Community Health Workers
In short: today's best AI models could do about 21% of this job's working time (projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index) if the work were set up for them, and about the same by the end of 2028 if progress keeps its long-run pace. The conversations, in-person and hands-on work, about 79% of the time, stays with people.
Promote health within a community by assisting individuals to adopt healthy behaviors. Serve as an advocate for the health needs of individuals by assisting community residents in effectively communicating with healthcare providers or social service agencies. Act as liaison or advocate and implement programs that promote, maintain, and improve individual and overall community health. May deliver health-related preventive services such as blood pressure, glaucoma, and hearing screenings. May collect data to help identify community health needs.
61,660 people do this job in the US. $51,850 a year.
Reviewed on October 3, 2026: what each task is made of, and what handing it over would ask.
A typical 40-hour week
- AI could take on1 h
- A person checks AI's work8 h
- Desk work AI can't do yet0 h
- Stays with people31 h
Community Health Workers, now: of a 40-hour week, AI could take on 1 hours, 8 hours become checking its work, 0 hours are desk work it can't do yet, and 31 hours stay with people.
The largest pieces: Update client records (about 2 h, a person checks); Write health plans (about 2 h, a person checks); Identify health needs (about 1 h, a person checks).
Estimates for a typical week of this job, if progress keeps its long-run pace, counting work the best models finish four times in five. Every task is below.
of the working time. Now is projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index.
- 12%
- 9%
- 9%
- 61%
- 9%
of the work: Anthropic's measure of what people already bring to Claude at work (2025). It counts help with part of a task, so it can be higher than the share within reach.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
Change assumptionsHide assumptionsLong-run pace, four in five
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 2.4 work days long four times in five.
What handing it over would take, now
The 21% within reach splits by what a model would need. The dates, pace and reliability follow the controls above. Estimates.
of the working time. The material can be handed to a model and the result handed back.
of the working time. The model has to be connected to the system the work lives in.
is conversation short enough by length. This site leaves conversation with people, so it is not in the total.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 1%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 19%. Today's estimate: 21%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
Measured use over time
Of the Claude.ai conversations Anthropic sampled and tied to a work task, 0.38% went to this job's tasks in May 2026, the 65th largest of the 447 jobs that showed up at all; 7 of its 29 tasks showed up. Within each of Anthropic's methods, never across a change: 0.02% to 0.012% (released February and March 2025); 0.0027% to 0.013% (August 2025 to February 2026); 0.4% to 0.38% (April to May 2026).
Each release
| Conversations | Share | Rank | Tasks seen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Released February 2025 | 0.02% | 449 of 708 | 4 of 29 |
| Released March 2025 | 0.012% | 479 of 703 | 4 of 29 |
| The week of Aug 4, 2025 (released September 2025) | 0.0027% | 596 of 655 | 1 of 29 |
| The week of Nov 13, 2025 (released January 2026) | 0.0095% | 485 of 672 | 4 of 29 |
| The week of Feb 5, 2026 (released March 2026) | 0.013% | 453 of 677 | 5 of 29 |
| April 2026 (released June 2026) | 0.4% | 59 of 434 | 7 of 29 |
| May 2026 (released June 2026) | 0.38% | 65 of 447 | 7 of 29 |
Measured, not estimated: Anthropic's samples of Claude.ai conversations, each tied by a model to an O*NET task, from the Anthropic Economic Index. It says where Claude's use goes, not how much of this job's working time it covers, so it is not on the same scale as the reach above. The releases differ in their sample, their classifier and the smallest share they report (the June 2026 file rounds each task to a hundredth of a percent, so a smaller task reads as none), which is why a change of method starts a new line. At least 96% of each older release's task-tied use matched this site's tasks, and all of the newest. Claude.ai only, so use through other tools and other companies' models is not in it. Every job ranked.
Robots and the physical work
Anthropic rates 19% of this job's working time as physical work. For 11% of the working time, a robot has been shown doing most of the task somewhere: 1% in a purpose-built cell, 10% in a structured facility. 0.21 of 3, the 433rd highest of the 923 jobs.
