Community Health Workers: Job Description
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.
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What Tasks Do Community Health Workers Take On?
Typical responsibilities of community health workers cover:
- Maintain updated client records with plans, notes, appropriate forms, or related information.
- Advise clients or community groups on issues related to improving general health, such as diet or exercise.
- Identify or contact members of high-risk or otherwise targeted groups, such as members of minority populations, low-income populations, or pregnant women.
- 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.
- Refer community members to needed health services.
- Attend community meetings or health fairs to understand community issues or build relationships with community members.
Skills and Knowledge
Successful community health workers draw on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Most Important Skills
The competencies most central to this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Core Knowledge
Related Job Titles
This career also goes by job titles like:
- Apprise Counselor
- Behavioral Health Advocate
- Behavioral Health Worker (BHW)
- Benefits Outreach Specialist
- Community Development Coordinator
- Community Health Advisor
- Community Health Advocate
- Community Health Agent
Job Outlook
There are about 265,047 community health workers working in the United States today. Employment is projected to grow by +13.4% over the projection horizon.
Community Health Workers Pay
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $73,901 |
| Hourly median | $35.53 |
| 10th percentile | $48,155 |
| 25th percentile | $61,028 |
| 75th percentile | $86,775 |
| 90th percentile | $99,648 |
Wages vary widely based on experience, location, and industry.
Community Health Workers Salary by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $71,550 |
| New Mexico | $71,210 |
| Connecticut | $59,480 |
| North Dakota | $57,840 |
| California | $57,560 |
| Nevada | $57,380 |
| Colorado | $57,100 |
| New York | $56,950 |
| Rhode Island | $56,760 |
| Washington | $56,460 |
| Utah | $55,520 |
| Oregon | $55,510 |
| Montana | $54,950 |
| Ohio | $54,240 |
| Massachusetts | $54,160 |
| Hawaii | $53,480 |
| Wyoming | $52,310 |
| Wisconsin | $52,050 |
| Virginia | $51,990 |
| Nebraska | $51,900 |
| New Jersey | $51,710 |
| Maryland | $51,520 |
| Alaska | $50,970 |
| New Hampshire | $50,910 |
| Pennsylvania | $50,350 |
| Vermont | $49,330 |
| Kansas | $49,040 |
| Kentucky | $48,960 |
| Iowa | $48,920 |
| Georgia | $48,650 |
| Maine | $48,400 |
| Arizona | $48,050 |
| Minnesota | $47,830 |
| Idaho | $47,820 |
| Illinois | $47,610 |
| Texas | $47,440 |
| Missouri | $47,410 |
| South Dakota | $47,300 |
| Michigan | $47,290 |
| North Carolina | $46,930 |
| Delaware | $46,890 |
| Oklahoma | $46,070 |
| Indiana | $45,980 |
| South Carolina | $45,580 |
| Florida | $45,300 |
| Arkansas | $44,850 |
| Alabama | $43,950 |
| West Virginia | $40,470 |
| Louisiana | $40,080 |
| Mississippi | $37,790 |
| Tennessee | $37,720 |
| Puerto Rico | $33,540 |
Where Community Health Workers Earn the Most
Compensation for community health workers vary by region. These regions lead on median pay:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Far Western US | $56,844 | 24.3% | 1.52 |
| New England | $54,692 | 6.2% | 1.42 |
| Middle Atlantic | $54,520 | 21.7% | 1.54 |
| Rocky Mountains | $52,948 | 2.3% | 1.07 |
| Southwest | $50,509 | 11.9% | 1.09 |
| Great Lakes | $49,618 | 12.0% | 0.85 |
| Plains States | $48,263 | 6.3% | 1.07 |
| Southeast | $45,733 | 14.3% | 0.74 |
Top Metro Areas
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carson City, NV | NV | $75,090 | 130 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $73,310 | 420 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $72,030 | 1,770 |
| New Haven, CT | CT | $66,910 | 160 |
| Eau Claire, WI | WI | $66,140 | 60 |
| Vallejo, CA | CA | $65,610 | 60 |
| Boulder, CO | CO | $65,420 | 70 |
| Columbus, OH | OH | $64,440 | 650 |
Top Industries Employing Community Health Workers
Most community health workers are found across these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 34,810 | $49,550 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 4,180 | $50,220 |
| Educational Services | 2,380 | $46,000 |
| Finance and Insurance | 2,360 | $60,300 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 1,750 | $51,190 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 1,110 | $55,710 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 840 | $68,490 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation | 200 | $38,540 |
Community Health Workers work in the following industries:
Tech Stack
- Operating system software: Apple macOS (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Google Workspace software (hot technology)
- Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft Access (hot technology)
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
- Video conferencing software: Zoom (hot technology)
The Day-to-Day Environment
Daily working conditions for community health workers is shaped by the following characteristics:
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Contact With Others
- Telephone Conversations
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
How to Become Community Health Workers
Typical community health workers positions require a bachelor’s degree as the typical entry-level education. This career aligns with Considerable Preparation Needed (Job Zone 4), reflecting the level of preparation typically expected.
Similar Occupations
Similar Occupations
- Social and Community Service Managers (Primary-Long)
- Fitness and Wellness Coordinators (Primary-Long)
- Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors (Supplemental)
- Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors (Supplemental)
- Mental Health Counselors (Primary-Long)
- Rehabilitation Counselors (Primary-Short)
- Child, Family, and School Social Workers (Primary-Short)
- Healthcare Social Workers (Primary-Short)
Degree Programs
Future community health workers commonly pursue programs in:
Health Professions and Related Programs
8 programs across 4 majors
Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs
1 programs across 1 majors
Sources
Data on this page comes from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 21-1094.00 (Community Health Workers).
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