# Community Health Workers

US SOC code 21-1094. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/21-1094

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **61,660** US community health workers, with median pay of **$51,850** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2012, the May 2025 count is the highest. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5269544/) of **86,000** from 2000, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for community health workers: Electronic Health Records integration + care coordination platforms, 2010 to 2020.

Figures: Official statistic (latest count and pay, highest count); Researched context (earliest figure).

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 12.7% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=21-1094&ioType=o) (Official statistic).

### AI exposure studies

- **34.7%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv) (Official statistic)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Community Health Workers employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1920
- Latest US employment: 61,660 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [2]
- Latest US median pay: $51,850 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [3]
- Outlook: +12.7% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [11]

### All 15 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2000 | 86,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Malcarney et al. (2017) [1] |
| 2012 | 38,020 | $34,620 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [2] |
| 2013 | 45,800 | $34,610 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [2] |
| 2014 | 47,880 | $34,870 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [2] |
| 2015 | 48,130 | $36,300 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [2] |
| 2016 | 51,900 | $37,330 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [2] |
| 2017 | 54,760 | $38,370 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [2] |
| 2018 | 56,130 | $39,540 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [2] |
| 2019 | 58,950 | $40,360 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [2] |
| 2020 | 58,670 | $42,000 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [2] |
| 2021 | 61,010 | $46,590 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [2] |
| 2022 | 61,300 | $46,190 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [2] |
| 2023 | 58,550 | $48,200 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [2] |
| 2024 | 60,730 | $51,030 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [2] |
| 2025 | 61,660 | $51,850 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [2] |

## Sources (46)

### Employment series

1. [Malcarney et al. (2017), "The Changing Roles of Community Health Workers" (PMC5269544) — cites HRSA 2007 National Workforce Study estimate of 86,000 CHWs in 2000](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5269544/), Health Resources and Services Administration / PubMed Central
2. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Wage series

3. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Tool eras

4. [NIH Bookshelf: Community Health Workers (NBK560332) — historical development from informal lay health aides to formally recognized occupation](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK560332/), National Library of Medicine
5. [Indian Health Service Community Health Aide Program — historical background on rural Alaska CHAs in the 1950s-1960s](https://www.ihs.gov/chap/), Indian Health Service
6. [HRSA Bureau of Primary Health Care: The Foundation and Early Years of the Health Center Program (OEO 1965 neighborhood health centers)](https://bphc.hrsa.gov/about-health-center-program/health-center-program-history/foundation-early-years), Health Resources and Services Administration
7. [NIH PMC5269544 — The Changing Roles of Community Health Workers (policy milestones 1990-2015, including Minnesota 2003 curriculum and 2007 Medicaid reimbursement)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5269544/), PubMed Central
8. [County Health Rankings and Roadmaps: Community Health Workers (evidence summary and historical development)](https://www.countyhealthrankings.org/strategies-and-solutions/what-works-for-health/strategies/community-health-workers), County Health Rankings and Roadmaps / Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
9. [PMC11009117 — Community Health Workers During COVID-19: Supporting Their Role in Current and Future Public Health Responses (essential infrastructure designation March 2020, vaccine outreach 2021)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11009117/), PubMed Central
10. [Applied Policy: The Growth of Community Health Worker Programs (ARP $225M investment 2021, telehealth adoption, post-pandemic tools)](https://www.appliedpolicy.com/the-growth-of-community-health-worker-programs/), Applied Policy

### Forecasts and exposure studies

11. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 21-1094 Community health workers (2025: 64.7 thousand; 2035: 72.9 thousand; +12.7%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=21-1094&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
12. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 21-1094.00, human-rated β 0.347)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

13. [HRSA Bureau of Primary Health Care: The Foundation and Early Years of the Health Center Program (OEO grant, Columbia Point December 1965)](https://bphc.hrsa.gov/about-health-center-program/health-center-program-history/foundation-early-years), Health Resources and Services Administration
14. [Indian Health Service: Community Health Representative Program, About Us (1968 Congressional establishment)](https://www.ihs.gov/chr/aboutus/), Indian Health Service / U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
15. [WHO Declaration of Alma-Ata (1978), International Conference on Primary Health Care, September 6-12, 1978](https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/documents/almaata-declaration-en.pdf), World Health Organization
16. [HRSA Bureau of Health Professions, Community Health Worker National Workforce Study 2007 (summarized in NIH Bookshelf NBK560332)](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK560332/), Health Resources and Services Administration / National Library of Medicine
17. [PMC11009117 — Community Health Workers During COVID-19 (DHS essential worker designation March 28, 2020; ARP $225M training investment 2021)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11009117/), PubMed Central / American Journal of Public Health

### Predecessors & successors

18. [NIH Bookshelf NBK560332 — CHW development from local volunteer and informal lay-worker roles to formal programs](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK560332/), National Library of Medicine

### Present-day analysis

- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-21
- [O\*NET 30.3 — US Department of Labor](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), accessed 2026-05-21

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.