Health education specialists
SOC Code: 21-1091
Health education specialists carries a 35% AI exposure score (Medium automation risk), with a median annual wage of $63,000 and +4.5% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 71,800 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 35% AI exposure, Health education specialists sits 2 points below the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - more exposed than 46% of them. Most of its core tasks still require human judgment.
Career outlook score
62/100
Health education specialists, 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 C $63,000
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth B +4.5%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) C- 35% 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 Health education specialists in the Medium band.
Credential × growth standing
Bachelor's band with mid-pack BLS pace
Health education specialists shares the Bachelor's gate with 178 peer occupations and lands in Average (378 of 832). Neither the rarest nor the most crowded growth shelf - use wage and AI desks on this page for the differentiator.
Where Health education specialists sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Health education specialists sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
35% Lower than most lower than 54% 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.
Health education specialists vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Health education specialists 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
Health education specialists's Medium 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 below 40% reflects tasks anchored in physical dexterity, unstructured environments, or high-touch human interaction that current AI cannot reliably replicate.
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 21-1091) 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 Health education specialists 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 Health education specialists. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 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.
- 9. Develop educational materials and programs for community agencies, local government, and state government.
- 10. Develop operational plans and policies necessary to achieve health education objectives and services.
Key Skills Required
- Active Listening
- Writing
- Speaking
- Learning Strategies
- Active Learning
- Social Perceptiveness
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
- Coordination
- Instructing
Knowledge Areas
- Customer and Personal Service
- Education and Training
- English Language
- Administrative
- Psychology
- Public Safety and Security
- Mathematics
- Sociology and Anthropology
- Computers and Electronics
- Communications and Media
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Health education specialists?
Health education specialists has an AI exposure score of 35%, indicating a medium 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 Health education specialists?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Health education specialists is projected to grow by 4.5% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 71,800 workers.
What skills are needed for Health education specialists?
Key skills for Health education specialists include Active Listening, Writing, Speaking, and others. Typical entry-level education is Bachelor's degree.
How much do Health education specialists earn?
The median annual wage for Health education specialists is $63,000, 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 Health education specialists?
The typical entry-level education for Health education specialists is Bachelor's degree. Employers generally expect None of related work experience. On-the-job training typically involves None. Requirements can vary by employer and specialization.
Which companies employ Health education specialists?
Health education specialists 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
Medium automation risk based on 10 analyzed tasks. Most tasks require human judgment and are resistant to automation.
Nationwide occupations with similar workforce profiles
Two data-derived peer sets for Health education specialists: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (35% here).
- Actuaries · AI exposure 35%
- Automotive and watercraft service attendants · AI exposure 35%
- Chemical technicians · AI exposure 35%
- Crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tenders · AI exposure 35%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (+4.5% here).
- Carpenters · growth +4.5%
- Dancers · growth +4.5%
- Helpers--carpenters · growth +4.5%
- Managers, all other · growth +4.5%
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 10 occupations with a comparable automation-risk profile.
What to do with this
Use Health education specialists' numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Health education specialists 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).