Community Health Workers vs Mental Health Counselor: $52K vs $59K Median Pay

Community Health Workers vs Mental Health Counselor: what changes?

Consider Community Health Workers if you want to promote health within a community by assisting individuals to adopt healthy behaviors. Consider Mental Health Counselor if you would rather counsel and advise individuals and groups to promote optimum mental and emotional health, with an emphasis on prevention. Entry credentials differ: Community Health Workers, high school diploma or equivalent; Mental Health Counselor, specialty requirements need verification.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Community Health Workers and Mental Health Counselor. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

The labor-market benchmark for Mental Health Counselor covers the broader BLS group Substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors (21-1018). It does not isolate this specialty.

Compare the practical differences

Community Health Workers

National median pay (2025): $51,850
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Maintain updated client records with plans, notes, appropriate forms, or related information.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 7,000

Know before you choose

The work routinely happens in close physical proximity to other people; personal space is limited.

See the full Community Health Workers brief

Mental Health Counselor

National median pay (2025): $59,350
Route into the job: specialty-specific preparation that needs verification with programs and employers; the broader BLS occupation's education category is not a verified route for this specialty
Prior related experience: Prior experience requirements need verification for this occupation.
Training and licensing: Verify the specialty's training, licensing, and full preparation time with an accredited program or employer.
Work to investigate: Maintain confidentiality of records relating to clients' treatment.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 50,500

Know before you choose

Training continues through internship/residency after the degree path.

See the full Mental Health Counselor brief

How the national numbers differ

Mental Health Counselor has the edge on annual openings

Mental Health Counselor is at 50,500 annual openings, compared with 7,000 annual openings for Community Health Workers.

Mental Health Counselor has the edge on median pay

Mental Health Counselor is at $59,350, compared with $51,850 for Community Health Workers.

Typical preparation differs.

Community Health Workers: High school diploma or equivalent; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing Mental Health Counselor: specialty-specific preparation that needs verification with programs and employers; the broader BLS occupation's education category is not a verified route for this specialty Preparation categories do not establish admission difficulty, calendar time, tuition, time without earnings, or licensing difficulty.

Mental Health Counselor has the edge on projected growth

Mental Health Counselor is at 18.4% projected growth, compared with 12.7% projected growth for Community Health Workers.

56.5/ 100

Community Health Workers

66.5/ 100

Mental Health Counselor

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Community Health Workers vs Mental Health Counselor

Dimension	Community Health Workers	Mental Health Counselor
Median pay (2025)	$51,850	$59,350
Pay percentile	36.4 percentile	46.8 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	12.7%	18.4%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	7,000	50,500
2025 employment	64,700	533,400
How you qualify	High school diploma or equivalent; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing	specialty-specific preparation that needs verification with programs and employers; the broader BLS occupation's education category is not a verified route for this specialty
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 4	Job Zone 5
Related work experience	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.	Prior experience requirements need verification for this occupation.
On-the-job training	One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.	Verify the specialty's training, licensing, and full preparation time with an accredited program or employer.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Community Health Workers brief Read Mental Health Counselor brief

Community Health Workers vs Mental Health Counselor: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Community Health Workers

Mental Health Counselor

How the national numbers differ

Mental Health Counselor has the edge on annual openings

Mental Health Counselor has the edge on median pay

Typical preparation differs.

Mental Health Counselor has the edge on projected growth

Community Health Workers vs Mental Health Counselor

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