SalariesWhat the occupation covers
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. Excludes “Community Health Workers” (21-1094).
Official definition from the Standard Occupational Classification, code 21-1091.
The pay range
Pay differs a lot inside one occupation, with experience, employer and place. The table shows where the lines fall.
| Share of workers | A year | A month* | A week* | An hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest 10% earn less than | $42,990 | $3,582 | $827 | $20.67 |
| Lowest 25% earn less than | $50,620 | $4,218 | $973 | $24.34 |
| Median (half earn less, half more) | $64,070 | $5,339 | $1,232 | $30.80 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $87,130 | $7,261 | $1,676 | $41.89 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $118,200 | $9,850 | $2,273 | $56.83 |
* Month and week are the yearly figure divided by 12 and by 52, worked out here for convenience. BLS publishes the yearly and hourly figures.
How it compares
The median for all occupations in the United States was $50,980 a year. The median for Health Education Specialists is $64,070, which is 26% higher. Among the 17 occupations of the field Community and Social Service, it ranks number 6 by median pay. With 65,690 jobs, it makes up about 4.2 of every 10,000 jobs in the country. The average ($73,280) is well above the median, a sign that a smaller group of high earners pulls the average up.
Health Education Specialists pay by state
The highest median pay was in Maryland ($104,470), District of Columbia ($103,330) and Georgia ($99,400). The lowest was in Puerto Rico ($39,650), Florida ($46,360) and Tennessee ($49,630). The most jobs were in California (12,520), Texas (5,320) and New York (4,150). The occupation is most concentrated in District of Columbia, where its share of all jobs is 2.3 times the national share.
No state matches.
| State | Jobs | Median a year | Average a year | Median an hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland | 2,220 | $104,470 | $106,630 | $50.23 |
| District of Columbia | 680 | $103,330 | $109,310 | $49.68 |
| Georgia | 3,210 | $99,400 | $102,140 | $47.79 |
| Pennsylvania | 2,690 | $80,670 | $81,320 | $38.78 |
| Minnesota | 1,250 | $78,400 | $78,300 | $37.69 |
| Washington | 1,750 | $77,420 | $77,130 | $37.22 |
| Iowa | 540 | $75,750 | $71,880 | $36.42 |
| Oregon | 840 | $75,500 | $81,440 | $36.30 |
| Rhode Island | 150 | $75,360 | $76,910 | $36.23 |
| Colorado | 750 | $74,150 | $77,470 | $35.65 |
| Wisconsin | 900 | $74,040 | $73,630 | $35.60 |
| New Jersey | 1,420 | $73,740 | $84,800 | $35.45 |
| Guam | 30 | $73,070 | $70,790 | $35.13 |
| Alaska | 310 | $71,940 | $74,250 | $34.59 |
| New Hampshire | 250 | $69,990 | $74,400 | $33.65 |
| Vermont | 180 | $68,140 | $73,150 | $32.76 |
| Connecticut | 400 | $66,870 | $78,200 | $32.15 |
| Kentucky | 760 | $65,370 | $68,360 | $31.43 |
| Alabama | 540 | $65,210 | $65,140 | $31.35 |
| Ohio | 1,970 | $64,860 | $67,440 | $31.18 |
| South Carolina | 470 | $64,720 | $70,140 | $31.11 |
| Virginia | 690 | $64,040 | $75,640 | $30.79 |
| Hawaii | 190 | $63,740 | $65,700 | $30.64 |
| California | 12,520 | $63,610 | $74,720 | $30.58 |
| Arizona | 1,140 | $63,390 | $73,040 | $30.47 |
| Delaware | 340 | $63,300 | $66,520 | $30.43 |
| Kansas | 520 | $62,990 | $65,520 | $30.28 |
| West Virginia | 400 | $62,760 | $70,710 | $30.17 |
| Wyoming | 90 | $62,750 | $68,820 | $30.17 |
| New York | 4,150 | $62,560 | $67,030 | $30.08 |
| Oklahoma | 820 | $62,440 | $67,330 | $30.02 |
| Arkansas | 200 | $62,270 | $64,600 | $29.94 |
| Nevada | 270 | $62,120 | $68,980 | $29.86 |
| Idaho | 370 | $61,330 | $64,280 | $29.49 |
| Illinois | 1,010 | $60,120 | $68,730 | $28.90 |
| Utah | 490 | $59,790 | $69,310 | $28.74 |
| North Dakota | 200 | $59,650 | $62,870 | $28.68 |
| Texas | 5,320 | $59,340 | $69,630 | $28.53 |
| Maine | 490 | $58,300 | $61,860 | $28.03 |
| Indiana | 1,380 | $58,170 | $62,930 | $27.97 |
| North Carolina | 2,110 | $58,080 | $65,570 | $27.92 |
| New Mexico | 660 | $57,990 | $62,290 | $27.88 |
| Louisiana | 470 | $57,840 | $62,160 | $27.81 |
| Massachusetts | 2,420 | $57,510 | $70,370 | $27.65 |
| South Dakota | 190 | $57,370 | $62,030 | $27.58 |
| Missouri | not published | $57,050 | $64,700 | $27.43 |
| Nebraska | 230 | $56,800 | $59,540 | $27.31 |
| Michigan | 1,480 | $56,360 | $59,660 | $27.09 |
| Montana | 240 | $51,200 | $54,500 | $24.62 |
| Mississippi | 410 | $51,020 | $55,600 | $24.53 |
| Tennessee | 490 | $49,630 | $63,980 | $23.86 |
| Florida | not published | $46,360 | $53,530 | $22.29 |
| Puerto Rico | 600 | $39,650 | $43,430 | $19.06 |
Sorted by median pay, highest first. "Not published" means BLS did not release that figure for the state, usually because too few employers were surveyed. "$239,200 or more" is the highest value BLS reports in the state tables.
Similar occupations by pay
- Marriage and Family Therapists$66,940 a year
- Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists$66,270 a year
- Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors$64,330 a year
- Clergy$60,810 a year
- Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers$60,280 a year
- Child, Family, and School Social Workers$59,550 a year
Common questions
How much do Health Education Specialists earn in the United States?
The median pay was $64,070 a year in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $42,990 and the highest-paid 10% more than $118,200.
How many people work as Health Education Specialists?
About 65,690 jobs in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Checked in November 2026. Figures are for employees, before tax, and leave out overtime pay and benefits. They are official statistics, not advice or a pay offer; see bls.gov/oes for the original tables.