Objective To investigate the changing trend of personnel in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCs) at the county (district) level in China from 2010 to 2020, and to provide a reference for further strengthening the construction of human resources in CDCs.

Methods R 4.1.3 software was used for data cleaning and statistical analysis; descriptive statistics was used to analyze changes in the number and structure of personnel, and the Gini coefficient was used to analyze changes in the equity of CDCs personnel; the Joinpoint regression model was used to perform a time trend analysis.

Results From 2010 to 2020, the numbers of on-the-job personnel, permanent personnel, and professional and technical personnel showed an increase rate of 9.04%, 11.66%, and 15.90%, respectively, in CDCs at the country (district) level in China, which showed an increasing trend over years (P < 0.05). The proportions of permanent personnel and professional and technical personnel among on-the-job personnel showed an increase rate of 2.40% and 6.29%, respectively. From 2010 to 2020, there were increases in the mean scores of education level and professional title for the personnel in CDCs at the country (district) level in China, and the average years of work experience increased over time in Jilin, Heilongjiang, and Liaoning provinces. From 2010 to 2020, the structure of on-the-job personnel in CDCs at the county (district) level in eastern China was better than those in the western and central regions, with a higher proportion of provinces ranking among top 10 in terms of the structure of on-the-job personnel (8/11 vs 6/13 and 3/8). From 2010 to 2020 in China, the Gini coefficients of on-the-job personnel in CDCs at the country (district) level configured by population and GDP were < 0.3, showing equity; from the perspective of population, the western region had the best balance of on-the-job personnel in CDCs at the country (district) level; from the perspective of GDP, the central region had the worst balance of on-the-job personnel in CDCs at the country (district) level.

Conclusion The number of human resources in China's CDCs at the county (district) level increased steadily from 2010 to 2020, with optimized structure and balanced distribution. However, there is still a need to improve the number of permanent and employed personnel in CDCs at the county (district) level in accordance with the policy, and to match the professional and technical staff with the population and GDP development level of the jurisdiction, so as to further optimize the development of human resources in CDCs at the county (district) level.