Hire a Community Health Worker in Santa Cruz, CA

A grant pays for visits, not for turnover. Price someone who can carry a caseload from this metro's upper quarter. The nearest metro with its own page for this role is San Jose, CA.

What to offer

A health center that copies a national midpoint will lose a trusted outreach worker to the health plan down the street. Use this metro's median for someone new to the work, and the 75th for someone who already carries a caseload.

Percentile	Metro	CA	U.S.
25th	$52,100	$50,040	$45,640
Median	$59,470	$58,050	$51,850
75th	$71,220	$72,760	$62,540

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

How hard this is to fill

Hiring difficulty

4.1

Metro employment

National growth, 2025 to 2035

Unpublished

National openings a year

Unpublished

This is the same score as the free check.

For one manager

Name the community, the language, and the caseload. Ask how the person finds a patient who stopped answering the phone.

License and training

There is no national license. Many states run a certification for community health workers, often voluntary and often tied to Medicaid payment. Confirm what your state and your payer require before you post the role.

Sources: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, community health workers

Nearby metros

San Jose, CA · 25 miles
Salinas, CA · 30 miles
San Francisco, CA · 59 miles
Modesto, CA · 73 miles

Community Health Workers hiring pages

Get the local report

Questions

What do community health workers earn in Santa Cruz, CA?

In Santa Cruz, the May 2025 median for community health workers is about $59.5K, 15% over the U.S. median. The middle half runs from $52.1K to $71.2K.

Who hires community health workers in Santa Cruz?

Community health centers, health departments, and hospitals hire community health workers in Santa Cruz. Organizations on file in the provider extract include Santa Cruz Community Health Centers, Clinica De Salud Del Valle De Salinas, Clinica Del Valle Del Pajaro.

Do I need a certificate to work as a CHW in California?

It depends on the program. Check the California certification rules and the payer behind the job in Santa Cruz.

What should a health center in Santa Cruz weigh when hiring a CHW?

Ask about the language, the neighborhood, and the caseload. Santa Cruz has far more of these workers than a typical metro. This metro is within 3 percent of the California median.