Career profile · 21-1091
Health Education Specialists
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.
What the work can involve
- 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.
Selected core tasks from O*NET 31.0. Responsibilities vary by employer, specialization and experience.
Preparation and entry routes
This O*NET group commonly calls for substantial preparation, often including a bachelor’s degree or considerable relevant experience. An introductory vocational course alone may not provide an entry route.
Check the route for the specific occupation where you plan to work. Education, employer experience requirements, occupational licensing and industry certification can be separate steps.
Understand the different credentials →Skills used in this occupation
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Writing
- Learning Strategies
- Active Learning
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Knowledge to build
- Customer and Personal Service
- Education and Training
- English Language
- Administrative
- Psychology
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Common work activities
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
- Getting Information
- Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Training subjects to investigate
The federal education-to-occupation crosswalk connects this role to the subjects below. These links do not endorse a school or guarantee that any particular award qualifies a graduate for the job.
Working conditions to consider
These are the most common published responses to selected O*NET work-setting questions. They describe occupation-level survey findings, not every employer or a particular job.
| Work-setting question | Most common response | Share giving that response |
|---|---|---|
| Contact With Others | Constant contact with others | 76.2%08/2019 · sample 21 |
| Exposed to Contaminants | Never | 45.6%08/2019 · sample 19 |
| Exposed to Disease or Infections | Once a week or more but not every day | 39.5%08/2019 · sample 19 |
| Exposed to Hazardous Conditions | Never | 84.7%08/2019 · sample 19 |
| Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls | Never | 65.8%08/2019 · sample 21 |
| Time Pressure | Once a week or more but not every day | 60.7%08/2019 · sample 21 |
| Work Schedules | Regular (established routine, set schedule) | 70.7%08/2019 · sample 21 |
O*NET 31.0 Work Context, selected topics. Only unsuppressed source responses with sample size at least 10 are shown. A most-common response need not be a majority. Sampling uncertainty applies; source dates vary. Ask employers about actual schedules, accessibility, protective equipment and working conditions.
Software used in the workplace
Use these O*NET examples to ask how a course builds practical digital skills. They are workplace examples, not a required shopping list or confirmation of a school’s curriculum.
- Analytical or scientific software: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Epi Info
- Computer based training software: Padlet
- Customer relationship management CRM software: Blackbaud The Raiser's Edge
- Data base user interface and query software: Blackboard software, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC WONDER, Microsoft Access
- Desktop publishing software: Microsoft Publisher
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Photoshop, JamBoard
- Internet browser software: Web browser software
- Medical software: MEDITECH software
- Multi-media educational software: Edpuzzle
- Network conferencing software: LogMeIn GoToWebinar
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software
Selected categories and examples from O*NET 31.0 Software Skills. Products and employer requirements change. These examples are not endorsements; check the complete official occupation profile.
Pay & employment outlook
Salary estimates for health education specialists
The median divides workers into two equally sized groups by pay. It is not a starting salary, a school’s graduate outcome or a promise of employment. Lower percentiles are not automatically new graduates.
National outlook: 2025–2035
- Typical education for entry
- Bachelor's degree
- Related work experience
- None
- Typical on-the-job training
- None
BLS national employment projections, 2025–2035. Openings include people leaving occupations or the labor force; these are not advertised vacancies. Education categories describe typical entry, not legal eligibility or a guarantee that any specific program is sufficient.
Compare wages across 51 state/DC estimates
| State | Annual median | Hourly median | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $65,210 | $31.35 | 540 |
| Alaska | $71,940 | $34.59 | 310 |
| Arizona | $63,390 | $30.47 | 1,140 |
| Arkansas | $62,270 | $29.94 | 200 |
| California | $63,610 | $30.58 | 12,520 |
| Colorado | $74,150 | $35.65 | 750 |
| Connecticut | $66,870 | $32.15 | 400 |
| Delaware | $63,300 | $30.43 | 340 |
| District of Columbia | $103,330 | $49.68 | 680 |
| Florida | $46,360 | $22.29 | Not published |
| Georgia | $99,400 | $47.79 | 3,210 |
| Hawaii | $63,740 | $30.64 | 190 |
| Idaho | $61,330 | $29.49 | 370 |
| Illinois | $60,120 | $28.90 | 1,010 |
| Indiana | $58,170 | $27.97 | 1,380 |
| Iowa | $75,750 | $36.42 | 540 |
| Kansas | $62,990 | $30.28 | 520 |
| Kentucky | $65,370 | $31.43 | 760 |
| Louisiana | $57,840 | $27.81 | 470 |
| Maine | $58,300 | $28.03 | 490 |
| Maryland | $104,470 | $50.23 | 2,220 |
| Massachusetts | $57,510 | $27.65 | 2,420 |
| Michigan | $56,360 | $27.09 | 1,480 |
| Minnesota | $78,400 | $37.69 | 1,250 |
| Mississippi | $51,020 | $24.53 | 410 |
| Missouri | $57,050 | $27.43 | Not published |
| Montana | $51,200 | $24.62 | 240 |
| Nebraska | $56,800 | $27.31 | 230 |
| Nevada | $62,120 | $29.86 | 270 |
| New Hampshire | $69,990 | $33.65 | 250 |
| New Jersey | $73,740 | $35.45 | 1,420 |
| New Mexico | $57,990 | $27.88 | 660 |
| New York | $62,560 | $30.08 | 4,150 |
| North Carolina | $58,080 | $27.92 | 2,110 |
| North Dakota | $59,650 | $28.68 | 200 |
| Ohio | $64,860 | $31.18 | 1,970 |
| Oklahoma | $62,440 | $30.02 | 820 |
| Oregon | $75,500 | $36.30 | 840 |
| Pennsylvania | $80,670 | $38.78 | 2,690 |
| Rhode Island | $75,360 | $36.23 | 150 |
| South Carolina | $64,720 | $31.11 | 470 |
| South Dakota | $57,370 | $27.58 | 190 |
| Tennessee | $49,630 | $23.86 | 490 |
| Texas | $59,340 | $28.53 | 5,320 |
| Utah | $59,790 | $28.74 | 490 |
| Vermont | $68,140 | $32.76 | 180 |
| Virginia | $64,040 | $30.79 | 690 |
| Washington | $77,420 | $37.22 | 1,750 |
| West Virginia | $62,760 | $30.17 | 400 |
| Wisconsin | $74,040 | $35.60 | 900 |
| Wyoming | $62,750 | $30.17 | 90 |
Metropolitan and nonmetropolitan wages
Search the 291 published local-area estimates for this occupation. Metropolitan areas can cross state lines; a city’s postal name is not necessarily the statistical area’s name.
Sources: BLS May 2025 OEWS public downloads and 2025–2035 employment projections, retrieved September 9, 2026. Unpublished estimates stay unavailable. “+” means BLS’s upper reporting threshold ($239,200 annually or $115 hourly). Wages exclude self-employment and nonwage benefits. How to interpret these figures.
Compare the route and prepare for work
Questions to test the fit
- What does an entry-level working day look like, and how does it differ from the experienced role described here?
- Which tasks, work environments and schedules would I enjoy or find difficult?
- What education, supervised practice and credentials do local employers actually request?
- Can I speak with someone in the occupation or arrange a suitable workplace visit?
- How does the complete training cost compare with my realistic budget and available routes?
Related occupations to compare
Related through shared training-subject mappings. Entry requirements can differ substantially.
Sources and attribution
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. Trade School Guides selects and organizes the material and adds explanatory guidance. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. Occupation code: 21-1091.00.
Training connections: CIP 2020–SOC 2018 crosswalk. Snapshot: September 8, 2026. See the methodology.