Community Health Workers Salary: $64,353 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 60,730 community health workers nationally earn a mean of $64,353. Employment in the series shown rose about 5% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 3.5% annual growth.
Key Statistics
Community Health Workers: what the data shows
Common questions about community health workers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a community health workers?
Community Health Workers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 21-1094.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 60,730 workers.
What does a community health workers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Communicating with People Outside the Organization, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a community health workers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $51,030 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $64,353 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $46,428 |
| 25th percentile | $49,130 |
| Median (50th) | $59,124 |
| 75th percentile | $72,457 |
| 90th percentile | $92,364 |
What education do you need?
For Community Health Workers, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Active Listening, Speaking, Social Perceptiveness, Writing, Service Orientation, Reading Comprehension, and knowledge areas including Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Education and Training, Administration and Management. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is community health workers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 3.5% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 18.9%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 41.5%.
Current U.S. headcount: 60,730.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do community health workerss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 60,730 | 17.6% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 43,970 | 12.7% |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 34,810 | 10.1% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 16,760 | 4.8% |
| Local Government, including Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | 13,830 | 4.0% |
| Hospitals | 13,590 | 3.9% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Community Health Workers in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Urban and Regional Planners | 43,040 | $83,720 |
| Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks | 385,000 | $57,770 |
| Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other | 110,390 | $54,940 |
| Registered Nurses | 3,282,010 | $93,600 |
| Home Health Aides | — | — |
| Mental Health Counselors | — | — |
| Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors | 23,220 | $109,660 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Community Health Workers workforce.
Employment Over Time
60,730 Workforce in 2023
The Community Health Workers workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Community Health Workers.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$64,353 Average Wage
In 2023, Community Health Workers earned an average of $64,353.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Community Health Workers.
Salary distribution for Community Health Workers.
Employment Growth Projections
3.5% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
43,197 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 18.9%
51,377 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 41.5%
This occupation is projected to grow at 3.5% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Community Health Workers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Community Health Workers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Community Health Workers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Community Health Workers.
Wage Trends by Industry
8.2% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Community Health Workers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Community Health Workers.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 9,200 employees, $62,650 avg wage
- NY: 6,740 employees, $61,260 avg wage
- TX: 4,360 employees, $48,500 avg wage
- WA: 2,440 employees, $59,620 avg wage
- MA: 2,310 employees, $57,580 avg wage
- PA: 2,160 employees, $52,130 avg wage
- OH: 2,100 employees, $55,220 avg wage
- MD: 2,020 employees, $57,320 avg wage
- IL: 1,860 employees, $49,880 avg wage
- FL: 1,740 employees, $50,330 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Community Health Workers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 5,480 employees, $63,500 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 3,380 employees, $57,890 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 1,770 employees, $79,890 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 1,520 employees, $59,770 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 1,360 employees, $52,760 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 1,210 employees, $63,630 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 1,170 employees, $52,120 avg wage
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA: 1,080 employees, $63,840 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 1,040 employees, $53,140 avg wage
- Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD: 1,010 employees, $56,770 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Community Health Workers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Community Health Workers in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Community Health Workers in 2023 was 60,730 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Community Health Workers.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Community Health Workers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Community Health Workers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Community Health Workers in 2023 were Business Administration, Health Sciences, Business.
Common majors for Community Health Workers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Community Health Workers workers.
Education level distribution for Community Health Workers.
Skills
Community Health Workers need many skills, but most especially Active Listening, Speaking, Social Perceptiveness, Writing, Service Orientation.
Required skills for Community Health Workers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Community Health Workers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Community Health Workers include Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Education and Training, Administration and Management, Medicine and Dentistry.
Knowledge areas required for Community Health Workers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Community Health Workers include Oral Comprehension, Oral Expression, Written Comprehension, Written Expression, Problem Sensitivity.
Required abilities for Community Health Workers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Community Health Workers.
Daily Activities
Community Health Workers spend their time on activities such as Communicating with People Outside the Organization, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Performing for or Working Directly with the Public.
Most important work activities for Community Health Workers.
About
Community Health Workers
The average yearly wage for Community Health Workers was $64,353 in 2023.
SOC Code
21-1094 - Community Health Workers
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Community Health Workers reports an average salary of $64,353.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 60,730 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 3.5%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.