Community health workers
SOC Code: 21-1094
Community health workers carries a 40% AI exposure score (High automation risk), with a median annual wage of $51,030 and +11.3% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 65,100 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 40% AI exposure, Community health workers sits 3 points above the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - more exposed than 68% of them. Most of its core tasks still require human judgment.
Career outlook score
57/100
Community health workers, weighted across 3 of 3 tracked dimensions
A weighted composite of median wage, projected growth, and AI-automation security (inverted exposure), each benchmarked against every other tracked occupation. It describes this occupation's standing across those three dimensions, not a guarantee of future outcomes.
- Median wage D $51,030
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth A+ +11.3%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) F 40% exposure
Lower O*NET task-automability scores lower risk; this dimension scores security, not exposure
Home health and personal care aides is #1 of 832 occupations by employment (4.3M, AI exposure rank #392 at 35%) vs. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks #1 by AI task exposure (95%, employment rank #17 at 1.6M).
Automation-risk inventory
Exclusive cut of 832 occupations by PlainWorkforce automation-risk band. Orthogonal to the continuous AI-exposure distribution chart below and to this occupation's single risk badge, this is the corpus band mix, with Community health workers in the High band.
Credential × growth standing
Open entry with non-declining BLS pace
Community health workers keeps an HS / some college bar (333 of 832) and sits in Fast growth (67 of 832). Lower formal gates with a non-shrinking employment line - skill and AI desks matter more than credentials here.
Where Community health workers sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Community health workers sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
40% Around the middle lower than 32% of 832 occupations
Occupations, banded by AI-exposure score
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more occupations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor) · BLS 2024–2034
Source: O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor); AI-exposure scores are PlainWorkforce's analysis. As of BLS 2024–2034.
Community health workers vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Community health workers is marked in rose; the top-left corner is the most future-proof.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 (growth) and O*NET (AI-exposure analysis by PlainWorkforce).
Employment Projections
Where This Score Comes From
Community health workers's High automation-risk tier is computed from O*NET Database 30.0 task-level analysis, where each documented task the occupation performs is evaluated against current generative AI, robotic process automation, and machine-learning capabilities. A score in the 40–70% range indicates meaningful automation pressure on specific task categories, but the role as a whole still requires human judgment for coordination, exception handling, or client interaction.
The employment, wage, and education figures above come from a second, separate federal source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034, matched to the O*NET task data by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC 21-1094) code, with the wage figure cross-validated against the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 survey. BLS figures are presented exactly as published, with no adjustment on our part; the SOC-code match is what lets Community health workers be compared directly against every other tracked occupation on the same basis, not just roles that happen to share a job title.
For career planners, this profile should be read alongside the task, skill, and knowledge breakdowns below and the list of employers whose workforce composition includes Community health workers. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 1. Perform basic diagnostic procedures, such as blood pressure screening, breast cancer screening, or communicable disease screening.
- 2. Maintain updated client records with plans, notes, appropriate forms, or related information.
- 3. Advise clients or community groups on issues related to diagnostic screenings, such as breast cancer screening, pap smears, glaucoma tests, or diabetes screenings.
- 4. Advise clients or community groups on issues related to risk or prevention of conditions, such as lead poisoning, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), prenatal substance abuse, or domestic violence.
- 5. Administer immunizations or other basic preventive treatments.
- 6. Identify the particular health care needs of individuals in a community or target area.
- 7. Advise clients or community groups on issues related to improving general health, such as diet or exercise.
- 8. Advise clients or community groups on issues related to self-care, such as diabetes management.
- 9. Conduct home visits for pregnant women, newborn infants, or other high-risk individuals to monitor their progress or assess their needs.
- 10. Transport or accompany clients to scheduled health appointments or referral sites.
Key Skills Required
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Social Perceptiveness
- Writing
- Reading Comprehension
- Service Orientation
- Critical Thinking
- Active Learning
- Coordination
- Persuasion
Knowledge Areas
- Customer and Personal Service
- English Language
- Education and Training
- Administration and Management
- Medicine and Dentistry
- Psychology
- Administrative
- Personnel and Human Resources
- Computers and Electronics
- Therapy and Counseling
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Community health workers?
Community health workers has an AI exposure score of 40%, indicating a high level of automation risk. The majority of tasks in this role require human judgment, creativity, or physical presence that AI cannot easily replicate.
What is the job outlook for Community health workers?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Community health workers is projected to grow by 11.3% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 65,100 workers.
What skills are needed for Community health workers?
Key skills for Community health workers include Active Listening, Speaking, Social Perceptiveness, and others. Typical entry-level education is High school diploma or equivalent.
How much do Community health workers earn?
The median annual wage for Community health workers is $51,030, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024). Actual earnings vary by location, experience, industry, and employer. The BLS publishes detailed wage percentiles by region in its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.
What education is required for Community health workers?
The typical entry-level education for Community health workers is High school diploma or equivalent. Employers generally expect None of related work experience. On-the-job training typically involves Short-term on-the-job training. Requirements can vary by employer and specialization.
Which companies employ Community health workers?
Community health workers roles exist across many industries and employers. Workforce composition is estimated from BLS industry-occupation employment distributions matched to SEC-registered public companies.
AI Exposure Rating
High automation risk based on 10 analyzed tasks. A moderate share of tasks may be augmented by AI tools.
Nationwide occupations with similar workforce profiles
Two data-derived peer sets for Community health workers: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (40% here).
- Bus drivers, transit and intercity · AI exposure 40%
- Credit counselors · AI exposure 40%
- Curators · AI exposure 40%
- Insurance sales agents · AI exposure 40%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (+11.3% here).
- Mechanical door repairers · growth +11.4%
- Clinical and counseling psychologists · growth +11.2%
- Recreational vehicle service technicians · growth +11.5%
- Therapists, all other · growth +11.5%
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on published BLS + O*NET metrics among occupations with ≥10,000 workers in 2024; corpus ranks above sort the full tracked set.
Related Occupations
Showing 6 of 221 occupations with a comparable automation-risk profile.
What to do with this
Use Community health workers' numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Community health workers side by side against another occupation on wage, growth, and AI exposure. Workforce comparison tool
- Understand how the AI exposure score above is actually calculated before treating it as a verdict. Reading AI exposure scores
- See the full ranked list of occupations with the lowest automation exposure nationwide. Safest occupations from AI
AI exposure scores estimate task automatability from O*NET data; they are not a certainty of job loss, and BLS growth projections are estimates, not guarantees.
Data sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2024–2034 and O*NET Database 30.0. Employment figures are rounded. Wage data from BLS Occupational Employment Statistics (OES).