Health Education Specialists: Salary, Job Outlook & How to Become One (2026 Parent Guide)
Community and Social Service · SOC 21-1091 · O*NET 21-1091.00
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.
Health Education Specialists fall under the Community and Social Service category in the U.S. occupational classification. Health Education Specialists earn a median salary of $63,000 per year, ranking in the top 42% of all U.S. occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects +4.5% job growth through 2034, projected to grow at roughly the US average. Entry into this field typically requires a bachelor's degree, with specific licensing or certification depending on the state and employer. For parents whose teenager is exploring this path, the most actionable step is mapping the education requirements to specific colleges and majors before junior year — not waiting until application season.
What do health education specialists earn?
The median annual wage for health education specialists is $63,000. That puts health education specialists at #340 on the BLS ranked list of all U.S. occupations by median pay. This salary is above the U.S. median for individual workers and reflects a stable, credentialed occupation. Actual pay varies meaningfully by state, employer type, and years of experience — entry-level salaries are typically 30–40% below the median, while top-decile earners often exceed it by 50% or more.
| 10th percentile (entry-level) | $42,210 |
| 25th percentile | $49,880 |
| 50th percentile (median) | $63,000 |
| 75th percentile | $84,460 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $112,900 |
| Median hourly wage | $30.29/hr |
Is health education specialists a growing career?
The 10-year outlook for health education specialists is +4.5%, projected to grow at roughly the US average. Employment is projected to move from approximately 71K positions in 2024 to 75K in 2034, a net change of 4K. Average growth signals a healthy, resilient occupation that mirrors broader U.S. employment trends. Job availability tends to track regional economic conditions.
What do health education specialists do every day?
According to O*NET task surveys of working health education specialists, these are the core responsibilities most professionals perform. This is what your teen would actually be doing in this role.
- 1.Prepare and distribute health education materials, such as reports, bulletins, and visual aids, to address smoking, vaccines, and other public health concerns.
- 2.Develop and maintain cooperative working relationships with agencies and organizations interested in public health care.
- 3.Maintain databases, mailing lists, telephone networks, and other information to facilitate the functioning of health education programs.
- 4.Document activities and record information, such as the numbers of applications completed, presentations conducted, and persons assisted.
- 5.Develop and present health education and promotion programs, such as training workshops, conferences, and school or community presentations.
- 6.Collaborate with health specialists and civic groups to determine community health needs and the availability of services and to develop goals for meeting needs.
- 7.Develop, conduct, or coordinate health needs assessments and other public health surveys.
- 8.Supervise professional and technical staff in implementing health programs, objectives, and goals.
Top skills for health education specialists
O*NET ranks these as the most important skills for this occupation, on a 1–5 importance scale derived from worker surveys.
What education does my child need to become health education specialist?
The standard path into health education specialists begins with a bachelor's degree in a related field, followed by entry-level experience or internships during college. For parents helping a teen prepare, the highest-leverage step before junior year is identifying colleges and programs that feed reliably into this occupation — Solyo's college search lets parents filter by major and admissions data side by side.
Based on O*NET surveys of incumbents — what people in this job actually have, not what employers list as required.
Related careers your child might also consider
How parents help teens explore careers like this
Solyo helps parents map a teen's interests to specific careers, then back to the colleges and majors that lead there. Salary, outlook, and education data come from BLS and O*NET — the same sources high school counselors use — but presented for the parent's planning lens, not the student's exploration view.
Common questions parents ask about health education specialists
What is the median salary for health education specialists?
The median annual salary for health education specialists is $63,000 according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Is health education specialists a growing career?
BLS projects +4.5% growth for health education specialists from 2024 through 2034, which is average growth projected to grow at roughly the US average.
What education does my child need to become health education specialist?
The typical entry path requires a bachelor's degree, plus any state licensure or certification specific to the role. Programs that align well with this career can be filtered inside Solyo's college search.
What careers are similar to health education specialists?
Related occupations within the Community and Social Service category share education paths and skill profiles, so they're a useful starting set when a teen is uncertain. The "Related careers" section below lists nearby options.
Salary data sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics program. Skills, tasks, and education distribution from the O*NET database. Job outlook from the BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 release.