Jobs / Education and social services / 21-1094.00
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.
- US jobs
- 61,660
- Median wage
- $51,850 a year
- Job family
- Education and social services
Can agents do the work of community health workers?
We read the evidence at the level of the job family, Education and social services:
- Task levelUnexploredNo task-level benchmark in our collection tests teaching, counseling, or casework.
- Project levelPartialThin, adjacent evidence only. GDPval, which spans 44 occupations, is the one benchmark in our collection mapped here. OpenAI reports that GPT-5.5's deliverables won or tied against professionals' work in 84.9% of comparisons across all GDPval occupations. No benchmark tests work with students or clients.
Benchmarks for the job family
These cover work in education and social services, not always this occupation's tasks.
Typical tasks
From O*NET 31.0. Core tasks first. Few of these tasks have a benchmark today.
- Report incidences of child or elder abuse, neglect, or threats of harm to authorities, as required.
- Monitor nutrition of children, elderly, or other high-risk groups.
- Maintain updated client records with plans, notes, appropriate forms, or related information.
- Contact clients in person, by phone, or in writing to ensure they have completed required or recommended actions.
- Advise clients or community groups on issues related to self-care, such as diabetes management.
- Refer community members to needed health services.
- Advise clients or community groups on issues related to improving general health, such as diet or exercise.
- Develop plans or formal contracts for individuals, families, or community groups to improve overall health.
- Advocate for individual or community health needs with government agencies or health service providers.
- Identify the particular health care needs of individuals in a community or target area.
- Advise clients or community groups on issues related to risk or prevention of conditions, such as lead poisoning, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), prenatal substance abuse, or domestic violence.
- Attend community meetings or health fairs to understand community issues or build relationships with community members.
Other job titles for this occupation (39)
Communicable Disease Liaison · Community Health Coordinator · Community Health Outreach Worker · Community Health Program Coordinator · Community Health Program Representative (Community Health Program Rep) · Community Health Promoter · Community HIV Education Specialist (Community Human Immunodeficiency Virus Education Specialist) · Community Navigator · Community Nutrition Educator · Health Program Specialist · Behavioral Health Advocate · Behavioral Health Worker (BHW) · Benefits Outreach Specialist · Community Development Coordinator · Community Health Advisor · Community Health Advocate · Community Health Agent · Community Health Assistant · Community Health Counselor · Community Health Navigator · Community Health Representative · Community Health Specialist · Community Liaison · Community Living Instructor · Community Nutrition Advisor · Community Outreach Specialist · Community Resource Coordinator · Community Resource Navigator · Field Based Community Health Worker · Health Advocate · Health Navigator · Health Outreach Worker · Lay Health Advocate · Mental Health Advocate · Peer Health Promoter · Peer Navigator · Public Health Outreach Worker · Public Health Worker · Wellness Coach