Community and Social Service Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Above-baseline growth SOC 21-1094

Community Health Workers

Projected +11% employment change leads this card; pay sits next to Clergy, Religious Workers, All Other, Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other, Child, Family, and School Social Workers.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Community Health Workers: Clergy ($61K) , Religious Workers, All Other ($45K) , Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other ($57K) , Child, Family, and School Social Workers ($60K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Community Health Workers publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 21-1094 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Perform basic diagnostic procedures, such as blood pressure screening, breast cancer screening, or communicable disease screening
  2. 2. Maintain updated client records with plans, notes, appropriate forms, or related information
  3. 3. Advise clients or community groups on issues related to diagnostic screenings, such as breast cancer screening, pap smears, glaucoma test…
  4. 4. Advise clients or community groups on issues related to risk or prevention of conditions, such as lead poisoning, human immunodeficiency…
  5. 5. Administer immunizations or other basic preventive treatments
  6. 6. Identify the particular health care needs of individuals in a community or target area
  7. 7. Advise clients or community groups on issues related to improving general health, such as diet or exercise
  8. 8. Advise clients or community groups on issues related to self-care, such as diabetes management
  9. 9. Conduct home visits for pregnant women, newborn infants, or other high-risk individuals to monitor their progress or assess their needs
  10. 10. Transport or accompany clients to scheduled health appointments or referral sites
  11. 11. Identify or contact members of high-risk or otherwise targeted groups, such as members of minority populations, low-income populations, o…
  12. 12. Contact clients in person, by phone, or in writing to ensure they have completed required or recommended actions

Community Health Workers: O*NET ranks Active Listening first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 21-1094 - lead skill Active Listening at 4.1 ; lead knowledge Customer and Personal Service. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Active Listening 4.1
  2. 2. Speaking 4.1
  3. 3. Social Perceptiveness 4.1
  4. 4. Writing 4.0
  5. 5. Reading Comprehension 3.9
  6. 6. Service Orientation 3.9
  7. 7. Critical Thinking 3.8
  8. 8. Active Learning 3.6

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Customer and Personal Service 4.5
  2. 2. English Language 4.0
  3. 3. Education and Training 3.8
  4. 4. Administration and Management 3.7
  5. 5. Medicine and Dentistry 3.6
  6. 6. Psychology 3.6
Projected employment change 2024-2034
↑ +11%
much faster than average (3.1%)
National median $51,850/yr
$52K
National median
7,800
Annual openings
61,660
Estimated US jobs
Clergy
Highest-pay peer · $61K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Top Paying States for Community Health Workers

1. Nevada $57,730
2. Hawaii $58,450
3. Delaware $55,850
4. California $58,050
5. North Dakota $59,610
6. New York $58,130
7. Washington $57,070
8. New Hampshire $66,680
9. District of Columbia $62,510
10. Colorado $59,260

Other Community and Social Service Occupations titles

  1. 1. Clergy $60,810
  2. 2. Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other $56,730
  3. 3. Child, Family, and School Social Workers $59,550
  4. 4. Religious Workers, All Other $45,280
  5. 5. Counselors, All Other $50,860
  6. 6. Rehabilitation Counselors $46,850

BLS projects +11% employment change for Community Health Workers (2024-2034), much faster than average vs the all-occupations baseline of 3.1%. Published median pay is $51,850.

BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as typical entry education. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal employer rules. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Nevada at $57,730. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Clergy at $60,810. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Community Health Workers pay-rank #13 in Community and Social Service Occupations

On the Community and Social Service Occupations median table (17 detailed occupations with OEWS medians), Community Health Workers lands at #13, in the lower third. That rank is a table position, not a statement about individual workers.

Other lower-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

Projected change +11.3% puts Community Health Workers ahead of most peers. Open the state map or compare it directly against a slower-growing role.

Community Health Workers salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 21-1094

Nevada · top state for Community Health Workers

$58K published median

Hawaii · #2 state pay

$58K · behind Nevada

Clergy

Highest-pay peer vs Community Health Workers · $61K

Religious Workers, All Other

Lower-pay peer beside Community Health Workers · $45K

Compare Community Health Workers

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Community Health Workers with another occupation →

Growth and outlook next reads

Fastest-Growing Rankings

National projection leaders

Highest-Paying Careers

Where growth meets pay

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Community Health Workers land on the Community and Social Service Occupations median table? ▼
Community Health Workers is pay-rank #13 of 17 in this major group, lower third of the median table. Closest lower-third titles: Counselors, All Other ($51K), Rehabilitation Counselors ($47K), Social and Human Service Assistants ($46K), Religious Workers, All Other ($45K). That position is a table rank, not a worker percentile.
What do community health workers do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Community Health Workers. Leading ones include: Perform basic diagnostic procedures, such as blood pressure screening, breast cancer screening, or communicable disease screening; Maintain updated client records with plans, notes, appropriate forms, or related information; Advise clients or community groups on issues related to diagnostic screenings, such as breast cancer screening, pap smears, glaucoma test…; Advise clients or community groups on issues related to risk or prevention of conditions, such as lead poisoning, human immunodeficiency…. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for community health workers? ▼
For SOC 21-1094, O*NET importance scores lead with Active Listening (4.1), Speaking (4.1), Social Perceptiveness (4.1), Writing (4.0). Knowledge areas emphasize Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Education and Training. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Community Health Workers? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $51,850 as the national median for Community Health Workers. The published 10th-90th range is $38,810 to $77,180. Beside Clergy ($60,810), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
How fast is Community Health Workers projected to grow? ▼
BLS Employment Projections put Community Health Workers at +11% change for 2024-2034, with about 7,800 annual openings. Versus the all-occupations baseline (3.1%): much faster than average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Community Health Workers? ▼
BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Community Health Workers. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Community Health Workers? ▼
Nevada ($57,730), Hawaii ($58,450), Delaware ($55,850) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Community Health Workers card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 21-1094. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Community Health Workers. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics