Community Health Worker: Role, Salary, and How to Become One

A Community Health Worker (CHW) is a frontline public health professional who works inside the communities they serve, connecting neighbors with healthcare providers, social services and the information they need to manage their health. Many CHWs come from the same neighborhoods, cultures and language groups as the people they support, and that shared background is part of what makes these professionals effective.

If this kind of work interests you, you may want to consider the online Bachelor of Science in Public Health (BSPH) program at Campbellsville University, which prepares students to step into a CHW role or use the credential as a launching point toward a broader public health career. Program curriculum covers foundational courses such as Introduction to Public Health and Epidemiology, plus applied courses like Community and Consumer Health, Public Health Systems Policy and Infectious Disease and Public Health, giving students an in-depth understanding of both the theory and practical tools the field uses.

Courses in health promotion, behavior change and social statistics round out that foundation, so graduates leave with the data literacy and communication skills employers expect. Students then put that coursework into practice through a required internship where they gain hands-on experience in a public health setting before they graduate and enter the workforce.

This guide covers what community health workers do on a typical day, what the role pays nationally and how that pay varies by state and employer. It also provides an overview of the education and certification paths into the field, whether certification is required where you live and how the role can grow into program management or public health leadership over time.

What Is a Community Health Worker? Role, Responsibilities and Work Settings

CHWs act as a bridge between healthcare systems and the community, providing education, connecting residents to services and advocating for the specific needs of the neighborhoods they know best. According to the Community Preventive Services Task Force (CPSTF), an independent panel that reviews public health evidence for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), CHWs are effective in part because they usually come from the community they serve and can provide culturally appropriate outreach, health education and care coordination in ways a short clinical visit cannot. CPSTF-reviewed research links this kind of community-based outreach to measurable results, including better blood pressure and cholesterol control among patients with heart disease risk factors, plus higher rates of cancer and diabetes screening in the populations CHWs serve.

The day-to-day work looks different depending on where a CHW is employed. A CHW in a rural county health department might spend a Tuesday afternoon driving between home visits, checking on a new mother’s postpartum recovery and helping an older adult understand a new diabetes diagnosis. A CHW inside an urban hospital system might spend that same afternoon in the emergency department, connecting a patient who lacks stable housing with a case manager before discharge. Both versions of the job rely on the same core skill: meeting people where they are, literally and otherwise.

A handful of core CHW responsibilities show up across settings. Most divide their time among the tasks below.

• Conducting outreach and home visits to check on clients between formal appointments
• Providing health education and one-on-one coaching on chronic disease management, nutrition and preventive care
• Connecting clients with healthcare providers and social services through care navigation and referrals
• Collecting basic community health data to help agencies track needs and outcomes
• Advocating for community health needs with government agencies and health service providers

These tasks combine clinical support with social work and community organizing, which is why the role requires equal parts empathy and practical problem-solving. Employers rely on CHWs to notice gaps that a single clinical visit would miss, then follow up until a resident gets the help they need.

Community Health Worker Salary: National Median and Pay Variation

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), community health workers earned a median annual salary of $51,850 as of May 2025, with about 64,700 people employed in the role nationwide. BLS projects the occupation will grow 13% between 2025 and 2035, much faster than the average for all occupations, adding roughly 7,000 job openings a year.

According to PayScale, community health workers nationally report hourly pay between $17.40 and $26.78, or roughly $36,000 to $57,000 a year depending on experience and location. Pay also climbs with experience: PayScale data shows workers early in their careers earning noticeably less than those with several years on the job, so tenure can matter as much as location when it comes to take-home pay.

That growth is being driven by demand for chronic disease management support, health education and mental health services in communities that have historically had limited access to care, according to BLS. State and local funding levels also shape the picture: an Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) report on sustainable CHW financing found that most CHW programs have historically relied on time-limited public health grants rather than the kind of stable funding a typical private-sector job would have. That funding structure can make pay in a given state depend as much on local public health investment as on cost of living.

How to Become a Community Health Worker: Education and Certification Paths

BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level requirement for becoming a CHW, with most training happening on the job through short-term instruction on communication styles, outreach methods and the legal and ethical basics of client work. That low barrier to entry is part of what makes the field accessible, but it also means the earning ceiling is limited without further education.

