Health Education Specialists

Pay and outlook

Median annual wage, May 2025

$64,070

Half earn more, half earn less

Middle half earn

$50,620 – $87,130

25th to 75th percentile

People employed, May 2025

65,690

Wage and salary jobs (OEWS)

Projected change, 2025–35

+5.6%

At or above the all-jobs rate (3.5% to under 7%)

Openings a year (projected)

6,900

New jobs plus replacing people who leave

Typical education to enter

Bachelor's degree

BLS

• All figures are for the United States as a whole. Pay varies a lot by state and city.
• Wages are for everyone working in the occupation in May 2025, at every career stage. They are not starting salaries or figures for new graduates.
• Growth and openings are BLS projections for 2025–35. They are estimates, not promises. Openings include jobs that open up when people retire or change occupation, not just new jobs.

What the work involves

Provide and manage health education programs that help individuals, families, and their communities maximize and maintain healthy lifestyles. Use data to identify community needs prior to planning, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating programs designed to encourage healthy lifestyles, policies, and environments. May link health systems, health providers, insurers, and patients to address individual and population health needs. May serve as resource to assist individuals, other health professionals, or the community, and may administer fiscal resources for health education programs.

Main tasks

• Prepare and distribute health education materials, such as reports, bulletins, and visual aids, to address smoking, vaccines, and other public health concerns.
• Develop and maintain cooperative working relationships with agencies and organizations interested in public health care.
• Maintain databases, mailing lists, telephone networks, and other information to facilitate the functioning of health education programs.
• Document activities and record information, such as the numbers of applications completed, presentations conducted, and persons assisted.
• Develop and present health education and promotion programs, such as training workshops, conferences, and school or community presentations.
• Collaborate with health specialists and civic groups to determine community health needs and the availability of services and to develop goals for meeting needs.
• Develop, conduct, or coordinate health needs assessments and other public health surveys.
• Supervise professional and technical staff in implementing health programs, objectives, and goals.

Description and tasks from the O*NET® 31.0 Database.

Getting in

Typical education to enter (BLS)

Bachelor's degree

O*NET Job Zone 4

Considerable preparation

Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

Fields of study that lead here

From the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, which links 9 programmes to this occupation. A link means the programme prepares people for this kind of work. It doesn't mean the programme is required, or that it's the only route.

Related careers

Related occupations from the O*NET database, in its order.

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