Best degree programs for Community Health Workers, ranked by enrollment
9 college programs and 874 schools train Community Health Workers. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $51,850 median wage, 61,660 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
9 college programs at 874 schools train community health workers, graduating 41,792 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Public Health, General. The job pays a median of $51,850 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About community health workers
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.
A community health worker (CHW) is a member of a community who provides basic health and medical care within their community, and is capable of providing preventive, promotional and rehabilitation care to that community, typically without formal education equal to that of a nurse or doctor. A community health extension worker (CHEW) is a specially trained professional who provides similar preventive, curative and rehabilitative health care and services to people where they live and work. Other terms for this type of health care provider include lay health worker, village health worker, community health aide, community health promoter, and health advisor.
Read more on Wikipedia →Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
9 degree programs that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 51.2201 | 24,565 | 58.8% | 483 | $36,762 | $25,076 |
| 2 | CIP 51.0001 | 6,448 | 15.4% | 212 | $34,545 | $25,000 |
| 3 | CIP 51.2207 | 3,740 | 8.9% | 157 | $36,762 | $25,076 |
| 4 | CIP 51.2208 | 3,507 | 8.4% | 121 | $36,762 | $25,076 |
| 5 | CIP 51.1504 | 2,189 | 5.2% | 102 | $37,335 | $22,861 |
| 6 | CIP 51.2212 | 751 | 1.8% | 55 | $36,762 | $25,076 |
| 7 | CIP 09.0905 | 361 | 0.9% | 51 | $39,658 | $24,500 |
| 8 | CIP 51.2209 | 225 | 0.5% | 22 | $36,762 | $25,076 |
| 9 | CIP 51.3206 | 6 | 0.0% | 1 | $99,851 | $21,475 |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brigham Young University - Idaho Rexburg, ID Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 1,552 | Community Health and Preventive Medicine | 55% | $6,760 | 96% |
| 2 | Purdue University Global West Lafayette, IN Public · 4 feeder programs | 1,087 | Health and Wellness, General | 50% | — | — |
| 3 | Utah Valley University Orem, UT Public · 3 feeder programs | 1,052 | Health and Wellness, General | 45% | — | — |
| 4 | University of the People Pasadena, CA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 796 | Public Health, General | 34% | — | — |
| 5 | Texas A&M University - College Station College Station, TX Public · 5 feeder programs | 674 | Health and Wellness, General | 84% | — | 57% |
| 6 | Western Governors University Salt Lake City, UT Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 576 | Community Health and Preventive Medicine | 46% | $11,580 | — |
| 7 | University of South Carolina - Columbia Columbia, SC Public · 4 feeder programs | 561 | Public Health, General | 79% | — | 60% |
| 8 | Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ Public · 2 feeder programs | 485 | Public Health, General | 84% | — | 58% |
| 9 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC Public · 3 feeder programs | 452 | Public Health, General | 91% | — | 15% |
| 10 | Southern New Hampshire University Manchester, NH Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 442 | Public Health, General | 43% | $34,565 | 100% |
| 11 | University of Arizona Tucson, AZ Public · 4 feeder programs | 418 | Public Health, General | 68% | — | 86% |
| 12 | The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX Public · 3 feeder programs | 403 | Public Health, General | 89% | — | 27% |
| 13 | University of Florida Gainesville, FL Public · 2 feeder programs | 402 | Community Health and Preventive Medicine | 91% | — | 24% |
| 14 | Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 401 | Public Health, General | 94% | $11,888 | 6% |
| 15 | Harvard University Cambridge, MA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 377 | Public Health, General | 98% | $15,013 | 4% |
| 16 | Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 370 | Public Health, General | 96% | $15,315 | 4% |
| 17 | University of Washington - Seattle Campus Seattle, WA Public · 2 feeder programs | 362 | Public Health, General | 85% | — | 39% |
| 18 | East Carolina University Greenville, NC Public · 4 feeder programs | 361 | Public Health Education and Promotion | 63% | — | 89% |
| 19 | University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham, AL Public · 3 feeder programs | 358 | Public Health, General | 64% | — | 88% |
| 20 | California State University - Fullerton Fullerton, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 333 | Public Health, General | 70% | — | 91% |
| 21 | Florida State University Tallahassee, FL Public · 1 feeder programs | 332 | Public Health, General | 86% | — | 24% |
| 22 | University of South Florida Tampa, FL Public · 2 feeder programs | 332 | Public Health, General | 77% | — | 43% |
| 23 | University of Houston Houston, TX Public · 2 feeder programs | 321 | Health and Wellness, General | 65% | — | 74% |
