Community health worker demographics and statistics in the US
Community health worker demographics research summary. Zippia estimates community health worker demographics and statistics in the United States by using a database of 30 million profiles. Our community health worker estimates are verified against BLS, Census, and current job openings data for accuracy. Zippia's data science team found the following key facts about community health workers after extensive research and analysis:
- There are over 45,049 community health workers currently employed in the United States.
- 76.5% of all community health workers are women, while 23.5% are men.
- The average community health worker age is 42 years old.
- The most common ethnicity of community health workers is White (54.3%), followed by Hispanic or Latino (22.8%), Black or African American (9.4%) and Unknown (6.4%).
- Community health workers are most in-demand in Boston, MA.
- The insurance industry is the highest-paying for community health workers.
- 21% of all community health workers are LGBT.
On this page
Community health worker demographics by:
Community health worker gender statistics
76.5% of community health workers are women and 23.5% of community health workers are men.
- Female, 76.5%
- Male, 23.5%
Community health worker gender ratio
| Gender | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Female | 76.5% |
| Male | 23.5% |
Community health worker gender pay gap
Women earn 100¢ for every $1 earned by men
Male income
$36,956
Female income
$36,861
Community health worker gender ratio over time
This data breaks down the percentage of men and women in community health worker positions over time. Currently, 76.5% of community health workers are female.
Community health worker gender ratio by year
| Year | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 28.55% | 71.45% |
| 2011 | 25.05% | 74.95% |
| 2012 | 26.57% | 73.43% |
| 2013 | 28.43% | 71.57% |
| 2014 | 27.71% | 72.29% |
| 2015 | 23.38% | 76.62% |
| 2016 | 25.87% | 74.13% |
| 2017 | 30.27% | 69.73% |
| 2018 | 28.89% | 71.11% |
| 2019 | 28.45% | 71.55% |
| 2020 | 23.66% | 76.34% |
| 2021 | 23.48% | 76.52% |
Community health worker related jobs gender ratio
We compared community health workers with similar job titles to see how gender ratios vary. As you can see, public health worker and rehabilitation engineer have the biggest gender ratio gaps.
| Job title | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Breastfeeding Educator | 2% | 98% |
| Certified Lactation Counselor | 3% | 97% |
| Lactation Specialist | 5% | 95% |
| Community Health Worker | 23% | 77% |
| Donation Worker | 70% | 30% |
| Rehabilitation Engineer | 70% | 30% |
| Public Health Worker | 81% | 19% |
Male
Female
100%
75%
50%
25%
0%
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
Community health worker demographics by race
The most common ethnicity among community health workers is White, which makes up 54.3% of all community health workers. Comparatively, 22.8% of community health workers are Hispanic or Latino and 9.4% of community health workers are Black or African American.
- White, 54.3%
- Hispanic or Latino, 22.8%
- Black or African American, 9.4%
- Unknown, 6.4%
- Asian, 5.8%
- American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%
Community health worker race
| Community health worker race | Percentages |
|---|---|
| White | 54.3% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 22.8% |
| Black or African American | 9.4% |
| Unknown | 6.4% |
| Asian | 5.8% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.3% |
Community health worker race and ethnicity over time
See how community health worker racial and ethnic diversity trended since 2010 according to the United States Census Bureau data.
Community health worker race and ethnicity by year
| Year | White | Black or African American | Asian | Hispanic or Latino |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 62.91% | 10.89% | 4.30% | 17.93% |
| 2011 | 61.32% | 12.15% | 4.67% | 18.06% |
| 2012 | 58.87% | 11.60% | 4.93% | 19.25% |
| 2013 | 59.48% | 10.00% | 4.62% | 20.90% |
| 2014 | 57.73% | 11.47% | 5.25% | 20.86% |
| 2015 | 59.83% | 10.72% | 6.02% | 19.57% |
| 2016 | 58.47% | 9.41% | 6.22% | 21.00% |
| 2017 | 58.49% | 10.45% | 5.03% | 22.21% |
| 2018 | 61.65% | 10.56% | 4.49% | 18.57% |
| 2019 | 59.59% | 8.19% | 5.72% | 21.77% |
| 2020 | 56.10% | 6.85% | 6.35% | 23.02% |
| 2021 | 54.31% | 9.44% | 5.83% | 22.77% |
Community health worker wage gap by race
| Ethnicity | Salary |
|---|---|
| Unknown | $36,280 |
| White | $37,397 |
| Black or African American | $35,587 |
| Asian | $39,061 |
| Hispanic or Latino | $36,550 |
Average community health worker age
See how the average age of community health workers varies based on ethnicity and gender.
Male
Female
Community health worker age by race and gender
| Race | Male age | Female age |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown | 40.5 | |
| White | 42.5 | 41 |
| Black or African American | 45 | 50.5 |
| Asian | 32 | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 40 | 37 |
Community health worker age breakdown
The average age of community health workers is 40+ years years old, representing 55% of the community health worker population.
