to behavioral or environmental interventions has the potential to contribute more towards improving health than funding spent on medical care. Increased spending on public health programs is associated with a decrease in mortality from preventable causes of death[3]. The Trust for Americas Health released a report on the current state of the public health system with many recommendations for improvement[4]. The report can be found at http://healthyamericans.org/assets/files/Blueprint.pdf.