Best Community Health Worker programs in Tennessee, ranked by enrollment
Promote health within a community by assisting individuals to adopt healthy behaviors.
16 schools in Tennessee run programs that feed this job, graduating 325 people a year. The job pays a median of $42,310 in Tennessee across about 520 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Tennessee that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
7 programs in Tennessee that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Tennessee (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Tennessee page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 51.2201In Tennessee → | 257 | 79.1% | 9 | $36,762 | $25,076 |
| 2 | CIP 51.0001In Tennessee → | 28 | 8.6% | 3 | $34,545 | $25,000 |
| 3 | CIP 51.2208In Tennessee → | 21 | 6.5% | 2 | $36,762 | $25,076 |
| 4 | CIP 51.2207In Tennessee → | 13 | 4.0% | 2 | $36,762 | $25,076 |
| 5 | CIP 09.0905In Tennessee → | 2 | 0.6% | 1 | $39,658 | $24,500 |
| 6 | CIP 51.1504In Tennessee → | 2 | 0.6% | 1 | $37,335 | $22,861 |
| 7 | CIP 51.2212In Tennessee → | 2 | 0.6% | 2 | $36,762 | $25,076 |
Top 16 schools in Tennessee
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 2 of the 16 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | East Tennessee State University Johnson City, TN Public · 1 feeder programs | 95 | Public Health, General | $38,435 | 53% | — | 86% |
| 2 | The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Knoxville, TN Public · 1 feeder programs | 79 | Public Health, General | — | 74% | — | 42% |
| 3 | Tennessee State University Nashville, TN Public · 1 feeder programs | 25 | Public Health, General | — | 34% | — | 70% |
| 4 | The University of Tennessee Health Science Center Memphis, TN Public · 2 feeder programs | 20 | Community Health and Preventive Medicine | — | — | — | — |
| 5 | University of Memphis Memphis, TN Public · 3 feeder programs | 16 | Public Health, General | — | 51% | — | 72% |
| 6 | Maryville College Maryville, TN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 15 | Health and Wellness, General | — | 50% | $20,489 | 61% |
| 7 | Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, TN Public · 2 feeder programs | 15 | Public Health Education and Promotion | $30,321 | 54% | — | 69% |
| 8 | Meharry Medical College Nashville, TN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 14 | Public Health, General | — | — | — | — |
| 9 | Belmont University Nashville, TN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 13 | Public Health, General | — | 71% | $29,246 | 95% |
| 10 | South College Knoxville, TN Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 12 | Public Health, General | — | 42% | $20,346 | — |
| 11 | Bethel University McKenzie, TN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 7 | Health and Wellness, General | — | 35% | $21,324 | 60% |
| 12 | Lipscomb University Nashville, TN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Health and Wellness, General | — | 72% | $24,309 | 68% |
| 13 | Austin Peay State University Clarksville, TN Public · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Public Health, General | — | 40% | — | 96% |
| 14 | Tennessee Wesleyan University Athens, TN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Community Health Services/Liaison/Counseling | — | 48% | $14,614 | 69% |
| 15 | The University of Tennessee Southern Pulaski, TN Public · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Public Health Education and Promotion | — | 37% | — | 87% |
| 16 | Baptist Health Sciences University Memphis, TN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Behavioral Aspects of Health | — | 40% | $13,938 | 82% |
All 16 schools in Tennessee
Every school in Tennessee with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Tennessee State University | Johnson City | Public | 95 | 1 |
| The University of Tennessee - Knoxville | Knoxville | Public | 79 | 1 |
| Tennessee State University | Nashville | Public | 25 | 1 |
| The University of Tennessee Health Science Center | Memphis | Public | 20 | 2 |
| University of Memphis | Memphis | Public | 16 | 3 |
| Maryville College | Maryville | Private not-for-profit | 15 | 1 |
| Middle Tennessee State University | Murfreesboro | Public | 15 | 2 |
| Meharry Medical College | Nashville | Private not-for-profit | 14 | 1 |
| Belmont University | Nashville | Private not-for-profit | 13 | 1 |
| South College | Knoxville | Private for-profit | 12 | 1 |
| Bethel University | McKenzie | Private not-for-profit | 7 | 1 |
| Lipscomb University | Nashville | Private not-for-profit | 6 | 1 |
| Austin Peay State University | Clarksville | Public | 3 | 1 |
| Tennessee Wesleyan University | Athens | Private not-for-profit | 2 | 1 |
| The University of Tennessee Southern | Pulaski | Public | 2 | 1 |
What community health workers earn in Tennessee
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $51,850. Tennessee pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Tennessee
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Community Health Workers page.
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.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Tennessee
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
Common questions
Answers for people weighing community health workers programs in Tennessee.
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 257 degrees in Tennessee in 2024-25, 79.1% 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 7 programs to this occupation. The largest are Public Health, Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, Public Relations, Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions. Together they graduate about 325 people a year in Tennessee.
How much do community health workers earn in Tennessee?+
The median is $42,310 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 18.4% below the U.S. median of $51,850. 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 in Tennessee?+
16 institutions in Tennessee reported graduates from at least one of the 7 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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