Community health worker age breakdown
| Community Health Worker Years | Percentages |
|---|---|
| 40+ years | 55% |
| 30-40 years | 27% |
| 20-30 years | 19% |
Community health worker educational attainment
- Bachelor's, 60%
- Associate, 16%
- Master's, 12%
- High School Diploma, 6%
- Other Degrees, 6%
Community health workers by degree level
| Community health worker degree | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 60% |
| Associate | 16% |
| Master's | 12% |
| High School Diploma | 6% |
| Other Degrees | 6% |
Community health worker jobs you might like
Community health worker wage gap by degree level
| Education | Salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $42,300 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $33,053 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $37,557 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $33,756 |
Community health worker employment statistics
Most community health workers work for a private in the health care industry.
Company size where community health workers work
Below, you can see the size of companies where community health workers work.
Community health worker jobs by employer size
| Company size | Percentages |
|---|---|
| < 50 employees | 11% |
| 50 - 100 employees | 19% |
| 100 - 500 employees | 30% |
| 500 - 1,000 employees | 8% |
| 1,000 - 10,000 employees | 19% |
| > 10,000 employees | 13% |
Community health worker jobs by company type
Employees with the community health worker job title have their preferences when it comes to working for a company. For instance, most community health workers prefer to work at private companies over government companies.
Community health worker jobs by sector
| Company type | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Education | 16% |
| Public | 7% |
| Private | 60% |
| Government | 18% |
Community health worker jobs by industry
The most common industries for community health workers are health care, non profits and government.
Community health worker industry statistics
| Industry | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Health Care | 52% |
| Non Profits | 10% |
| Government | 9% |
| Education | 8% |
| Professional | 5% |
| Fortune 500 | 3% |
| Insurance | 3% |
| Pharmaceutical | 2% |
| Technology | 2% |
| Manufacturing | 1% |
| Finance | 1% |
| Retail | 1% |
| Media | 1% |
| Real Estate | 1% |
| Hospitality | 1% |
Community health worker turnover and employment statistics
Community health worker unemployment rate over time
The unemployment rate for community health workers between 2008 and the most recent data has varied, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Community health worker unemployment rate by year
| Year | Community health worker unemployment rate |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 6.67% |
| 2011 | 5.73% |
| 2012 | 7.54% |
| 2013 | 6.55% |
| 2014 | 5.84% |
| 2015 | 5.71% |
| 2016 | 5.17% |
| 2017 | 5.23% |
| 2018 | 5.73% |
| 2019 | 3.88% |
| 2020 | 3.90% |
| 2021 | 5.40% |
Average community health worker tenure
The average community health worker stays at their job for 1-2 years, based on the 3,391 community health workers resumes in Zippia's database.
Community health worker tenure statistics
| Number of years | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Less than 1 year | 24% |
| 1-2 years | 31% |
| 3-4 years | 13% |
| 5-7 years | 22% |
| 8-10 years | 6% |
| 11+ years | 5% |
Community health worker LGBT ratio compared to similar jobs
Review the percent of community health workers that are members of the LGBT community. You can see how this compares to similar jobs in the chart below.
| Job title | LGBT | Job openings |
|---|---|---|
| HIV Counselor | 8.96% | 34,058 |
| Parole Supervisor | 9.50% | 914 |
| Welfare Adviser | 11.25% | 11,336 |
| Community Development Assistant | 11.48% | 71,269 |
| Counselor Supervisor | 15.06% | 78,467 |
| Crisis Worker | 15.06% | 99,201 |
| Community Health Worker | 20.79% | - |
Similar community health worker jobs LGBT demographics
| Profession | Percentages of LGBT | Job openings |
|---|---|---|
| HIV Counselor | 8.96% | 34,058 |
| Parole Supervisor | 9.50% | 914 |
| Welfare Adviser | 11.25% | 11,336 |
| Community Development Assistant | 11.48% | 71,269 |
| Counselor Supervisor | 15.06% | 78,467 |
| Crisis Worker | 15.06% | 99,201 |
Foreign languages spoken by community health workers
The most common foreign language among community health workers is Spanish at 71.7%. The second-most popular foreign language spoken is French at 7.0% and Portuguese is the third-most popular at 2.7%.
- Spanish, 71.7%
- French, 7.0%
- Portuguese, 2.7%
- Cantonese, 2.3%
- Hindi, 1.9%
- Other, 14.4%
Community health worker languages spoken
| Foreign language | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Spanish | 71.7% |
| French | 7.0% |
| Portuguese | 2.7% |
| Cantonese | 2.3% |
| Hindi | 1.9% |
| Other | 14.4% |