| 24 | Tulsa Technology Center Tulsa, OK Public · 1 feeder programs | 316 | Health and Wellness, General | 81% | — | — |
| 25 | University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 315 | Public Health, General | 92% | $26,873 | 10% |
| 26 | University of California - Berkeley Berkeley, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 309 | Public Health, General | 93% | — | 11% |
| 27 | San Diego State University San Diego, CA Public · 3 feeder programs | 300 | Public Health, General | 76% | — | 36% |
| 28 | California State University - Northridge Northridge, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 297 | Public Health, General | 57% | — | 93% |
| 29 | University of Nevada - Reno Reno, NV Public · 3 feeder programs | 292 | Public Health, General | 61% | — | 74% |
| 30 | Wayne State University Detroit, MI Public · 2 feeder programs | 283 | Public Health, General | 58% | — | 81% |
| 31 | CUNY Graduate School and University Center New York, NY Public · 2 feeder programs | 282 | Public Health, General | — | — | 68% |
| 32 | Walden University Minneapolis, MN Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 276 | Public Health, General | — | — | — |
| 33 | A T Still University of Health Sciences Kirksville, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 274 | Public Health, General | — | — | — |
| 34 | The University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TX Public · 3 feeder programs | 268 | Public Health, General | 53% | — | 87% |
| 35 | University of Massachusetts - Amherst Amherst, MA Public · 2 feeder programs | 258 | Public Health, General | 83% | — | 60% |
| 36 | Georgia State University Atlanta, GA Public · 2 feeder programs | 250 | Public Health, General | 53% | — | 55% |
| 37 | George Mason University Fairfax, VA Public · 3 feeder programs | 240 | Community Health and Preventive Medicine | 68% | — | 87% |
| 38 | University of Georgia Athens, GA Public · 4 feeder programs | 237 | Public Health Education and Promotion | 90% | — | 38% |
| 39 | Liberty University Lynchburg, VA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 235 | Public Health, General | 65% | $28,911 | 99% |
| 40 | The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL Public · 2 feeder programs | 231 | Public Health, General | 73% | — | 77% |
| 41 | University at Albany Albany, NY Public · 4 feeder programs | 230 | Public Health, General | 61% | — | 69% |
| 42 | University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY Public · 2 feeder programs | 223 | Public Health, General | 75% | — | 74% |
| 43 | The University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX Public · 1 feeder programs | 213 | Public Health, General | 54% | — | 80% |
| 44 | University of Illinois Chicago Chicago, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 210 | Public Health, General | 62% | — | 77% |
| 45 | Utah State University Logan, UT Public · 2 feeder programs | 208 | Health and Wellness, General | 59% | — | 92% |
| 46 | Kent State University at Kent Kent, OH Public · 1 feeder programs | 207 | Public Health, General | 64% | — | 86% |
| 47 | San Jose State University San Jose, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 199 | Public Health, General | 69% | — | 85% |
| 48 | University of Maryland - College Park College Park, MD Public · 3 feeder programs | 198 | Public Health, General | 89% | — | 45% |
| 49 | Eastern Washington University Cheney, WA Public · 1 feeder programs | 195 | Public Health, General | 43% | — | 91% |
| 50 | Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ Public · 2 feeder programs | 186 | Public Health, General | 61% | — | 90% |
What community health workers earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $58,050 | 9,500 | 1.31× | 60 | 4,772 |
| Texas | $48,720 | 4,210 | 0.75× | 48 | 3,207 |
| New York | $58,130 | 5,800 | 1.51× | 64 | 2,356 |
| Utah | $55,700 | 580 | 0.85× | 10 | 2,171 |
| Indiana | $47,960 | 1,310 | 1.03× | 19 | 1,719 |
| Florida | $45,420 | 1,220 | 0.31× | 29 | 1,701 |
| Idaho | $52,050 | 270 | 0.80× | 6 | 1,668 |
| North Carolina | $47,560 | 1,680 | 0.86× | 27 | 1,466 |
| Illinois | $49,240 | 2,040 | 0.84× | 36 | 1,389 |
| Arizona | $48,950 | 1,140 | 0.89× | 21 | 1,382 |
| Massachusetts | $55,560 | 2,970 | 2.06× | 28 | 1,269 |
| Georgia | $50,680 | 490 | 0.25× | 23 | 1,117 |
| Ohio | $50,650 | 1,910 | 0.87× | 33 | 1,048 |
| Pennsylvania | $50,710 | 1,970 | 0.82× | 42 | 1,023 |
| Minnesota | $47,560 | 1,260 | 1.08× | 24 | 946 |
| Virginia | $48,910 | 620 | 0.38× | 16 | 903 |
| South Carolina | $47,970 | 540 | 0.60× | 16 | 882 |
| Maryland | $50,550 | 3,030 | 2.76× | 14 | 876 |
| New Jersey | $55,790 | 1,330 | 0.78× | 19 | 857 |
| Michigan | $49,380 | 1,890 | 1.08× | 23 | 856 |
| Alabama | $43,340 | 270 | 0.32× | 14 | 854 |
| Washington | $57,070 | 2,640 | 1.87× | 19 | 806 |
| Missouri | $48,770 | 1,820 | 1.56× | 27 | 779 |
| New Hampshire | $66,680 | 200 | 0.75× | 10 | 580 |
| Oklahoma | $45,790 | 600 | 0.88× | 11 | 569 |
| Connecticut | $53,560 | 290 | 0.43× | 10 | 568 |
| Oregon | $53,350 | 1,980 | 2.54× | 16 | 509 |
| Wisconsin | $51,210 | 630 | 0.54× | 22 | 430 |
