Occupation salary profile

Community Health Workers

SOC 21-1094 BLS OEWS May 2025 H-1B LCAs, last 12 months

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. Excludes “Health Education Specialists” (21-1091).

National median · BLS
$51,850
▲ +1.61% YoY
H-1B sponsor median
$56,437
▲ +34.39% YoY · 19 LCAs
Average salary · BLS
$56,180
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
61,660
Jobs (BLS)
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Enter your pay and a location to see where you stand against BLS and H-1B pay, your estimated take-home pay, and your purchasing power.

Pay range for Community Health Workers

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation; H-1B covers 19 certified Labor Condition Applications filed by sponsoring employers in the last 12 months.

Percentile All U.S. workers (BLS) H-1B sponsored
10th — entry pay$38,810$42,952
25th$45,640$46,654
Median (50th)$51,850$56,437
75th$62,540$59,238
90th — top pay$77,180$66,803
H-1B sponsors pay a median of $56,437 for Community Health Workers — 8.8% above the BLS national median of $51,850.

Hourly ⇄ annual pay

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Based on hrs/week × weeks/year = 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035

Job outlook for Community Health Workers

BLS projects employment of community health workers to grow 12.7% from 2025 to 2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations. About 7,000 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
64,700 → 72,900
+8,200 jobs
Projected change
+12.7%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
7,000
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
No related experience required
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training
Self-employed
0.3% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 4)
Considerable Preparation Needed. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Fastest-growing jobs → Best-paying jobs that need a high school diploma →

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035 · BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook →

H-1B sponsored pay

Pay by H-1B wage level

Employers assign every H-1B filing a Department of Labor prevailing-wage level, from Level I (entry) to Level IV (fully competent). Pay rises steeply with level.

H-1B median $56,437
Change vs prior year +34.39%
After inflation (CPI-U) +30.31%
Skills & tools

Skills needed for Community Health Workers

How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.

Top skills
  • Active Listening4.0
  • Critical Thinking4.0
  • Social Perceptiveness4.0
  • Speaking4.0
  • Active Learning3.9
  • Reading Comprehension3.9
  • Monitoring3.8
  • Service Orientation3.8
  • Writing3.8
  • Complex Problem Solving3.6
Top knowledge areas
  • Customer and Personal Service4.3
  • English Language4.1
  • Medicine and Dentistry3.8
  • Psychology3.8
  • Therapy and Counseling3.7
  • Computers and Electronics3.6
  • Education and Training3.5
  • Administration and Management3.1
Software and technology used
Microsoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft WordApple macOSGoogle Workspace softwareMicrosoft AccessMicrosoft PowerPointZoomClient databasesElectronic health record EHR softwareMicrosoft PublisherSmugMug FlickrWeb browser software

Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

About the job

What community health workers do

  • Report incidences of child or elder abuse, neglect, or threats of harm to authorities, as required.
  • Monitor nutrition of children, elderly, or other high-risk groups.
  • Maintain updated client records with plans, notes, appropriate forms, or related information.
  • Contact clients in person, by phone, or in writing to ensure they have completed required or recommended actions.
  • Advise clients or community groups on issues related to self-care, such as diabetes management.
  • Refer community members to needed health services.
  • Advise clients or community groups on issues related to improving general health, such as diet or exercise.
  • Develop plans or formal contracts for individuals, families, or community groups to improve overall health.
Also called
Community Health Outreach WorkerCommunity Health PromoterCommunity NavigatorCommunity Nutrition EducatorCommunicable Disease LiaisonCommunity Health CoordinatorCommunity Health Program CoordinatorCommunity Health Program Representative (Community Health Program Rep)Community HIV Education Specialist (Community Human Immunodeficiency Virus Education Specialist)Health Program Specialist
More job titles for this occupation (29)
Behavioral Health AdvocateBehavioral Health Worker (BHW)Benefits Outreach SpecialistCommunity Development CoordinatorCommunity Health AdvisorCommunity Health AdvocateCommunity Health AgentCommunity Health AssistantCommunity Health CounselorCommunity Health NavigatorCommunity Health RepresentativeCommunity Health SpecialistCommunity LiaisonCommunity Living InstructorCommunity Nutrition AdvisorCommunity Outreach SpecialistCommunity Resource CoordinatorCommunity Resource NavigatorField Based Community Health WorkerHealth AdvocateHealth NavigatorHealth Outreach WorkerLay Health AdvocateMental Health AdvocatePeer Health PromoterPeer NavigatorPublic Health Outreach WorkerPublic Health WorkerWellness Coach

Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.