Community health workers are essential advocates for individual and community health needs. Take a look at the community health worker salary you can expect to determine if this position is right for you.
Community health workers (CHWs) are responsible for understanding the specific ethnic, cultural, and environmental health needs of the communities they work with. They communicate those needs to health care systems, social services, and public health officials. They are health professionals who understand health basics and are respected and trusted individuals in their community. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects that there will be 7,500 new job openings for CHWs each year from 2023 to 2033 [].
Learn more about what a community health worker does, what it takes to become one, and factors that may affect your salary.
As a CHW, you would be vital in working between health systems and those who receive health care. In this role, you'll perform various tasks, including:
Providing health education to community members
Collecting data on community health necessities
Advocating for community and individual health needs
Removing barriers to health access
Conducting outreach programs
CHWs work for insurance companies, individuals and families, outpatient care, and hospitals. You might also work for a clinic, a state or local government agency, a nursing care facility, a nonprofit organization, a faith-based group, or a community-based group.
You can become a community health worker in various ways depending on where you intend to work. For example, the only requirement for some employers may be having a high school diploma. Others, such as public health organizations, may require a 产补肠丑别濒辞谤鈥檚 or 尘补蝉迟别谤鈥檚 degree.
You might also obtain a CHW certification through a state program or an institution like a university or community college. These exams may vary from state to state. However, expect to answer questions on the following topics:
Health knowledge
Job functions
Jurisdictions
How to best advocate for individual health needs
Health education
CHWs make a median annual salary of $48,200 in the United States, according to the BLS []. These health care professionals work full-time and may work abnormal hours, like nights and weekends, based on community needs. Explore five annual base salary ranges for a community health worker from various salary websites [,,,,].
US BLS | Indeed | Zippia | Payscale | Glassdoor |
---|---|---|---|---|
$48,200 | $40,151 | $37,079 | $45,545 | $43,190 |
*All salary data current as of March 2025.
Various factors can affect how much you may make as a CHW, including where you work and your education. Take a closer look at each factor to see how it directly affects community health worker earnings.听
Education can dictate the type of responsibilities you have as a CHW. The more knowledge you have on health issues, technical terms, illnesses, and interpersonal skills, the more valuable you can be as a CHW in your community. According to Zippia, 60 percent of CHWs have a 产补肠丑别濒辞谤鈥檚 degree, and 16 percent hold an associate degree. Another 12 percent have a 尘补蝉迟别谤鈥檚 [].
Community health worker education may help you grow in the health care field. You could progress to become a health education specialist overseeing the programs and personnel who implement health initiatives. According to BLS, a health education specialist's median average annual salary is $62,860 as of May 2023 [].
Here鈥檚 a look at how education might affect your community health worker earnings [闭:听
High school diploma: $33,053
Associate degree: $33,756
Bachelor鈥檚 degree: $37,557
Master鈥檚 degree: $42,300
Experience also affects the salary of community health workers. Discover the annual base pay at six ranges of experience, reported by Glassdoor as of March 2025 []:
0鈥1 years | 1鈥3 years | 4鈥6 years | 7鈥9 years | 10鈥14 years | 15+ years |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
$42,042 | $43,052 | $44,116 | $45,602 | $47,738 | $52,584 |
This data shows CHWs who have worked for 10 years can expect to make over $5,000 more annually than entry-level community health workers.听
Location affects community health worker salaries and varies from state to state or city to city. Employment opportunities also vary based on location. According to the BLS, the states with the highest employment of CHWs are California, New York, Texas, Maryland, and Massachusetts.
Review the mean annual wages for those five states, according to BLS []:
Texas: $44,990听
Maryland: $53,060
Massachusetts: $55,090听听
California: $57,860听
New York: $58,020
However, other states pay more than others, such as when the concentration of community health workers is higher. Take a look at the highest-paying mean salaries for community health workers by state, based on data gathered by the BLS []:
District of Columbia: $65,510
New Mexico: $63,900
Rhode Island: $63,660
Nevada: $63,220
Connecticut: $60,990
Your salary can also vary by the city you choose to work in. Explore the highest mean salaries for community health workers by metropolitan area, according to Indeed []:
Pendleton, OR: $69,024
Kaktovik, AK: $52,474
Brooklyn, NY: $52,052
San Jose, CA: $46,718
Los Angeles, CA: $45,055
Culver City, CA: $43,585
If you鈥檇 rather live in a more rural area, here are the top-paying nonmetropolitan areas for community health workers []:
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA: $69,030
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA: $59,810
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA: $59,260
Community health workers work in various industries, including government, individuals and families, religious or community organizations, outpatient care, and hospitals run by state or local governments or private organizations. View the annual salaries for CHWs below, looking at the industries with the highest level of employment in the US, according to the BLS [闭.听
General medical and surgical hospitals: $59,130听
Local government (non-school or hospital): $54,550
Outpatient care centers: $48,040听
Offices of physicians: $48,080听
Individual and family services: $47,200听
Similarly, explore the industries with the highest-paying CHW yearly salaries in general []:
Scientific research and development services: $76,140听听
Home health care services: $66,100听听
Grantmaking and giving services: $65,040
Insurance carriers: $64,790
Specialty hospitals: $63,760
Since CHWs work at the intersections between social work, patient advocacy, health care systems, and community, many other jobs have similar functions. Discover some job titles for community health workers and their average annual salaries.
Outreach worker: $43,064听
Mental health technician: $46,180听
Public health nurse: $90,844听听
Social worker: $58,148听
Patient advocate: $45,101听
*All salaries are annual base averages from Glassdoor as of March 2025.听
CHWs are in-demand positions, and the field is expected to grow 13 percent between 2023 and 2033, according to BLS []. BLS anticipates many job openings for community health workers in the next decade, primarily due to preventive disease-spreading measures and replacing retired workers.听聽
Community health workers are essential to ensure preventative care, health, and wellness of individuals and communities. Based on salary data, it鈥檚 evident that the salaries of community health workers fluctuate based on education, experience, state, city, and the industry you work in.听
If you are a community health worker looking to upskill your profession, degrees, and certificates in health care and social work may help you. For example, check out the Social Policy for Social Services & Health Practitioners Specialization on 糖心vlog官网观看. This program covers US social services for families, housing, education, and more. Upon completion, gain a shareable Professional Certificate to include in your resume, CV, or LinkedIn profile.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics. 鈥, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/community-and-social-service/community-health-workers.htm#tab-6.鈥 Accessed March 11, 2025.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics. 鈥, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/community-and-social-service/community-health-workers.htm#tab-1鈥 Accessed March 11, 2025.
Indeed. 鈥, https://www.indeed.com/career/community-health-worker/salaries.鈥 Accessed March 11, 2025.
Zippia. 鈥, https://www.zippia.com/community-health-worker-jobs/salary/.鈥 Accessed March 11, 2025.
Payscale. 鈥, https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Community_Health_Worker/Hourly_Rate.鈥 Accessed March 11, 2025.听
Glassdoor. 鈥 https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/us-community-health-worker-salary-SRCH_IL.0,2_IN1_KO3,26.htm.鈥 Accessed March 11, 2025.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 鈥, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/community-and-social-service/health-educators.htm.鈥 Accessed March 11, 2025.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics. 鈥, https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes211094.htm#st.鈥 Accessed March 11, 2025.
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