Texas·Community and Social Service Occupations·SOC 21-1094

Best Community Health Worker programs in Texas, ranked by enrollment

Promote health within a community by assisting individuals to adopt healthy behaviors.

48 schools in Texas run programs that feed this job, graduating 3,207 people a year. The job pays a median of $48,720 in Texas across about 4,210 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledCommunity Health PromoterCommunity Nutrition EducatorCommunity Health Outreach WorkerCommunity Health Program CoordinatorPromoterNavigatorContact TracerGuest Advocate
Graduates / yr
3,207
in Texas
Median pay · Texas
$48,720
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
4,210
people employed
Schools
48
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
49%
across those schools
Median net price
$23,152
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Texas that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.

8 programs in Texas that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Texas (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 Texas page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
CIP 51.2201In Texas
1,599
49.9%
30$36,762$25,076
2
CIP 51.0001In Texas
1,041
32.5%
18$34,545$25,000
3
CIP 51.2212In Texas
203
6.3%
4$36,762$25,076
4
CIP 51.2207In Texas
157
4.9%
7$36,762$25,076
5
CIP 51.1504In Texas
130
4.1%
7$37,335$22,861
6
CIP 51.2208In Texas
45
1.4%
3$36,762$25,076
7
CIP 09.0905In Texas
24
0.7%
2$39,658$24,500
8
CIP 51.2209In Texas
8
0.2%
1$36,762$25,076

Top 25 schools in Texas

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 19 of the 48 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Texas A&M University - College Station
College Station, TX Public · 5 feeder programs
674Health and Wellness, General$37,33184%57%
2The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX Public · 3 feeder programs
403Public Health, General$35,76189%27%
3University of Houston
Houston, TX Public · 2 feeder programs
321Health and Wellness, General$32,44765%74%
4The University of Texas at San Antonio
San Antonio, TX Public · 3 feeder programs
268Public Health, General$33,51453%87%
5The University of Texas at Arlington
Arlington, TX Public · 1 feeder programs
213Public Health, General$37,04354%80%
6The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
Houston, TX Public · 3 feeder programs
173Public Health, General
7University of North Texas
Denton, TX Public · 2 feeder programs
111Public Health, General61%72%
8Prairie View A & M University
Prairie View, TX Public · 2 feeder programs
86Health and Wellness, General$32,26643%79%
9Lamar University
Beaumont, TX Public · 2 feeder programs
81Public Health, General37%86%
10Baylor University
Waco, TX Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
63Public Health, General$23,09680%$35,68251%
11Texas State University
San Marcos, TX Public · 2 feeder programs
63Public Health, General$35,56455%89%
12University of North Texas Health Science Center
Fort Worth, TX Public · 2 feeder programs
62Public Health, General
13Sam Houston State University
Huntsville, TX Public · 2 feeder programs
53Public Health, General$34,01955%90%
14University of Houston - Downtown
Houston, TX Public · 1 feeder programs
51Behavioral Aspects of Health$35,11933%90%
15Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
Lubbock, TX Public · 1 feeder programs
50Public Health, General
16Texas Woman's University
Denton, TX Public · 3 feeder programs
47Health and Wellness, General$34,75549%96%
17East Texas A&M University
Commerce, TX Public · 1 feeder programs
36Public Health, General$44,62143%92%
18Houston Christian University
Houston, TX Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
36Community Health Services/Liaison/Counseling49%$21,24784%
19The University of Texas at El Paso
El Paso, TX Public · 2 feeder programs
34Public Health, General$31,84450%100%
20Rice University
Houston, TX Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
33Health and Wellness, General95%$13,2648%
21The University of Texas at Tyler
Tyler, TX Public · 2 feeder programs
33Health and Wellness, General$34,35054%94%
22Lone Star College System
The Woodlands, TX Public · 1 feeder programs
32Health and Wellness, General21%
23Northwest Vista College
San Antonio, TX Public · 1 feeder programs
31Community Health Services/Liaison/Counseling32%
24Texas A & M International University
Laredo, TX Public · 1 feeder programs
30Public Health, General46%44%
25University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Dallas, TX Public · 1 feeder programs
29Public Health, General

All 48 schools in Texas

Every school in Texas 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.

All schools in Texas that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Texas A&M University - College StationCollege StationPublic6745
The University of Texas at AustinAustinPublic4033
University of HoustonHoustonPublic3212
The University of Texas at San AntonioSan AntonioPublic2683
The University of Texas at ArlingtonArlingtonPublic2131
The University of Texas Health Science Center at HoustonHoustonPublic1733
University of North TexasDentonPublic1112
Prairie View A & M UniversityPrairie ViewPublic862
Lamar UniversityBeaumontPublic812
Baylor UniversityWacoPrivate not-for-profit633
Texas State UniversitySan MarcosPublic632
University of North Texas Health Science CenterFort WorthPublic622
Sam Houston State UniversityHuntsvillePublic532
University of Houston - DowntownHoustonPublic511
Texas Tech University Health Sciences CenterLubbockPublic501

What community health workers earn in Texas

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual in Texas
$48,720
Mean annual
$50,350
Jobs in state
4,210
What the range looks like
10th pct$36,250Median$48,72090th pct$64,290
Versus the national median
-6.0%

U.S. median $51,850. Texas pays below the national figure.

Job concentration
0.75×

1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.

Metro areas in Texas

Killeen-Temple, TX
$49,300median
40 jobs
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
$51,010median
810 jobs
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
$51,010median
500 jobs
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
$50,330median
810 jobs
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX
$51,470median
700 jobs
Waco, TX
$48,290median
40 jobs
Lubbock, TX
$46,740median
60 jobs
Tyler, TX
$45,490median
50 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+11.3%
Much faster than average
Openings per year
7,800
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
7,400
65,100 → 72,500
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
Plus short-term on-the-job training

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

Active ListeningSpeakingWritingReading ComprehensionCritical ThinkingActive Learning

The same job in other states

Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.

Related careers in Texas

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 Texas.

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 1,599 degrees in Texas in 2024-25, 49.9% 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 8 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. Together they graduate about 3,207 people a year in Texas.

How much do community health workers earn in Texas?+

The median is $48,720 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 6.0% 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 Texas?+

48 institutions in Texas reported graduates from at least one of the 8 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 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected 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 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, 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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