Directors, Religious Activities and Education vs Health Education Specialists: $52K vs $64K Median Pay

Directors, Religious Activities and Education vs Health Education Specialists: what changes?

Consider Directors, Religious Activities and Education if you want to coordinate or design programs and conduct outreach to promote the religious education or activities of a denominational group. Consider Health Education Specialists if you would rather provide and manage health education programs that help individuals, families, and their communities maximize and maintain healthy lifestyles. Both list bachelor's degree; compare training and prior experience separately. Prior experience in a related occupation is typically needed for Directors, Religious Activities and Education (less than 5 years).

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Directors, Religious Activities and Education and Health Education Specialists. 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.

Compare the practical differences

Directors, Religious Activities and Education

National median pay (2025): $52,100
Route into the job: Bachelor's degree; Prior related experience: less than 5 years
Prior related experience: Prior related experience: less than 5 years.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Develop or direct study courses or religious education programs within congregations.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 13,000

Know before you choose

BLS lists less than 5 years of related experience. This is normally reached through feeder roles, not directly from school.

See the full Directors, Religious Activities and Education brief

Health Education Specialists

National median pay (2025): $64,070
Route into the job: Bachelor's degree
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Prepare and distribute health education materials, such as reports, bulletins, and visual aids, to address smoking, vaccines, and other public health concerns.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 6,900

Know before you choose

Review the full career brief for day-to-day working conditions.

See the full Health Education Specialists brief

How the national numbers differ

Health Education Specialists has the edge on median pay

Health Education Specialists is at $64,070, compared with $52,100 for Directors, Religious Activities and Education.

Health Education Specialists has the edge on projected growth

Health Education Specialists is at 5.6% projected growth, compared with 3.3% projected growth for Directors, Religious Activities and Education.

Directors, Religious Activities and Education has the edge on annual openings

Directors, Religious Activities and Education is at 13,000 annual openings, compared with 6,900 annual openings for Health Education Specialists.

49.7/ 100

Directors, Religious Activities and Education

57.1/ 100

Health Education Specialists

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

Directors, Religious Activities and Education vs Health Education Specialists

Dimension	Directors, Religious Activities and Education	Health Education Specialists
Median pay (2025)	$52,100	$64,070
Pay percentile	36.8 percentile	55.5 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	3.3%	5.6%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	13,000	6,900
2025 employment	141,900	70,400
How you qualify	Bachelor's degree; Prior related experience: less than 5 years	Bachelor's degree
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 4	Job Zone 4
Related work experience	Prior related experience: less than 5 years.	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job training	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.

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

Read Directors, Religious Activities and Education brief Read Health Education Specialists brief

Directors, Religious Activities and Education vs Health Education Specialists: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Directors, Religious Activities and Education

Health Education Specialists

How the national numbers differ

Health Education Specialists has the edge on median pay

Health Education Specialists has the edge on projected growth

Directors, Religious Activities and Education has the edge on annual openings

Directors, Religious Activities and Education vs Health Education Specialists

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