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The differences between community health workers and community health navigators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a community health worker and a community health navigator. Additionally, a community health navigator has an average salary of $40,561, which is higher than the $37,079 average annual salary of a community health worker.
The top three skills for a community health worker include patients, community health and social work. The most important skills for a community health navigator are patients, social work, and mental health.
| Community Health Worker | Community Health Navigator | |
| Yearly salary | $37,079 | $40,561 |
| Hourly rate | $17.83 | $19.50 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 82,445 | 61,439 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A community health worker is a health professional who is a lay member of the community that provides health care in both urban and rural environments. Community health workers offer the health needs of the community they serve and provide some direct services such as first aid and blood pressure screening. They help people understand their health conditions and deliver health information by using appropriate cultural terms and concepts. Community health workers also make home visits to patients who are clinically ill, pregnant women, and individuals at high risk of health problems.
Community health navigators are health coordinators that connect people to medical providers and community resources. They help patients in enhancing their mental, physical, and social health as well as assist them in developing a definite care plan. Their duties include assisting in prescribing optimal health care to patients, coordinating patient care from care providers, and negotiating the health care system. Also, they connect patients to community resources such as food, clothing, affordable housing, and transportation.
Community health workers and community health navigators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Community Health Worker | Community Health Navigator | |
| Average salary | $37,079 | $40,561 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $49,000 | Between $29,000 And $55,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Richmond, CA |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | Nevada |
| Best paying company | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory | Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District |
| Best paying industry | Insurance | Insurance |
There are a few differences between a community health worker and a community health navigator in terms of educational background:
| Community Health Worker | Community Health Navigator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between community health workers' and community health navigators' demographics:
| Community Health Worker | Community Health Navigator | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 23.5% Female, 76.5% | Male, 19.7% Female, 80.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 6.4% Hispanic or Latino, 22.8% Asian, 5.8% White, 54.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 6.4% Hispanic or Latino, 23.6% Asian, 5.3% White, 52.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 21% | 21% |