Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Job outlook for health outreach workers in the United States
Health outreach worker job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected health outreach worker job growth rate is 12% from 2018-2028.
About 15,200 new jobs for health outreach workers are projected over the next decade.
Health outreach worker salaries have increased 13% for health outreach workers in the last 5 years.
There are over 10,686 health outreach workers currently employed in the United States.
There are 85,592 active health outreach worker job openings in the US.
The average health outreach worker salary is $32,129.
Are health outreach worker jobs in demand?
Health outreach worker job and salary trends over time
Health outreach worker jobs over time
Health outreach worker job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 10,686 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 10,319 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 10,375 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 9,897 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 9,659 | 0.00% |
Average health outreach worker salary over time
Health outreach worker salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $32,129 | $15.45 | +4.1% |
| 2024 | $30,875 | $14.84 | +2.1% |
| 2023 | $30,247 | $14.54 | +3.0% |
| 2022 | $29,352 | $14.11 | +2.8% |
| 2021 | $28,557 | $13.73 | +2.8% |
Health outreach worker jobs by state
Most common states for health outreach workers
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 299 | 43% |
| 2 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 552 | 29% |
| 3 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 255 | 29% |
| 4 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 2,083 | 28% |
| 5 | Tennessee | 6,715,984 | 1,669 | 25% |
| 6 | Missouri | 6,113,532 | 1,550 | 25% |
| 7 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 425 | 25% |
| 8 | Georgia | 10,429,379 | 2,552 | 24% |
| 9 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 2,026 | 24% |
| 10 | Delaware | 961,939 | 230 | 24% |
| 11 | North Carolina | 10,273,419 | 2,406 | 23% |
| 12 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 1,207 | 22% |
| 13 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 678 | 22% |
| 14 | Vermont | 623,657 | 135 | 22% |
| 15 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 1,122 | 20% |
| 16 | Alabama | 4,874,747 | 966 | 20% |
| 17 | Oklahoma | 3,930,864 | 747 | 19% |
| 18 | California | 39,536,653 | 7,090 | 18% |
| 19 | Indiana | 6,666,818 | 1,127 | 17% |
| 20 | Louisiana | 4,684,333 | 818 | 17% |
Most common cities for health outreach workers
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lancaster | 3 | 2% | $38,292 |
| 2 | Los Angeles | 7 | 0% | $38,014 |
| 3 | Detroit | 1 | 0% | $30,963 |
| 4 | Long Beach | 1 | 0% | $37,820 |
Health Outreach Worker job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of health outreach worker experts
Michigan Technological University
Ohio University
Colorado State University - Pueblo
University of Akron
University of South Florida
Campbellsville University
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Siena College
Nazareth College of Rochester
Nebraska Christian College
Kennesaw State University
Azusa Pacific University
What will help Health Outreach Workers increase their earning potential?
Emily McCave PhD, MSW, LCSW: For clinical positions, which is what most social workers do, daily tasks typically include conducting assessments and providing individual, family, and/or group therapy to children and/or adults, while collaborating with other providers working with the client. There is also daily clinical documentation that needs to be completed.
What general advice would you give to a Health Outreach Worker?
Tayler Haapapuro MS: Preventative health measures, educating people on the importance of movement, interpersonal skills and the ability to explain to clients and patients their health. Having a deep understanding of anatomy, physiology, & biomechanics and how it relates to daily health.
What Health Outreach Worker skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Tayler Haapapuro MS: Continuing education, conferences, and certifications. Making sure you are apart of an organization with continuing education (AKA, ACSM, CSCS etc). Staying on top of the ever evolving world of health can give you an edge in many areas of treatment.
What will help Health Outreach Workers increase their earning potential?
Tayler Haapapuro MS: Take advantage of the connections you've made during your undergraduate degree. Professionals that you've met shadowing, interning, at conferences can all help you and guide you. Don't be afraid to continue your education through certifications and conferences. There is always more to learn and it can make you even more marketable, and will help you expand your connections.
What general advice would you give to a Health Outreach Worker?
