How much does a health education specialists make?

The median health education specialists salary in the United States is $64,070 per year ($30.80/hour). Salaries range from $42,990 (10th percentile) to $118,200 (90th percentile). There are 65,690 health education specialists jobs in the U.S. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS.

Which state pays health education specialistss the most?

The highest paying state for health education specialistss is Maryland at $104,470 median salary.

Is health education specialists a good career?

Health Education Specialists employment is projected to grow 4.5% from 2024 to 2034 (as fast as average). There are approximately 7,900 job openings per year. Typical education required: Bachelor's degree.

What interview questions are asked for health education specialists roles?

Common health education specialists interview questions include: "Walk me through a program you designed and delivered end-to-end.", "How do you engage a community that has been burned by past health-department outreach?", "Which health-behavior theory do you rely on most, and why?". Interview format at top employers ranges from behavioral panels (STAR method) to technical case rounds — for example Kaiser Permanente / Sutter Health / Providence typically uses 3-4 rounds over 3-5 weeks.

What is the career ladder for health education specialistss?

The typical health education specialists career ladder: Health Educator / Program Coordinator (0-3 yrs, $46-62k) → Health Education Specialist (CHES) (3-8 yrs, $58-85k) → Senior Specialist / MCHES (8-15 yrs, $72-108k) → Program Manager / Director of Community Health (15+ yrs, $105-155k).

What certifications should health education specialistss get?

Top-ROI certifications for health education specialistss: CHES (Certified Health Education Specialist) ($300 exam + $100 annual maintenance); MCHES (Master Certified Health Education Specialist) ($400 exam + $150 annual maintenance); Master of Public Health (MPH) ($25-70k tuition; often employer-supported at hospitals and universities).

How do you negotiate a health education specialists salary?

Anchor on documented market data (BLS median $64,070, p75 $87,130), specific outcomes you've delivered, and the specific band for your years of experience. With my CHES credential, 5 years leading the maternal-health portfolio, bilingual Spanish, and documented outcomes including 82% postpartum retention and $420k in awarded grants, the market for a Senior Health Education...

Health Education Specialists Salary

The median health education specialists salary in the United States is $64,070 per year ($30.80/hour). Salaries range from $42,990 at the entry level to $118,200+ for the top 10% of earners. There are 65,690 health education specialists jobs nationwide. Employment is projected to grow 4.5% through 2034.

Last updated: June 2026 · Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Also known asHealth EducatorPublic Health Educator

Median Salary

$64,070

per year

Hourly Rate

$30.80

per hour

Employment

65,690

jobs in the U.S.

Salary Distribution

10th percentile

$42,990

25th percentile

$50,620

Median

$64,070

75th percentile

$87,130

90th percentile

$118,200

Job Growth (2024-2034)

+4.5%

As fast as average

Annual Openings

7,900

jobs/year (growth + replacements)

Education Required

Bachelor's degree

Health Education Specialists Career Guide

Interview questions, resume templates, and a career ladder written specifically for health education specialistss.

Health education specialists design and deliver programs that promote wellness and prevent disease in hospitals, community clinics, health departments, employer wellness programs, and schools. Entry $46-62k; CHES-credentialed mid-career $58-85k; senior/MCHES $75-115k; program manager/director $105-155k. Non-profit and government roles qualify for PSLF. BLS projects 7% growth 2023-2033 driven by chronic-disease prevention, maternal health, and employer wellness.

Core Skills Hiring Managers Screen For

Program planning and implementation

Community needs assessment, logic models, evidence-based curriculum selection (from CDC or Community Guide), and rollout across schools, clinics, or workplaces.

Health behavior theory

Fluency with Transtheoretical Model, Health Belief Model, Social Cognitive Theory — used to design interventions that actually change behavior, not just deliver information.

Community and cultural competency

Ability to run focus groups, work with community health workers, and adapt materials for Spanish-speaking, refugee, or low-literacy populations.

Program evaluation

Pre/post surveys, RE-AIM framework, process and outcome measures; comfortable with basic biostatistics and reporting to funders.

Grant writing and reporting

Federal (HRSA, CDC), state, and foundation grants — from LOI through logic model, budget narrative, and quarterly outcome reports.

Health communications

Plain-language messaging, social marketing campaigns, materials at 6th-grade reading level, digital platforms including SMS and social.