- Not physical 81%
- No robot shown 8%
- In a purpose-built cell 1%
- In a structured facility 10%
Anthropic's rating, not this site's estimate: Claude Opus 5, searching the web, rated each physical O*NET task by the kind of setting in which a robot it could cite (deployed, sold or demonstrated) does most of the task, weighted by its own estimate of each task's share of the time (What work can robots do?, September 30, 2026, data CC BY 4.0; every job ranked). A robot shown somewhere is not a robot in your building: cost, setup and safety decide that. The share within reach on this page still counts no body work. The robot behind each rated task is under the task below.
What changes for the people in this job
From the task-by-task review, by the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five. It says which parts of the work stay with people and which change, not whether anyone keeps a job: that depends on decisions no data set can see.
What stays with people
78% of the working time: the conversation, in-person and hands-on parts of the tasks.
- Advise on diet and exercise, the in-person work, 8%
- Advise on self care, the in-person work, 7%
- Monitor nutrition, the in-person work, 6%
- Advise on health risks, the in-person work, 5%
- Follow up with clients, the conversation, 5%
- Attend community meetings, the in-person work, 4%
What becomes checking the machine
19% of the working time: desk work a model could do by then, in tasks where a mistake costs something or a licensed person signs. A person checks it. Another 3% is desk work that is small if wrong, which can be handed over with lighter checks.
- Update client records, costly if wrong, 6%
- Write health plans, costly if wrong, 4%
- Identify health needs, costly if wrong, 4%
- Advocate for health needs, costly if wrong, 2%
- Help families apply for services, costly if wrong, 1%
- Report abuse or neglect, severe if wrong, 0.7%
What to learn
- The conversations. About 69% of the time is conversation and in-person work, which this site leaves with people: listening, explaining, persuading, calming.
- Dealing with people outside the organization. Customers, patients, suppliers or the public: trust with them is built by a person.
- Reviewing work you did not do yourself. The tasks under What becomes checking the machine, where a mistake costs something, stay a person's to check or sign: spotting what a draft gets wrong is a skill of its own.
- Handling protected records. Much of the work touches protected personal records: knowing what may be shared with a model, and how, is part of the job.
- Briefing a model and checking its drafts. About 12% of the time is documents and data, the part models reach first: writing a clear brief, giving the right material, and checking what comes back.
Your own version of this job: read it against your job description. The headline is free; the full personal report, every task with its timeline and what to learn, is $19 (a sample).
The tasks
Sorted by . 29 tasks from .
| Task | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advise clients or community groups on issues related to improving general health, such as diet or exercise.Talking with clients or groups about everyday health.Done daily by most who do it. | 8% | 38 min17 min to 1.3 h | In person 100% | Stays with people |
| Develop plans or formal contracts for individuals, families, or community groups to improve overall health.A plan or contract written up and worked out with the person or family.Done daily by most who do it. | 7% | 1.3 h38 min to 2.1 h | Documents 60%, in person 40% | 60%Desk part half by now |
| Advise clients or community groups on issues related to self-care, such as diabetes management.Talking clients or groups through managing a condition like diabetes.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 7% | 38 min17 min to 1.3 h | In person 100% | Stays with people |
| Monitor nutrition of children, elderly, or other high-risk groups.Seeing what children, elders and others at risk eat, in their homes or centers.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 6% | 38 min17 min to 1.3 h | In person 70%, hands-on 30% | Stays with people |
| Identify the particular health care needs of individuals in a community or target area.Working out what people in the area need, from visits and the figures.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 6% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | Documents 60%, in person 40% | 60%Desk part half by now |
| Maintain updated client records with plans, notes, appropriate forms, or related information.Plans, notes and forms kept current in the client file.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 6% | 21 min8 min to 50 min | Systems 100% | 100%Half by now |
| Advocate for individual or community health needs with government agencies or health service providers.Calls and meetings with agencies and providers, with letters behind them.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 6% | 1.1 h25 min to 2.5 h | Conversation 70%, documents 30% | 30%Desk part half by now |
| Identify or contact members of high-risk or otherwise targeted groups, such as members of minority populations, low-income populations, or pregnant women.Finding members of the groups served and making contact in the community.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 5% | 38 min17 min to 1.3 h | In person 70%, systems 30% | 30%Desk part half by now |
