Community Health Workers
Overview
Introduction
Community health workers are front-line, allied health professionals who perform a wide range of duties (health promotion, education, case management, counseling, advocacy, etc.) in underserved communities in rural, suburban, and urban areas. They have educational backgrounds that range from a high school diploma to a postsecondary certificate or degree. Community health workers (CHWs) are known by many different titles, including community health representative, lay health worker, health navigator, community health advisor, pee...
Quick Facts
Median Salary
Employment Prospects
Minimum Education Level
Experience
Skills
Personality Traits
Earnings
Community health workers earned median annual salaries of $42,000 in May 2020, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The lowest 10 percent made $28,010 or less, while the top 10 percent earned $70,790. Fifty percent of community health workers earned between $33,960 and $54,320. Workers in the following states had the highest mean annual earnings: New Mexico, $60,230; Alaska, $58,230, Rhod...
Work Environment
Community health workers often live in the communities that they serve. These communities can be poor and isolated from access to quality healthcare and even city services (such as regular garbage collection or a regular schedule of road repairs). Some underserved areas have high levels of crime, which can create dangerous working conditions for public health workers and a poor quality of life ...
Outlook
Employment of community health workers is projected to grow by 11 percent from 2019 to 2029, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. This rate is much faster than the average for all careers. “A growing body of research demonstrates that CHWs improve health outcomes, especially among vulnerable, low-income populations,” according to the Illinois Community Health Worker Advisory Board. “This ...
