Career Explorer Community and social care
Grows with AI
Health education specialists
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.
More resilient than most: more resilient than 61% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is high (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it very high), and US jobs are projected to change by +5.6% by 2035, faster than average. The work leans on creative vision and emotional intelligence.
AI can help with many of the tasks, and demand is still growing. Being fluent with AI is the edge here.
- Median pay (2025)
- $64,070
- Job growth to 2035
- +5.6%
- Openings a year
- 6,900
- People doing it (2025)
- 70,400
- Usual route in
- Bachelor's degree
Where people already use AI for this work
- Provide information or assistance to the public
- Develop professional relationships or networks
- Research healthcare issues
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Maintain operational records
- Distribute materials, supplies, or resources
- Develop public or community health programs
What the work looks like
- Prepare and distribute health education materials, such as reports, bulletins, and visual aids, to address smoking, vaccines, and other public health concerns.
- Develop and maintain cooperative working relationships with agencies and organizations interested in public health care.
- Maintain databases, mailing lists, telephone networks, and other information to facilitate the functioning of health education programs.
- Document activities and record information, such as the numbers of applications completed, presentations conducted, and persons assisted.
- Develop and present health education and promotion programs, such as training workshops, conferences, and school or community presentations.
From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.
Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook
- Occupational therapistsGrows with AI, Index 84, +14.8%
- Coaches and scoutsHuman edge, growing, Index 94, +6.1%
- Entertainment and recreation managers, except gamblingGrows with AI, Index 68, +6.0%
- Meeting, convention, and event plannersGrows with AI, Index 70, +5.8%
Also known as: Clinical Instructor, Health Education Specialist, Health Educator, Public Health Educator, Certified Diabetes Educator, Community Health Consultant, Education Coordinator, Health Education Coordinator.
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Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2025 to 2035; O*NET 31.0; Microsoft Research (2025); Anthropic Economic Index (2026); Eloundou and colleagues (Science, 2024); Felten, Raj and Seamans (2023). How we score. Updated 12 October 2026.