| Advise clients or community groups on issues related to risk or prevention of conditions, such as lead poisoning, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), prenatal substance abuse, or domestic violence.Talking with clients or groups about lead, HIV, substance use and violence.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 5% | 38 min17 min to 1.3 h | In person 100% | Stays with people |
| Contact clients in person, by phone, or in writing to ensure they have completed required or recommended actions.Calls and visits to see that the client did what was recommended.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 5% | 21 min8 min to 50 min | Conversation 70%, in person 30% | Stays with people |
| Attend community meetings or health fairs to understand community issues or build relationships with community members.Being at meetings and health fairs to listen and build relationships.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 4% | 1.7 h50 min to 3.3 h | In person 100% | Stays with people |
| Conduct home visits for pregnant women, newborn infants, or other high-risk individuals to monitor their progress or assess their needs.Visiting expectant mothers, newborns and others at risk at home.Done more than monthly by most who do it.Robots: no robot shown. Anthropic's rating. | 4% | 1.3 h38 min to 2.1 h | In person 80%, hands-on 20% | Stays with people |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach. Made of: how the task's time splits among five kinds of doing. Only the documents and systems parts can count as within reach, so a task that is 30% documents can be at most 30% within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Health Education Specialists31% now, 75% by 2028
- Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers27% now, 43% by 2028
- Child, Family, and School Social Workers32% now, 44% by 2028
- Rehabilitation Counselors64% now, 64% by 2028
- Healthcare Social Workers32% now, 50% by 2028
- Mental Health Counselors43% now, 43% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).
Questions about this job
- How much of the work of Community Health Workers is within reach of AI now?
- An estimated 21% of the working time is within reach of AI models now and 21% by the end of 2028, on METR's long-run pace at four in five. Within reach means a model could finish work that long at that reliability. It is not a forecast of jobs lost or of savings.
- Which tasks of Community Health Workers come within reach first?
- Weighted by the time each takes, the tasks with the most within reach now (projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index) are: Update client records (100% of the task's time now); Write health plans (60% of the task's time now); and Identify health needs (60% of the task's time now).
- Which tasks of Community Health Workers stay with people?
- Tasks that are people work or body work are not counted as within reach at any date. The largest: Advise on diet and exercise; Advise on self care; and Monitor nutrition. Together such tasks are about 59% of the working time, and the people and body parts of the other tasks stay with people too.
- What should Community Health Workers learn as AI takes on more of the work?
- By the job's own task-by-task review, the first things to learn are the conversations; dealing with people outside the organization; and reviewing work you did not do yourself. By the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five, about 78% of the working time stays with people, 19% becomes checking a model's work and 3% could be handed over with lighter checks. It says which parts of the work change, never whether anyone keeps a job.
- Do people already use AI for the work of Community Health Workers?
- In the Claude.ai conversations Anthropic sampled for May 2026 and tied to a work task, 0.38% went to this job's tasks, the 65th largest share of the 447 jobs that showed up; 7 of its 29 tasks appeared. Anthropic's labor market measure puts the share of the job's tasks seen in real Claude use at work at 0%. These are measures of use, not of how much of the work AI could finish, and they cover Claude only.
- Can robots do the physical work of Community Health Workers?
- Anthropic's robot exposure rating (September 2026) finds 19% of the working time is physical work, and that a robot has been shown doing most of the task, somewhere, for 11% of the working time, 10% in a structured facility. Its index is 0.21 of 3. One example: Pursuant Health self-service health kiosk for "run basic screenings". A robot shown somewhere is not one in every workplace; this site's own estimates still count no physical work as within reach.
- How is this estimated?
- From the 29 tasks O*NET lists for the occupation, each with an estimated length checked against GDPval and a share of the working time, reviewed one task at a time on October 3, 2026 for what each is made of (documents, business systems, conversation, in person, hands-on), and METR's measurements of how long a task the best AI models can finish, carried forward to the date from the latest, Claude Mythos Preview (early) in April 2026. Data checked November 10, 2026.
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