Work Environment

Community health workers held about 64,100 jobs in 2020. The largest employers of community health workers were as follows:

• Government - 18%
• Individual and family services - 17%
• Religious, grantmaking, civic, professional, and similar organizations - 12%
• Hospitals; state, local, and private - 9%
• Outpatient care centers - 8%

Health education specialists held about 61,100 jobs in 2020. The largest employers of health education specialists were as follows:

• Government - 24%
• Hospitals; state, local, and private - 21%
• Individual and family services - 7%
• Outpatient care centers - 7%
• Religious, grantmaking, civic, professional, and similar organizations - 6%

Although most health education specialists work in offices, they may spend a lot of time away from their desks to carry out programs or attend meetings.

Community health workers spend much of their time in the field, communicating with community members, holding events, and collecting data.

Work Schedules

Most health education specialists and community health workers are employed full time. They may need to work nights and weekends to attend programs or meetings.

Job Outlook

Overall employment of health education specialists and community health workers is projected to grow 17 percent from 2020 to 2030, much faster than the average for all occupations.

About 16,100 openings for health education specialists and community health workers are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.

Employment

An emphasis on promoting healthy behaviors, particularly based on experiences from the COVID-19 pandemic, is expected to increase demand for these workers over the decade.

Governments, healthcare providers, and social services providers want to find ways to improve the quality of care and health outcomes while reducing costs. This should increase demand for health education specialists and community health workers to teach people about health and wellness, which in turn can help to prevent costly diseases and medical procedures.

Earnings

The median annual wage for community health workers was $46,590 in May 2021. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $30,440, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $70,720.

The median annual wage for health education specialists was $60,600 in May 2021. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $37,020, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $102,480.

In May 2021, the median annual wages for community health workers in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:

• Hospitals; state, local, and private - $49,240
• Government - $47,400
• Religious, grantmaking, civic, professional, and similar organizations - $46,910
• Outpatient care centers - $39,600
• Individual and family services - $38,700

In May 2021, the median annual wages for health education specialists in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:

• Hospitals; state, local, and private - $76,450
• Government - $60,670
• Outpatient care centers - $54,060
• Religious, grantmaking, civic, professional, and similar organizations - $49,300
• Individual and family services - $47,040

Most health education specialists and community health workers work full time. They may need to work nights and weekends to attend programs or meetings.