Coalition and stakeholder management

Partnerships with schools, faith organizations, employers, and medical providers to sustain programming after grant funding ends.

How to Become a Health Education Specialists

1
Earn a bachelor's in Public Health, Health Education, or Community Health
CEPH-accredited or NCHEC-approved coursework prepares you for the CHES exam and satisfies most job requirements.
2
Complete a practicum or health-department internship
Most programs require 200-300 hours in a real health setting. Turn this into your first job reference.
3
Pass the CHES exam within 12 months of graduation
$300 exam fee. Passing rate around 65%. The credential is the entry-level differentiator on most job postings.
4
Take a first role as coordinator or educator at $46-62k
Community health center, county health department, hospital community-benefit program, or non-profit. Build a portfolio of program outcomes.
5
Earn MCHES and specialize (maternal, chronic disease, substance use)
MCHES requires 5 years plus a graduate degree. Specialty and MPH open the door to $95-155k program-manager roles.

Career Progression

Health Educator / Program Coordinator

0-3 yrs$46-62k

•Deliver curriculum in schools and clinics
•Recruit and retain program participants
•Collect intake and outcome data
•Support grant reporting

Next: CHES-credentialed Specialist at 2-3 years.

Health Education Specialist (CHES)

3-8 yrs$58-85k

•Own a full program with 100-500 participants annually
•Write letters of inquiry and portions of grants
•Coordinate community partners and CHWs
•Present outcomes to boards and funders

Next: Senior Specialist / MCHES at 6-10 years.

Senior Specialist / MCHES

8-15 yrs$72-108k

•Lead a specialty portfolio (maternal, diabetes, tobacco)
•Supervise 2-6 educators or CHWs
•Serve as PI or co-PI on grants up to $500k
•Represent the org on statewide coalitions

Next: Program Manager / Director at 12-18 years.

Program Manager / Director of Community Health

15+ yrs$105-155k

•Own a $1-5M portfolio and 6-15 staff
•Set 3-year strategy for community health
•Report to the board and lead policy advocacy
•Secure diversified funding across federal, state, foundation

Next: VP Community Health or health-department bureau chief.

Interview Questions & Answers

5 free questions below. Career Kit unlocks 13 total plus resume bullets for every level.

Q1. Walk me through a program you designed and delivered end-to-end.technical

Structure the answer as assessment, planning, implementation, evaluation. Name the population and their unmet need, the theory you used (e.g., Stages of Change for tobacco cessation), how you recruited, and the pre/post outcome you measured. Close with what you would change if you ran it again — interviewers want to hear reflection, not a highlight reel.

Q2. How do you engage a community that has been burned by past health-department outreach?situational

Start by listening rather than teaching. Bring in trusted messengers — community health workers, faith leaders, or former participants — before the program launches. Share data back with the community, not just funders. Acknowledge the history openly. Most importantly, deliver on small commitments early so trust compounds.

Q3. Which health-behavior theory do you rely on most, and why?technical

Pick one and defend it with a real program example. Social Cognitive Theory works well for group-based interventions because it emphasizes self-efficacy and modeling. Transtheoretical is useful for one-on-one counseling like tobacco or weight loss. Avoid saying 'I use all of them' — that reads as academic, not applied.

Q4. Describe how you evaluated a program.technical

Name the framework (RE-AIM, logic model), the specific process measures (reach, retention) and outcome measures (behavior change, biomarker change if you had it). Talk about how you used the evaluation — reporting to a funder, deciding to sunset a program, or refining curriculum. Real evaluations always have limitations; name yours.

Q5. Where do you see your career in 5 years?closer

The fork is program leadership vs. specialty depth (maternal, chronic disease, behavioral health). Say which direction you're leaning and which credential (MCHES, MPH) you're working toward. Interviewers screen for candidates who understand the ladder rather than 'grow with the organization' answers.

Resume Template — Health Educator (0-3 yrs)

Copy these bullets into your resume as a starting point. Career Kit includes bullets for every level of the ladder.