Jennifer Shadik: Social work can be a challenging profession. We are often helping people who have experienced trauma or are going through extremely difficult situations. We are there to help them navigate these challenges, while building on their strengths and resources. Helping people through these challenging circumstances and seeing them grow and change is very rewarding. Building relationships with people, helping them learn new knowledge and skills, and advocating for social and economic justice are gratifying aspects of being a social worker.
What Health Outreach Worker skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Jennifer Shadik: There is a great need for trained social workers. Social work is a vast profession and you will find social workers practicing with children in schools, providing care for behavioral health or substance use disorders, as well as working in hospitals and hospice care. There are many jobs for trained and licensed social workers; the social work degree is very flexible, allowing social workers to work with a variety of populations and problems.
What general advice would you give to a Health Outreach Worker?
Pamela Richmond Ph.D.: Challenges social workers can face are high caseloads, not enough resources to assist clients and exposure to horrific aspects of humanity. Social workers enjoy being a part of the change process by recognizing the strengths and resiliency of individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities. Workers advocate for individuals that are marginalized and oppressed, ensuring they have a voice. They enjoy looking at solutions to problems and empowering others to make changes beneficial for their lives.
What will help Health Outreach Workers increase their earning potential?
Pamela Richmond Ph.D.: Social workers employed in a variety of diverse settings to include prisons, hospitals, child welfare, homeless shelters, nursing homes, substance abuse facilities, mental health facilities, community organizations and politics (and there are many, many more settings). The setting and the population of clients the social workers assist (children, youth, adults, etc.) will determine the specific day-to-day workload. However, general daily tasks completed regardless of the setting include interacting with clients/community constituents, responding to phone calls/e-mails, problem-solving, teamwork within the organization employed and/or with community constituents and documentation. Social workers entering the profession have fulfilled placement work during their educational training. Meaning, prior to graduation they have been placed in an agency working under the supervision of a social worker applying what they have learned in their coursework. As a result, when they begin their work as a social worker, they are ready to apply the knowledge, values and the skills they have learned to fulfill the tasks mentioned above.
What general advice would you give to a Health Outreach Worker?
Nancy Kelley PhD: The next 3-5 years may see some changes that will require certain skills to be even more important and prevalent in social work practice than ever before. One of the most pressing challenges social workers are currently facing is the extremely contentious political environment of the United States and the direct impact that has on equity and justice issues that have always been at the root of all social work efforts. The divisiveness that has been exacerbated in this country over the past several years has stifled social welfare policy efforts and has threatened social work education to effectively address longstanding and emerging social issues. Social workers will need to be especially adept at negotiating conflict embedded in divisive concepts and highly skilled to effect legislative change. This, combined with other unprecedented demographic and cultural changes, such as the aging of our population, increased cultural diversity and intersectionality within the U.S. population, and health and mental health crises, including illicit drug and addiction epidemics, make for extremely complex cases of vulnerable populations social workers serve. The level of knowledge and skill social workers must acquire and activate simultaneously, including trauma-informed approaches to be used cross-culturally, is immense. Another major need for advanced social work skills is with regard to the environment, including the effects of climate change on human conditions, and environmental justice. Some of these significant changes to the landscape of social work practice will force social workers to beef up their interprofessional and macro-practice skills. Lastly, I think the great unknown is related to technology--how to manage the digital ethics at the speed of technological advances will be essential to the field of social work.
What will help Health Outreach Workers increase their earning potential?
