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Health Education Specialists Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks

SOC 21-1091 · National · May 2025 OEWS Data

Median Annual Salary
$64,064
$30.80/hr
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026

Is this a competitive Health Education Specialists salary in 2026?

Based on BLS OEWS wage percentiles, JOLTS June 2026 demand signals, and ECI Q2 2026 wage growth.

$Competitive · ~P50
P10$43K
P25$51K
P50$64K
P75$87K
P90$118K
Drag the dot or type an amount above.
🔥
Demand: HOT. Demand is hot -- professional & business services job openings are running at 5.5% (JOLTS, June 2026), a tight market. Candidates have leverage, so a competitive offer sits at or above the median; below-median offers often will not close.
📈
Merit budget: Wages in professional services are rising about 2.5% a year (BLS ECI, Q2 2026). Budget a 2.1-2.6% merit increase to hold this role at market.
Our read
For a competitive 2026 offer, target $64,064 to $87,131 (market median to the 75th percentile). Lean toward the top of the range for senior or hard-to-fill roles.
Figures are market benchmarks from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; apply professional judgment before making pay decisions.

How Health Education Specialists pay is moving in 2026

Trend, demand, and spread context from BLS OEWS, JOLTS, and ECI

Pay trend

Median pay for this role rose 1.7% between the May 2024 and May 2025 BLS surveys, trailing the 2.5% wage growth of Professional & Business Services (BLS ECI).

Hiring demand · HOT

Professional & Business Services is running a 5.5% job-openings rate with quits at 2.2% (BLS JOLTS). Demand has cooled for 2 straight months (6.2% down to 5.5%).

Pay spread

Top earners (P90) make about 2.7 times what entry-level (P10) workers make in this role. That spread is wider than typical, so expect large pay differences by experience, employer size, and geography; build generous ranges and differentiate strongly.

What changed recently
  • Aug 4, 2026JOLTS June 2026: sector openings eased to 5.5% (down 0.3pp), still the highest of any major sector. Quits held at 2.2%.
  • Jul 31, 2026ECI Q2 2026: sector wages growing 2.5% per year. Nationally, wages rose 3.2% while CPI hit 3.5%, so real wages turned negative.

Commentary is generated from published BLS figures (OEWS May 2025 vs May 2024, JOLTS June 2026, ECI Q2 2026) and refreshed each release. It is interpretation, not a BLS product.

Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026
Next refresh: May 2027
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The national median salary for Health Education Specialists is $64,064 per year ($30.80/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $50,627 and $87,131 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $118,206 per year. There are approximately 65,690 health education specialists employed in the United States.

About This Role

BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018

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.

Career Outlook

BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+4.5%
Faster than average
Annual openings
8K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
72K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
4% from new growth96% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Bachelor's degree
Experience
None
On-the-job training
None

Industry Wage Breakdown

Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
IndustryWorkforce Median Pay
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
NAICS 622100
11K$83,740
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999300
8K$62,560
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools
NAICS 611300
7K$62,380
State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999200
4K$64,990
Individual and Family Services
NAICS 624100
4K$50,380
Wage range across top 5 industries: $50,380 to $83,740 (66% spread)

Wage Percentiles

Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
PercentileHourly RateAnnual Salary
P10$20.67$42,994
P25$24.34$50,627
P50MEDIAN$30.80$64,064
P75$41.89$87,131
P90$56.83$118,206

Market Context Signal

JOLTS · professional sector
Hot
Openings Rate
5.5%
Quits Rate
2.2%

Professional & Business Services openings eased to 1.30M in June (-71K), rate 5.5% -- still the highest of any major sector. Quits held at 2.2%. White-collar demand is cooling at the edges but remains the tightest market.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average health education specialists salary?

The national median salary for Health Education Specialists is $64,064 per year ($30.80/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $50,627 and $87,131 annually.

How much do top-earning health education specialists make?

The 90th percentile salary for Health Education Specialists is $118,206 per year ($56.83/hr). The 75th percentile is $87,131 per year.

What is the entry-level salary for health education specialists?

Entry-level Health Education Specialists (10th percentile) earn approximately $42,994 per year ($20.67/hr). The 25th percentile is $50,627 per year.

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Health Education Specialists Salary by State

Top 5 states by employment
California12,520 workersTexas5,320 workersNew York4,150 workersGeorgia3,210 workersPennsylvania2,690 workers

About This Data

Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.

P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.

Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.

Next OEWS release: May 2027Verify on BLS.gov →

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