Community Health Workers
Promote health within a community by assisting individuals to adopt healthy behaviors. Serve as an advocate for the health needs of individuals by assisting community residents in effectively communicating with healthcare providers or social service agencies. Act as liaison or advocate and implement programs that promote, maintain, and improve individual and overall community health. May deliver health-related preventive services such as blood pressure, glaucoma, and hearing screenings. May collect data to help identify community health needs.
- Median pay
- $51,850
- Doing it now
- 64,700
- By 2035
- Up 12.7%
- Usually needs
- High school diploma or equivalent
a year
across the country
7,000 openings a year
to get in
What the work involves
- Advise clients or community groups on issues related to improving general health, such as diet or exercise.
- Attend community meetings or health fairs to understand community issues or build relationships with community members.
- Contact clients in person, by phone, or in writing to ensure they have completed required or recommended actions.
- Distribute flyers, brochures, or other informational or educational documents to inform members of a targeted community.
- Identify or contact members of high-risk or otherwise targeted groups, such as members of minority populations, low-income populations, or pregnant women.
- Maintain updated client records with plans, notes, appropriate forms, or related information.
- Refer community members to needed health services.
What to study
The fields of study the Department of Education links to this occupation, most widely taught first.
- Public HealthSee 543 colleges that teach it
- Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, GeneralSee 465 colleges that teach it
- Mental and Social Health Services and Allied ProfessionsSee 138 colleges that teach it
- Health Professions Education, Ethics, and HumanitiesSee 36 colleges that teach it
Who it suits
O*NET scores every occupation on six interest dimensions. This one leans hardest on these three.
Helping and teaching
Leading and persuading
Analytical and curious
Careers like this one
Where this comes from: the description and the task list are O*NET, which the Department of Labor maintains. Pay, workforce size, outlook and the education normally needed are the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections programme, 2025 wages and 2025 to 2035 projections. Half of them earn more than $51,850 a year, which means half earn less, and what you would earn depends on where you work and how long you have been doing it. The fields of study come from the National Center for Education Statistics crosswalk.