Community Health Workers

Summary

Quick Facts: Community Health Workers
2023 Median Pay	$48,200 per year $23.17 per hour
Typical Entry-Level Education	High school diploma or equivalent
Work Experience in a Related Occupation	None
On-the-job Training	Short-term on-the-job training
Number of Jobs, 2023	63,400
Job Outlook, 2023-33	13% (Much faster than average)
Employment Change, 2023-33	8,300

What Community Health Workers Do

Community health workers promote wellness by helping people adopt healthy behaviors. They implement programs and advocate for people who may have limited access to health resources and social services.

Work Environment

Community health workers are employed in a variety of settings, including hospitals, public health departments, and community-based organizations. Most work full time.

How to Become a Community Health Worker

To enter the occupation, community health workers typically need at least a high school diploma; some employers prefer to hire candidates who have postsecondary education. To attain competency, they typically complete a brief period of on-the-job training, and some states require certification.

Pay

The median annual wage for community health workers was $48,200 in May 2023.

Job Outlook

Employment of community health workers is projected to grow 13 percent from 2023 to 2033, much faster than the average for all occupations.

About 7,500 openings for 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.

State & Area Data

Explore resources for employment and wages by state and area for community health workers.

Similar Occupations

Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of community health workers with similar occupations.

More Information, Including Links to O*NET

Learn more about community health workers by visiting additional resources, including O*NET, a source on key characteristics of workers and occupations.

What Community Health Workers Do About this section

Community health workers provide services such as basic health screenings.

Community health workers promote wellness by helping people adopt healthy behaviors. They implement programs and advocate for people who may have limited access to health resources and social services.

Duties

Community health workers typically do the following:

• Coordinate care among individuals, communities, and health and social service systems
• Conduct outreach, such as through home visits
• Provide culturally appropriate health and informational resources
• Oversee case management and resource access
• Advocate for individuals and communities regarding housing, food security, and other needs
• Provide coaching and social support, such as nutrition training, recovery services for mental health and substance use disorders, and chronic disease management and prevention
• Provide services, such as basic health screenings and first aid
• Increase individual and community participation in assessments and education to improve health and well-being

Community health workers act as intermediaries between their clients and providers of healthcare and social services. They identify health-related issues, collect data, and discuss clients’ health concerns within the community. For example, community health workers might identify barriers preventing clients from access to transportation and provide referrals to resources that provide it.

Ideally, these workers have close ties to the communities they serve so that they understand their clients’ unique needs. They share that information with providers of healthcare and social services for determining appropriate programs and care. They also advocate for community wellness needs and conduct outreach to engage clients, assist with navigating healthcare, and improve coordination of care.

Community health workers may have different titles, depending on the population they serve. For example, community health representatives increase health knowledge and access to care for Tribal communities. Promotores de la salud reduce barriers to healthcare and social services in Spanish-speaking communities. Peer support specialists have experienced a mental health or substance use disorder and are in recovery while providing support to others experiencing similar challenges.

Community health workers work closely with other healthcare and social service providers, including registered nurses, social workers, and substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors.

Work Environment About this section

To interact with community members, community health workers may travel to a variety of settings.

Community health workers held about 63,400 jobs in 2023. The largest employers of community health workers were as follows:

Community health workers may spend part of their day in an office for activities such as recordkeeping and writing reports. However, they spend much of their time in the field to interact with community members, hold events, and collect data. They may travel to a variety of settings, including homes or medical facilities, to meet with clients.

Community health workers often collaborate with healthcare and social service providers as part of an interdisciplinary team.

Work Schedules

Most community health workers are employed full time. They may need to work evenings and weekends to attend community events, programs, or meetings.

How to Become a Community Health Worker About this section

Community health workers need instructional skills to lead programs.

To enter the occupation, community health workers typically need at least a high school diploma; some employers prefer to hire candidates who have postsecondary education. To attain competency, they typically complete a brief period of on-the-job training, and some states require certification.

Education

Community health workers typically need at least a high school diploma, although some jobs require postsecondary education. Postsecondary community health worker programs may lead to a 1-year certificate or a 2-year associate’s degree. These programs cover topics such as wellness, ethics, and cultural awareness.

Training

Community health workers typically complete on-the-job training. They learn about topics useful in their work, including communication styles, outreach and advocacy methods, and legal and ethical issues.

Some workers participate in apprenticeships or other programs that provide opportunities for hands-on experience.

Other Experience

Community health workers usually benefit from understanding the specific community, culture, medical condition, or disability with which they work. They may have personal experience in these areas, or they may gain experience by working in activities such as community development, public health, or social outreach.

The ability to speak another language is helpful for working in some communities.

Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations

Some states require certification for community health workers, which may include completing an approved training program. For more information, contact your state’s board of health, nursing, or human services.

Advancement

Experienced community health workers may move into supervisory positions.

With additional education, community health workers may be able to transition to occupations such as health education specialists; registered nurses; social workers; or substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors.

Important Qualities

Communication skills. Community health workers must be able to clearly convey information in health-related materials to those they serve and in written proposals for programs and funding.

Cultural sensitivity. Community health workers must be respectful of the communities they serve and be understanding of their concerns.

Instructional skills. Community health workers lead programs and facilitate discussions with clients.

Interpersonal skills. Community health workers interact with people from a variety of backgrounds. They must be good listeners and be empathetic in responding to the needs of the communities they serve.

Problem-solving skills. Community health workers must think creatively about the best ways to serve their clients. For example, they may need to adapt program planning because of budget constraints or when encountering resistance from community members.

Pay About this section

The median annual wage for community health workers was $48,200 in May 2023. 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 $35,560, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $75,980.

In May 2023, the median annual wages for community health workers in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:

Most community health workers are employed full time. They may need to work evenings and weekends to attend community events, programs or meetings.

Job Outlook About this section

Employment of community health workers is projected to grow 13 percent from 2023 to 2033, much faster than the average for all occupations.

About 7,500 openings for 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

Community health workers will continue to be needed to help organizations and government agencies provide people with health-related information, such as how to access medical services.

Individuals diagnosed with chronic diseases, mental health issues, and substance abuse disorders will require community health workers to assist them in finding healthcare professionals and other social assistance providers. Demand for these workers also will stem from their role in implementing public health initiatives, including preventive measures to reduce the spread of disease.  

State & Area Data About this section

Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)

The Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program produces employment and wage estimates annually for over 800 occupations. These estimates are available for the nation as a whole, for individual states, and for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. The link(s) below go to OEWS data maps for employment and wages by state and area.

• Community health workers

Projections Central

Occupational employment projections are developed for all states by Labor Market Information (LMI) or individual state Employment Projections offices. All state projections data are available at www.projectionscentral.org. Information on this site allows projected employment growth for an occupation to be compared among states or to be compared within one state. In addition, states may produce projections for areas; there are links to each state’s websites where these data may be retrieved.

CareerOneStop

CareerOneStop includes hundreds of occupational profiles with data available by state and metro area. There are links in the left-hand side menu to compare occupational employment by state and occupational wages by local area or metro area. There is also a salary info tool to search for wages by zip code.

Contacts for More Information About this section

For more information about community health workers, visit

American Public Health Association

Association of State and Territorial Health Officials

National Association of Community Health Representatives

National Association of Community Health Workers

National Association of Peer Supporters

Visión y Compromiso

Occupational Requirements Survey

For a profile highlighting selected BLS data on occupational requirements, see

Community health workers (PDF)

O*NET

Community Health Workers