Nancy Kelley PhD: Unfortunately, everyone needs money and has bills to pay. Social work historically has been at the bottom of the totem pole when it comes to salaries, regardless of education level, professional licensure, etc. Oftentimes, social workers have felt the need to concede to making a difference over making money as if 'making a difference' and fulfilling our passion through our livelihood makes up for inequitable wages. I do think that sometimes it is true that social workers are overworked and underpaid. Even with one of my 'tips' for earning more money being to supplement your salary by taking on extra opportunities like consulting or having a private practice on the side or being an independent grant writer for nonprofits. However, that may help maximize earnings and be a great way to utilize diverse skill sets of a social worker and help to build your professional networks, it also perpetuates stress and the feeling of being overworked. So, that may not be an appealing option. A better strategy to maximize salary potential when starting your social work career, is to be assertive and learn the art and skill of negotiation. We (especially women and social workers) are not usually very good at selling ourselves and getting others to see our value. However, if you are able to emphasize your experiences and education and be comfortable with that, it will serve you well when navigating the job market. Before you get to that point however, I suggest taking advantage of whatever educational opportunities are available to you. For example, if you are working on your BSW, find a way to earn a minor or a certificate that will complement and supplement the BSW, such as a certificate in gerontology or a minor in criminal justice. Having some area of specialized training and education can give you an edge in the labor market. Likewise when working on an MSW-- is there an opportunity for a dual degree program or to adjunct your MSW with a certificate or other kind of specialized credential? Again, that opportunity will likely not present itself again and may very well increase your earning potential. Another strategy to help increase your salary is to be an active member of professional organizations; this gives you easy access to continuing education opportunities and for keeping up with the literature. Staying current with developments in the social work field and your particular area of practice can make you more valuable to employers and lead to higher salaries. Another strategy is to think outside the box-- there are a lot of social work jobs that might have alternative titles and have higher salaries attached to them, especially positions that might be more administrative or leadership positions-- for example a 'development director,' 'program coordinator,' 'community outreach specialist,' 'clinical supervisor,' 'social services director,' 'program evaluator,' 'quality assurance/improvement manager,' or the like. Additionally, looking for social work positions outside of the nonprofit world can also be a way to have higher earnings. More and more corporations and businesses are hiring social workers. Such positions might be something like being a social worker in an Employee Assistance Program or at a Student Counseling Center on a college campus or it could be a position with a corporation assisting with their corporate giving goals and efforts to give back to the community through community service of some kind-- social workers are good at organizing fundraising events and creating partnerships with nonprofits to help populations in need or specialized causes. Social workers are also hired by organizations such as United Way or Community Foundations who grant funds to nonprofit organizations and these entities often have opportunities for higher pay. Nowadays, social workers can be found in various nontraditional settings, such as hospital and healthcare systems, school systems, and government agencies, which often have higher salaries and more competitive benefits.
What Health Outreach Worker skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Melissa Smith MS, CHES, NBC-HWC: Health and wellness coaching skills continue to gain incredible momentum in the health care industry and many other professional fields. Treat every patient/client relationship as a partnership: you are the expert in your field and they are the expert on their life. Behavior change that stems from strength-base approaches that allow the client/patient to take ownership of their plan increases long-term compliance tremendously. Additionally, insurance billing skills may become more important and prevalent in the field as (hopefully) efforts to expand current procedural terminology” or “CPT” codes for Qualified Exercise Professionals (QEPs) are successful.
What will help Health Outreach Workers increase their earning potential?
Melissa Smith MS, CHES, NBC-HWC: There is a two-pronged approach I recommend to maximizing salary potential as a new graduate: 1) expand your professional network and 2) pursue additional certifications in areas of interest. Ways to expand your professional network are to leverage your LinkedIn account to connect to professionals you meet at work and at professional conferences. Volunteer to serve on committees to organize community events related to your work, such as fundraising events put on by the American Heart Association (e.g., Heartwalk) or American Cancer Society (e.g., Relay for Life), or a local health fair. As you discover your strengths in the workplace, pursue additional certifications to enhance your qualifications.
What general advice would you give to a Health Outreach Worker?
Maureen Chiodini-Rinaldo: God gave you two ears and one mouth. Listen twice as much as you talk. Remain open-minded and stay in touch with your mentors. We should always be learning. Find your path and your niche by doing what makes you happy. Don't chase the money. If you are happy and doing what you love and are passionate about, the money will come.
What will help Health Outreach Workers increase their earning potential?
Maureen Chiodini-Rinaldo: Success in life is about connections. Who knows you (Not who you know!), and how do they know you? Jobs will come to you once you create and live your passion. People will see you and offer you work. Guide your career based on your values. Your rewards will reflect your values. Owning your own business allows you to be your boss but has many pitfalls and risks. If you think you want to own your own business, interview a few people who have been successful and ask them how they did it. Also, work with and for them to learn about operations and culture. Can you do that lifestyle? Research current salaries in your area, and then talk to people doing what you think you want to do. Ask them about the range of wages you should expect. Does that work for you? Be prepared to negotiate your salary. Know what you should get paid before you start the negotiation meeting. I love working with students on budgets. We start with personal budgets and work to budgeting for the operations of their own business. It can be a remarkable learning process especially once they realize that if they can save $100/month every month for 30 years, they will have close to $100,000. Start small and grow big!
