Health Education Specialists: Career Overview
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.
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What Tasks Do Health Education Specialists Perform?
Typical responsibilities of health education specialists include:
- 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.
Skills and Knowledge
Top health education specialists draw on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Most Important Skills
The competencies most central to this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Knowledge Areas
Types of Health Education Specialists Jobs
This career also goes by job titles like:
- BLS Instructor (Basic Life Support Instructor)
- Behavioral Health Educator
- Breastfeeding Educator
- Breastfeeding Peer Counselor
- CPR Instructor (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Instructor)
- CPR and First Aid Instructor (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and First Aid Instructor)
- Certified Breastfeeding Educator (CBE)
- Certified Diabetes Educator
Job Outlook
There are about 163,096 health education specialists working in the United States today. This occupation is expected to grow by +3.7% over the projection horizon.
Health Education Specialists Pay
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $81,726 |
| Hourly median | $39.29 |
| 10th percentile | $47,563 |
| 25th percentile | $64,644 |
| 75th percentile | $98,808 |
| 90th percentile | $115,890 |
Wages vary widely based on experience, location, and industry.
Pay by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $110,620 |
| Maryland | $101,090 |
| Georgia | $97,010 |
| Rhode Island | $80,390 |
| New Jersey | $78,400 |
| Minnesota | $78,080 |
| Pennsylvania | $75,020 |
| Oregon | $73,830 |
| New Hampshire | $73,580 |
| Alaska | $72,650 |
| Washington | $72,540 |
| Connecticut | $71,980 |
| Idaho | $70,070 |
| Colorado | $69,890 |
| Ohio | $68,370 |
| Virginia | $68,180 |
| Iowa | $67,940 |
| Wisconsin | $67,340 |
| Kansas | $66,960 |
| Vermont | $65,370 |
| Hawaii | $64,580 |
| Kentucky | $64,160 |
| West Virginia | $62,400 |
| Wyoming | $62,390 |
| Massachusetts | $62,270 |
| Delaware | $61,800 |
| New Mexico | $61,730 |
| Utah | $61,660 |
| Nevada | $61,270 |
| Oklahoma | $60,980 |
| New York | $60,320 |
| California | $60,150 |
| Missouri | $60,110 |
| Indiana | $59,950 |
| South Carolina | $59,780 |
| Maine | $59,460 |
| North Dakota | $58,670 |
| Illinois | $58,100 |
| Arizona | $58,100 |
| Louisiana | $57,150 |
| Arkansas | $57,060 |
| Texas | $56,210 |
| Tennessee | $55,970 |
| South Dakota | $55,770 |
| North Carolina | $54,720 |
| Florida | $53,460 |
| Alabama | $53,110 |
| Michigan | $52,830 |
| Nebraska | $52,260 |
| Montana | $52,030 |
| Mississippi | $48,100 |
| Puerto Rico | $38,360 |
Where Health Education Specialists Earn the Most
Earnings for health education specialists shift depending on where you work. Top regions by median wage:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middle Atlantic | $76,967 | 15.8% | 1.18 |
| Plains States | $67,176 | 6.3% | 0.96 |
| Southeast | $66,851 | 19.6% | 0.96 |
| Rocky Mountains | $65,773 | 3.2% | 0.82 |
| New England | $64,496 | 5.2% | 1.28 |
| Far Western US | $62,268 | 27.4% | 1.77 |
| Great Lakes | $60,605 | 10.5% | 0.85 |
| Southwest | $57,552 | 10.8% | 0.91 |
Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Health Education Specialists
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | DC | $121,890 | 2,100 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | GA | $109,260 | 2,600 |
| Trenton-Princeton, NJ | NJ | $88,370 | 80 |
| York-Hanover, PA | PA | $86,420 | 50 |
| Owensboro, KY | KY | $85,250 | 40 |
| Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV | MD | $83,690 | 40 |
| Waterbury-Shelton, CT | CT | $82,870 | 30 |
| Reading, PA | PA | $82,720 | 40 |
Top Industries Employing Health Education Specialists
Most health education specialists are concentrated in the following sectors:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 28,060 | $65,510 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 2,960 | $51,850 |
| Finance and Insurance | 2,620 | $57,970 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2,340 | $71,990 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 1,390 | $62,690 |
| Wholesale Trade | 1,190 | $71,420 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 840 | $61,250 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation | 210 | $50,610 |
The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.
Tools and Technology
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Photoshop (hot technology)
- Web page creation and editing software: Facebook (hot technology)
- Medical software: MEDITECH software (hot technology)
- Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft Access (hot technology)
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
- Process mapping and design software: Microsoft Visio (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
Work Environment
Daily working conditions for health education specialists tends to involve the following characteristics:
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Telephone Conversations
- Contact With Others
- Freedom to Make Decisions
Getting Started in This Career
Typical health education specialists positions require an associate’s degree as the typical entry-level education. This occupation sits in Considerable Preparation Needed (Job Zone 4), indicating the level of preparation typically expected.
Related Careers
Similar Occupations
- Medical and Health Services Managers (Supplemental)
- Social and Community Service Managers (Primary-Long)
- Health Informatics Specialists (Primary-Short)
- Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors (Supplemental)
- Mental Health Counselors (Supplemental)
- Rehabilitation Counselors (Primary-Short)
- Child, Family, and School Social Workers (Primary-Long)
- Healthcare Social Workers (Primary-Short)
Degree Programs
Aspiring health education specialists commonly pursue programs in:
Health Professions and Related Programs
8 programs across 4 majors
- Public Health
- Health Sciences & Services
- Mental & Social Health Services
- Advanced Dentistry & Oral Sciences
About the Data
Statistics shown above are sourced from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 21-1091.00 (Health Education Specialists).
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