What You Need to Know About Health Educator
Health Educator Job Description Provide and manage health education programs that help individuals, families, and their communities maximize and maintain healthy lifestyles. Collect and analyze data to identify community needs prior to planning, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating programs designed to encourage healthy lifestyles, policies, and environments. May serve as a resource to assist individuals, other healthcare workers, or the community, and may administer fiscal resources for health education programs.
Health Educator Responsibilities
- Provide guidance to agencies and organizations on assessment of health education needs and on development and delivery of health education programs.
- Collaborate with health specialists and civic groups to determine community health needs and the availability of services and to develop goals for meeting needs.
- Develop educational materials and programs for community agencies, local government, and state government.
- Develop, prepare, and coordinate grant applications and grant-related activities to obtain funding for health education programs and related work.
- Develop, conduct, or coordinate health needs assessments and other public health surveys.
- Develop and maintain cooperative working relationships with agencies and organizations interested in public health care.
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What a Health Educator Should Know
Health Educators state the following job skills are important in their day-to-day work.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Writing: Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Learning Strategies: Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Active Learning: Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Other Health Educator Job Titles
- Health Teacher
- Certified Diabetes Educator
- Health Promotion Specialist
- Online Health and Fitness Coach
- Risk Reduction Counselor
Is There Going to be Demand for Health Educators?
In 2016, there was an estimated number of 61,000 jobs in the United States for Health Educator. New jobs are being produced at a rate of 14.6% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 8,900 new jobs for Health Educator by 2026. There will be an estimated 8,700 positions for Health Educator per year.

The states with the most job growth for Health Educator are Utah, Arizona, and Colorado. Watch out if you plan on working in Maryland, Illinois, or Mississippi. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
What is the Average Salary of a Health Educator
Health Educators make between $32,030 and $98,530 a year.

Health Educators who work in District of Columbia, Georgia, or Rhode Island, make the highest salaries.
How much do Health Educators make in each U.S. state?
State | Annual Mean Salary |
---|---|
Alabama | $53,060 |
Alaska | $62,800 |
Arizona | $53,630 |
Arkansas | $49,270 |
California | $65,000 |
Colorado | $56,800 |
Connecticut | $71,940 |
Delaware | $67,310 |
District of Columbia | $88,060 |
Florida | $54,520 |
Georgia | $85,440 |
Hawaii | $74,230 |
Idaho | $54,110 |
Illinois | $58,610 |
Indiana | $55,130 |
Iowa | $54,650 |
Kansas | $52,480 |
Kentucky | $49,280 |
Louisiana | $55,930 |
Maine | $49,510 |
Maryland | $77,820 |
Massachusetts | $63,270 |
Michigan | $52,470 |
Minnesota | $57,740 |
Mississippi | $43,140 |
Missouri | $46,470 |
Montana | $45,370 |
Nebraska | $46,610 |
Nevada | $60,090 |
New Hampshire | $59,100 |
New Jersey | $61,110 |
New Mexico | $54,240 |
New York | $57,010 |
North Carolina | $57,300 |
North Dakota | $56,410 |
Ohio | $55,730 |
Oklahoma | $55,490 |
Oregon | $56,230 |
Pennsylvania | $61,220 |
Rhode Island | $78,680 |
South Carolina | $60,060 |
South Dakota | $49,060 |
Tennessee | $40,700 |
Texas | $54,580 |
Utah | $52,630 |
Vermont | $58,430 |
Virginia | $55,880 |
Washington | $60,780 |
West Virginia | $48,870 |
Wisconsin | $55,800 |
Wyoming | $48,590 |
What Tools do Health Educators Use?
Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Health Educators:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Outlook
- Web browser software
- Microsoft Access
- Microsoft Visio
- Adobe Systems Adobe Photoshop
- Microsoft Publisher
- MEDITECH software
- Blackboard
- Blackbaud The Raiser’s Edge
- Blogging software
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Epi Info
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC WONDER
- Wiki software
Becoming a Health Educator
What education or degrees do I need to become a Health Educator?

How Long Does it Take to Become a Health Educator?

Where Health Educators Work

The table below shows the approximate number of Health Educators employed by various industries.

Other Jobs You May be Interested In
Career changers with experience as a Health Educator sometimes find work in one of the following fields:
- Coaches and Scouts
- Athletic Trainers
- Speech-Language Pathologists
- Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School
References:
Image Credit: Article 25 Flickr via Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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