Dr. Kimberly Mudd-Fegett DSW, MSSW
Associate Professor of Social WorkCampbellsville University
Social Work
What Health Outreach Worker skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Kimberly Mudd-Fegett DSW, MSSW: The best thing about being a Social Worker is the ability to serve, assist and empower other individuals who are facing challenges within their life. Although this can be very overwhelming, at times the rewards this can provide, and self-fulfillment is hard to put into words. One of the greatest challenges of Social Work is maintaining adequate self-care and knowing that you can impact or help all individuals. This can be extremely challenging and overwhelming, particularly for new workers. One must ensure that they have adequate supervision, education, and resources to protect their wellbeing or burnout is highly likely.
What will help Health Outreach Workers increase their earning potential?
Dr. J. Lendrum PhD: Trust yourself and follow your passions. It is possible to find a meaningful career that aligns with your core interests and values.
Dr. Wendy Huddleston
Doctor of Physical Therapy Program Director, Associate ProfessorUniversity of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Communication Disorders Sciences And Services
What general advice would you give to a Health Outreach Worker?
Dr. Wendy Huddleston: Interprofessional teamwork, cultural humility, flexibility, and innovation will be the keys to a successful future in health and wellness. Healthcare in the US is going to change significantly in the next decade. Methods of delivery, including more telehealth/telecommunications, and the use of AI in clinical practice are some examples.
What will help Health Outreach Workers increase their earning potential?
Dr. Wendy Huddleston: Treat clients and patients as individuals with unique lived experiences. They can teach you as much or more than what you learned in a classroom. Seek out and volunteer for new experiences. Do not be afraid to ask questions. Recognize the experience of others but know that you bring the value of new knowledge and a fresh perspective.
Elisa Martin Ph.D., MSW
Associate Professor of Social Work, Department Chair & Program DirectorSiena College
Social Sciences
What will help Health Outreach Workers increase their earning potential?
Elisa Martin Ph.D., MSW: The beauty of the social work profession is that the skills you learn from your degree can be applied in a range of settings and populations. Depending on your interest, you could be working with children, youth, adults, older adults, or in an area of interest like domestic violence, homelessness, child welfare, gerontology. The work you do could be one-on-one, with small groups, running programs within an organization, and/or working in communities.
What general advice would you give to a Health Outreach Worker?
Erin Cole DSW, LCSW: There is a phrase that sometimes comes out in social work that we are "in it for the outcome, not for the income." This is true but also, we deserve a livable wage. I already see graduates starting at higher salaries so I think this is trending in the right direction. With that said, I think the best way to maximize salary potential is to build your resume with trainings and certifications, beyond the degree, to show that you have something extra to offer compared to another new graduate. There are so many courses available online to get certified in specific interventions.
What Health Outreach Worker skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Erin Cole DSW, LCSW: When you're looking for jobs, don't look for a forever job. Find something that seems like a good fit right now. The pressure for it to be forever is too much. Do it for as long as it feels right and move on when it doesn't. Also, remember that being a new graduate is an asset! You are more current on trends in social work, literature, and evidence-based practices than many seasoned professionals. You add value to the setting and should not minimize that by falling back on being new in the field.
What will help Health Outreach Workers increase their earning potential?
Dr. Dexter Voisin: I think there is a lot of misinformation about what is social work. Many persons have a very narrow view of social workers that they remove children from homes as “baby snatchers” or work with income assistance. However, social work is much broader than these roles.
What general advice would you give to a Health Outreach Worker?
