Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between community workers and outreach specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a community worker, becoming an outreach specialist takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, an outreach specialist has an average salary of $41,863, which is higher than the $40,029 average annual salary of a community worker.
The top three skills for a community worker include social services, mental health and rehabilitation. The most important skills for an outreach specialist are customer service, patients, and social work.
| Community Worker | Outreach Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $40,029 | $41,863 |
| Hourly rate | $19.24 | $20.13 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 46,201 | 46,523 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 12 |
Community workers are individuals who work with families or social communities to help promote or restore the social functioning of a community. These workers must promote social justice and maximizing human potential while advocating the rights of individuals and community groups. They must have the skills and flexibility to work with multiple client groups to assess and evaluate community projects and programs. Community workers must also work for non-profit organizations, government, and private sectors to provide human services.
An outreach specialist is primarily responsible for organizing and managing social service programs that promote health and wellness within a community. They typically conduct research and assessments to determine the community's needs, thoroughly plan events and programs, participate in hiring staff and volunteers, and liaise with sponsors and suppliers. Often reporting to a manager or supervisor, an outreach specialist must also perform clerical tasks such as producing progress reports, preparing necessary documentation, managing schedules, arranging appointments, and even responding to inquiries and concerns.
Community workers and outreach specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Community Worker | Outreach Specialist | |
| Average salary | $40,029 | $41,863 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $55,000 | Between $29,000 And $58,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Mateo, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | University of Illinois Springfield | CME Group |
| Best paying industry | Education | Government |
There are a few differences between a community worker and an outreach specialist in terms of educational background:
| Community Worker | Outreach Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between community workers' and outreach specialists' demographics:
| Community Worker | Outreach Specialist | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 31.6% Female, 68.4% | Male, 34.4% Female, 65.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 6.4% Hispanic or Latino, 22.9% Asian, 6.2% White, 54.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% | Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 21.6% Asian, 6.1% White, 53.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 21% | 11% |