| Arkansas | $44,890 | — | — | 7 | 398 |
| Kentucky | $48,230 | 980 | 1.23× | 13 | 395 |
| West Virginia | $37,950 | 310 | 1.13× | 11 | 383 |
| Louisiana | $46,450 | 210 | 0.27× | 13 | 357 |
| Nevadamoderate | $57,730 | 670 | 1.08× | 3 | 333 |
| Tennessee | $42,310 | 520 | 0.40× | 16 | 325 |
| Colorado | $59,260 | — | — | 12 | 284 |
| District of Columbia | $62,510 | 280 | 0.99× | 6 | 220 |
| Delawaremoderate | $55,850 | 280 | 1.43× | 3 | 214 |
| Nebraska | $51,780 | 160 | 0.39× | 11 | 214 |
| New Mexico | $54,830 | 610 | 1.77× | 9 | 208 |
| Iowa | $47,780 | 390 | 0.63× | 14 | 189 |
| Rhode Island | $53,100 | 520 | 2.61× | 8 | 188 |
| Mississippi | $39,520 | 410 | 0.88× | 6 | 179 |
| Maine | $48,670 | 360 | 1.43× | 6 | 151 |
| Hawaiimoderate | $58,450 | 240 | 0.96× | 3 | 150 |
| Kansas | $47,300 | 240 | 0.42× | 8 | 143 |
| Vermontmoderate | $51,500 | 170 | 1.44× | 3 | 141 |
| Wyoming | $54,020 | 140 | 1.22× | 5 | 134 |
| Alaska | $52,000 | 400 | 3.11× | 5 | 101 |
| South Dakotamoderate | $45,700 | 270 | 1.47× | 4 | 100 |
| Montana | $49,780 | 330 | 1.62× | 6 | 69 |
| North Dakota | $59,610 | 90 | 0.53× | 5 | 65 |
Skills and tools
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Maintain updated client records with plans, notes, appropriate forms, or related information.
- Advise clients or community groups on issues related to improving general health, such as diet or exercise.
- Identify or contact members of high-risk or otherwise targeted groups, such as members of minority populations, low-income populations, or pregnant women.
- Contact clients in person, by phone, or in writing to ensure they have completed required or recommended actions.
- Distribute flyers, brochures, or other informational or educational documents to inform members of a targeted community.
- Refer community members to needed health services.
- Attend community meetings or health fairs to understand community issues or build relationships with community members.
- Perform basic diagnostic procedures, such as blood pressure screening, breast cancer screening, or communicable disease screening.
Skills
- Active Listening4.1
- Speaking4.1
- Writing4.0
- Reading Comprehension3.9
- Critical Thinking3.8
- Active Learning3.6
- Monitoring3.4
- Learning Strategies3.4
Knowledge areas
- Customer and Personal Service4.5
- English Language4.0
- Education and Training3.8
- Administration and Management3.7
- Medicine and Dentistry3.6
- Psychology3.6
Abilities
- Oral Comprehension4.3
- Oral Expression4.1
- Written Comprehension3.9
- Problem Sensitivity3.8
- Speech Clarity3.8
- Speech Recognition3.8
Core activities
- Communicating with People Outside the Organization4.9
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships4.8
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work4.8
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.7
- Performing for or Working Directly with the Public4.6
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge4.5
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
How to become a Community Health Worker
Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 9 majors mapped to Community Health Workers9 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 09.0905Health Communication
- 51.0001Health and Wellness, General
- 51.1504Community Health Services/Liaison/Counseling
- 51.2201Public Health, General
- 51.2207Public Health Education and Promotion
- 51.2208Community Health and Preventive Medicine
- 51.2209Maternal and Child Health
- 51.2212Behavioral Aspects of Health
- 51.3206Arts in Medicine/Health
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
What degree do you need to become a Community Health Worker?+
High school diploma or equivalent is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Public Health, General, which awarded 24,565 degrees in 2024-25, 58.8% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Community Health Worker?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 9 programs to this occupation. The largest are Public Health, Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions, Public Relations, plus 1 more. Together they graduate about 41,792 people a year.
How much do community health workers earn?+
The median is $51,850 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $38,810 at the 10th percentile to $77,180 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for community health workers growing?+
BLS projects a +11.3% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, much faster than average, with roughly 7,800 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
874 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 9 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do community health workers work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Community Health Promoter, Community Nutrition Educator, Community Health Outreach Worker, Community Health Program Coordinator among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 21-1094.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024-25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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