According to O*NET OnLine, 56% of workers surveyed in this role reported that a bachelor’s degree is the credential employers look for, well above the share who cited an associate degree or a standalone certificate. Earning a bachelor’s degree such as the online BSPH program at Campbellsville University widens the door to supervisory, program management and policy-focused roles that a high school diploma alone does not open, while still building on the outreach and education skills a CHW already uses.

Community Health Worker Certification: What It Is and Whether You Need It

Community health worker certification is generally voluntary rather than mandatory. According to ASTHO, most states and territories have not made certification a requirement to practice as a CHW, since doing so would effectively function as occupational licensure. Some states do tie certification to specific circumstances, such as the right to use the title “certified CHW,” eligibility for Medicaid reimbursement or the ability to work in certain clinical settings.

As of the most recent ASTHO count, 12 states run their own state-administered CHW certification programs, including Arizona, California, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Ohio and Texas, while several others rely on private credentialing boards or state CHW associations to manage the process. Because requirements differ so much by state, covering everything from required work experience to continuing education hours and renewal fees, anyone considering certification should check with their state health department or CHW association before assuming a national standard applies.

Even in states without a mandatory program, the National Association of Community Health Workers (NACHW)’s C3 core competency framework functions as the de facto training standard many employers look for when hiring CHWs, covering skills such as communication, cultural mediation, care coordination and advocacy. Completing training built around that framework, whether through a community college, a nonprofit program or coursework folded into a public health degree, signals to employers that a candidate has the foundational skills the role requires even without formal state certification.

How CU’s B.S. in Public Health Prepares You for a CHW Career

A community health worker career does not have to stay entry-level. With additional education, CHWs can move into roles such as health educator, program manager, public health analyst or community health director, each carrying more responsibility and a higher salary ceiling than the frontline CHW role. Public health analyst roles in particular build on skills a CHW already uses, taking the community data collection and needs assessment work CHWs do one client at a time and applying it at a program or policy level instead.

BLS data illustrates the broader jump in earning potential. Health education specialists, a common next step for CHWs who want to design programs rather than deliver them one client at a time, earn a median salary of $64,070 and typically need a bachelor’s degree to qualify. Medical and health services managers, the kind of role a program manager or community health director often grows into, earn a median of $123,860 in a field BLS projects to grow 24% through 2035.

A bachelor’s degree such as Campbellsville University’s online BSPH program is the credential that typically opens the door to these advancement roles, and CU pairs that credential with expert faculty in small class sizes, a personal academic advisor for every student and a required semester-long internship that gives you hands-on public health experience before you graduate. The program also accepts up to 90 transfer credits, so credits from prior coursework, an associate degree or CHW-related certificate training can often count toward your BSPH degree rather than starting over, and there is no application fee to apply. If program management or leadership roles interest you specifically, the Health Educator Salary article breaks down that path in more detail.

Learn more about Campbellsville University’s fully online Bachelor of Science in Public Health degree program.

Community Health Worker FAQ

Here are quick answers to a few common questions about becoming and working as a community health worker. Use these to fill in any gaps before deciding whether the role, or the education path into it, is the right fit for you.

Do I need a college degree to become a community health worker?

No. Most community health worker positions require only a high school diploma or equivalent, with training happening on the job, though some employers prefer an associate or bachelor’s degree.

Is community health worker certification required?

No, not in most states. Community health worker certification is generally voluntary, though some states tie it to specific requirements such as Medicaid reimbursement or the right to use the “certified CHW” title.

What career paths can a community health worker move into with more education?

With a bachelor’s degree, CHWs can move into roles such as health educator, program manager or public health analyst, each offering more responsibility and higher pay than the frontline CHW role.

About Campbellsville University’s Online Bachelor of Science in Public Health

Campbellsville University’s online Bachelor of Science in Public Health is a 120-credit-hour degree, split across 54 credit hours in the major, 41 in general education and 25 in electives, that most students complete in two to three and a half years with courses delivered entirely online. Coursework covers the core areas of public health, including community health, health education and program administration.

Campbellsville University was founded in 1906 and has grown into a private Christian university based in Campbellsville, Kentucky, with additional program locations across the state and a total enrollment of more than 12,000 students. The university holds regional accreditation through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) and has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report among the Best Regional Universities in the South, reflecting a long-standing commitment to academic quality and its faith-based mission.