Cynthia Peters MSW: When people hear the word social worker, they immediately think about the folks that take children from their families due to some report of abuse. They have a tendency to immediately not like what they think is social work. Social Work is so much more than working for DCS. What I like about Social Work is that there are so many jobs/careers you can walk into and utilize the skill you learned about the profession. Your job title does not need to be Social Worker. I know a social worker that is the Director of Public Works; Recreation Coordinator; Minister; Assistant to in the Governor's Office; Victim Advocate; Management Assistant; Council person; Governor; Senator. The sky is the limit to what career or job a social worker can do.
What Health Outreach Worker skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Cynthia Peters MSW: It is a good profession to enter now, due to the need for social workers in some of the jobs that I mentioned in the previous question. Social Workers can provide a different perspective on service delivery. Meeting the clients where they are at; developing relationships with the community; advocating for client services; writing grants; monitoring grants; brokering services......
What will help Health Outreach Workers increase their earning potential?
Cynthia Peters MSW: Social Work is a profession that can be in many places: hospital, university, government agencies, fire departments, court systems, homeless shelters, behavioral health facilities, schools, private practices, non-profit agencies, hospice care, senior programs, just to name a few. So depending on where a social workers find a job will determine what they do on a day to day basis.
Christine Kiewra
Associate Professor of PracticeNebraska Christian College
Human Development, Family Studies, And Related Services
What Health Outreach Worker skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Christine Kiewra: This profession includes information that everyone needs to be a functioning adult in society (family finance, human development, close relationships).
What general advice would you give to a Health Outreach Worker?
Cindy Snell: Be able to articulate the skills and experience you have that are relevant to the jobs you are seeking - tell your story! Learn another language than English. Negotiate your hiring terms. Learn about loan forgiveness options.
What general advice would you give to a Health Outreach Worker?
Camille Coleman: Do your research within the state and or country, and or agency you are seeking potential employment. Look up the laws, compare them to other states, don't be afraid to look at all careers within the social work field, for example research in social work gets overlooked, facilitation, curriculum development, etc. Future social workers should seek reciprocity in multiple states to practice counseling services after obtaining one's licensure, if wanting to provide therapeutic services. This will give one leverage to negotiate higher salary requests.
What will help Health Outreach Workers increase their earning potential?
Dr. Aimée Vadnais Psy.D, LMFT: Research the going rates in your industry and ask colleagues to have a good idea. Recognize your worth and advocate for yourself during pay discussions. Highlight unique skill sets that may be valuable to the agency. Provide free education nights to benefit the community, potentially leading to clients. Find a niche population you enjoy working with and market your services specifically to this area.
What Health Outreach Worker skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Andrew Schoolnik: Dialogue and compromise. There are many apparatuses in today's society which are designed to pull people apart. Cable news and online news sites are famous examples of this. Add to this the echo chambers of social media where people largely associate with like-minded people while looking negatively at those with a different world view. This silo-ing of society is the antithesis of dialogue and compromise. Instead, it creates a class system of those who agree (the favored class) and those who disagree (the unfavored class).
On a macro level, the more the social worker dialogues with all stakeholders (those in favor and those opposed) the more that person gains knowledge and goodwill. This is at the heart of compromise - winning being defined as doing the most good for the most people.
On a clinical level, social workers work mutually with their clients. Learning about a client's values begins with dialogue (even when our values are different) and creating treatment plans is often-based on compromise (agency policy/goals, and client goals).
What general advice would you give to a Health Outreach Worker?
Nicole Willis Ph.D., LMSW: Maximizing your salary first starts with doing the groundwork in the junior and senior year of the Social Work program. You'll want to have a strong and competitive professional resume that show how you stand-out from the other job seekers. The second phase is during the entry-level job interview phase. Best advice I ever received about salary is to NOT accept the first salary offered right away. Let your potential employer know that you'd like a day or two to think about the offer. During those two days, do your homework. Find out what is the average pay for like positions there and in other organizations. Talk with mentors you have within your professional network to get their thoughts on your offer. Don't be afraid to negotiate salary or negotiate the possibility that the potential employer would include paying for you to participate in a conference every year so you can earn the CEUs you need to maintain your Social Work license. In Social Work, we utilize great humility when working with clients and client systems. However, when in the office interviewing and considering that salary offer, put that humility aside for a while and think like a business person.