Health Educator (0-3 yrs)

▸Delivered evidence-based diabetes prevention curriculum (CDC National DPP) to 8 cohorts totaling 142 adults; 63% of participants achieved 5% weight loss at 12 months.
▸Wrote 4 grant applications generating $185k in funding for maternal-health outreach in Spanish-speaking neighborhoods.
▸Passed CHES certification within 14 months of graduation; presented program outcomes at state public health association annual meeting.
▸BS Public Health, [University]. 300-hour practicum at county health department focused on tobacco cessation.

What Gets You Rejected

✗Cannot describe a health-behavior theory in plain language or connect it to a program they ran.
✗Talks about 'raising awareness' as the outcome — funders want behavior change, not brochures.
✗No experience collecting or reporting outcome data — a red flag for grant-funded roles.
✗Weak cultural humility; describes communities as barriers to be overcome rather than partners.
✗No CHES credential and no clear plan to sit for the exam within 12 months.
✗Cannot name a specific evidence-based curriculum (DPP, Stanford CDSMP, EPIC, Botvin Life Skills).

Salary Negotiation Levers

✓CHES/MCHES premium — 8-12% over uncredentialed peers at the same tenure.
✓Specialty depth (maternal, tobacco, diabetes, behavioral health) adds $5-12k in most markets.
✓Bilingual Spanish/English is worth $3-8k in California, Texas, Arizona, and Florida markets.
✓Non-profit and public-sector employers qualify for PSLF — factor $30-60k of future loan forgiveness into total compensation.
✓Federal (GS-11 to GS-13) and academic roles include pensions plus generous PTO worth an additional 15-20% of base.
✓Sign-on bonuses of $2-8k are standard at hospitals and larger non-profits, especially if relocating.
✓Grant-writing experience with documented awards is the strongest single lever for jumping to Senior or Manager.

Health Education Specialists Resume Review — $29

Personalized resume review from someone who has hired health education specialistss. Purchase, email your resume to support@weblabra.com, and receive detailed written feedback within 7 days.

✓ Occupation-specific critique (not generic)
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✓ Formatting + ATS-readability feedback
✓ 7-day turnaround, 100% refund if we miss it

Health Education Specialists Career Kit — $19

✓ All 13 interview questions with expert answers
✓ 6 real questions aggregated from Glassdoor, Blind, Reddit, LinkedIn
✓ Interview format intel for 6 top employers
✓ 3 copy-paste salary negotiation emails
✓ Resume bullets for every level of the career ladder
✓ 30–60–90 day plan for your first role
✓ Cover letter templates specific to this occupation
✓ Detailed salary negotiation script
✓ Ranked list of certifications with cost + ROI
✓ Downloadable PDF for offline access
✓ Instant access, no expiration, no subscription

✓ 7-day money-back guarantee — no questions asked

One-time purchase. 7-day refund guarantee.

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Health Education Specialists Salary by State

Best Cities (cost-adjusted) →

Salary Map — Click a state for details

$46K

$104K■ No data

Top Paying States

Vertical line = national median. Click a state for full details.

State	Median	vs. National	Employment
Maryland	$104,470	+63.1%	2,220
District of Columbia	$103,330	+61.3%	680
Georgia	$99,400	+55.1%	3,210
Pennsylvania	$80,670	+25.9%	2,690
Minnesota	$78,400	+22.4%	1,250
Washington	$77,420	+20.8%	1,750
Iowa	$75,750	+18.2%	540
Oregon	$75,500	+17.8%	840
Rhode Island	$75,360	+17.6%	150
Colorado	$74,150	+15.7%	750

Showing 1–10 of 51

Health Education Specialists Salary by Metro Area

Metro Area	Median	vs. National
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	$124,590	+94.5%
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	$112,450	+75.5%
Trenton-Princeton, NJ	$102,680	+60.3%
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$99,260	+54.9%
Eugene-Springfield, OR	$94,870	+48.1%
Corvallis, OR	$87,370	+36.4%
Lancaster, PA	$87,190	+36.1%
Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA	$84,070	+31.2%
St. Cloud, MN	$83,200	+29.9%
Vallejo, CA	$81,630	+27.4%

Showing 1–10 of 220

Data Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Data reflects the most recent annual survey.

How does this compare to pro athletes?

A health education specialists earning $64,070/year would need 930 years to match Stephen Curry's NBA salary, or 999 yearsto match Patrick Mahomes' NFL contract.

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📈 See how health education specialists salaries have changed over the past decade.

View Health Education Specialists salary trend (2011–2024) →