Social Worker Salary


How Much Does a Social Worker Make?

On average, a Social Worker make $68,800 a year. The lowest-paid 10 percent made $39,580, while the top-paid 10 percent made $104,580.

Annually National Average Salary: $68,800

$39K
$47K
$68K
$87K
$104K
10%
25%
50%
75%
90%

* Based on information from the May 2023 salary report from the BLS.




Salary by State

  • Annually
  • Monthly
  • Hourly

Annual Salary by State

State 10% Annual 25% Annual Avg. Annual 75% Annual 90% Annual
Alabama$46,650$71,470$80,140$92,910$102,090
Alaska$43,890$50,700$68,670$90,000$110,100
Arizona$42,440$47,970$66,580$84,820$101,670
Arkansas$39,690$41,700$60,940$85,570$99,380
California$41,060$48,880$72,320$91,940$120,870
Colorado$40,890$46,510$58,520$65,000$90,310
Connecticut$50,990$53,420$72,710$88,840$103,250
Delaware$49,840$59,730$79,940$101,800$111,340
District of Columbia$55,540$81,970$94,250$113,420$123,740
Florida$36,230$39,580$59,390$78,310$96,620
Georgia$39,200$46,950$77,160$102,150$118,960
Hawaii$50,740$58,130$87,420$114,920$121,890
Idaho$42,850$44,090$65,320$88,340$96,620
Illinois$38,200$46,160$67,390$87,480$101,500
Indiana$49,310$57,640$73,800$88,960$96,620
Iowa$39,350$41,510$70,290$91,100$102,940
Kansas$69,100$77,110$85,680$96,620$100,820
Kentucky$37,110$43,480$62,670$91,100$99,380
Louisiana$30,780$35,360$60,810$85,220$96,620
Maine$44,410$49,350$59,850$65,570$82,830
Maryland$47,050$52,270$74,120$94,310$109,890
Massachusetts$49,000$62,710$81,530$100,940$108,700
Michigan$38,230$47,820$67,240$88,690$101,940
Minnesota$47,580$58,210$71,080$82,300$94,760
Mississippi$39,180$57,120$74,470$93,870$99,380
Missouri$37,660$40,280$58,970$81,760$93,890
Montana$35,710$42,190$52,330$57,240$85,570
Nebraska$34,870$38,350$65,640$87,820$96,240
Nevada$44,350$45,230$88,870$117,040$131,370
New Hampshire$77,730$82,910$93,910$102,480$111,800
New Jersey$37,740$47,470$66,490$82,140$103,250
New Mexico$52,000$57,530$68,890$77,110$99,380
New York$59,030$68,190$81,550$90,770$104,980
North Carolina$43,740$44,200$68,270$89,150$103,540
North Dakota$45,230$56,590$70,050$85,220$93,870
Ohio$36,240$44,250$62,190$75,480$94,890
Oklahoma$69,100$80,370$91,090$102,540$110,160
Oregon$44,540$50,590$63,300$69,240$84,010
Pennsylvania$35,110$44,610$68,380$89,440$104,980
Rhode Island$77,730$84,660$93,520$102,480$111,800
South Carolina$38,550$69,100$78,120$95,220$102,150
South Dakota$59,380$71,180$80,980$93,870$99,530
Tennessee$29,860$36,810$55,880$76,940$98,840
Texas$38,890$53,570$81,230$104,920$121,080
Utah$39,420$46,760$62,990$82,910$106,020
Vermont$48,940$57,120$74,980$91,100$104,920
Virginia$44,620$55,530$78,630$100,460$109,890
Washington$64,230$75,470$90,580$105,770$113,780
West Virginia$41,150$46,530$73,120$94,310$104,350
Wisconsin$41,710$47,380$60,050$68,930$84,240
Wyoming$50,000$52,170$73,750$99,380$114,170
Puerto Rico$24,300$31,260$50,330$75,770$90,830
Virgin Islands$37,090$44,200$58,620$69,410$83,840

Annual Average Salary: Top 5 States

The top earning state in the field is District of Columbia, where the average salary is $94,250.

These are the top 5 earning states in the field:

District of Columbia - $94,250
New Hampshire - $93,910
Rhode Island - $93,520
Oklahoma - $91,090
Washington - $90,580

Social Workers: Salary Overview

Social workers help people cope with problems and those who work in a clinical environment may also diagnose and treat mental, behavioral, and emotional problems.

A social worker’s job description includes identifying people who need help, assessing their needs, researching and advocating for community resources, and following up on the cases to make sure that the situation has improved.

They also have to maintain case files and records, develop and evaluate programs and services, and some of them also provide psychotherapy services.

There are different types of social workers, depending on their field of expertise.

Clinical and family social workers help families and assist them in finding housing or childcare, food stamps, and other services.

They also intervene when children are in danger.

School social workers develop plans and strategies in collaboration with teachers, parents, and school administrators to improve students’ academic performance.

Mental health and substance abuse social workers work with patients with mental illnesses or addictions.

Healthcare social workers help people make the transition from hospital to their homes, work with patients to help them understand the diagnosis and they may also help doctors and other healthcare workers understand the way their patients’ are affected by diagnosis and illnesses.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for social workers was $50,470 as of May 2019.

The median annual wage shows that half the workers in this occupation earned less than this amount and half earned more.

Salaries vary depending on the social worker’s specialty, his/her education, and experience but also based on the industry of employment.

The lowest 10 percent made less than $31,790 while the highest 10 percent earned more than $82,540 a year.

Social Worker Salary by Specialty

According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, social workers held about 70,400 jobs in the United States in 2018, most of them being child, family, and school social workers or healthcare social workers.

The same report shows that the highest median annual wage was reported by social workers who had a different specialty (other than healthcare, child, family, and school or mental health and substance abuse).

These social workers reported a median annual wage of $61,230.

Healthcare social workers reported a median annual wage of $56,750 while child, family, and school social workers earned, on average, $47,390 per year.

The median annual wage was $46,650 for mental health and substance abuse social workers.

Salaries for social workers in a specialty also vary depending on the place of employment.

For example, healthcare social workers who worked for general medical and surgical hospitals reported an average annual wage of $65,980 as of May 2019.

Those who worked in the field of individual and family services earned an average annual wage of $52,460 while healthcare social workers who worked in the field of home health care services reported an average annual wage of $61,900.

The average annual wage was $55,630 for healthcare social workers who worked in nursing care facilities and $61,420 for those who worked for outpatient care centers.

The highest average annual wage was reported by healthcare social workers employed in the field of computer systems design and related services and for religious organizations.

Healthcare social workers who worked in the field of computer systems design and related services earn $73,880 a year, on average, while those who worked for religious organizations earned $72,730.

However, we should mention that these higher-paying fields offer only a few jobs for these professionals, and finding employment in these sectors can be hard.

Social Worker Salary by Industry

According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics most social workers worked in the field of individual and family services or for local or states governments.

Salaries for social workers also vary depending on the social worker’s industry of employment.

The median annual wage reported by social workers who were employed by local governments was $55,500.

Social workers who worked for ambulatory healthcare services earned $51,290 a year on average, while those who worked for state governments earned $49,100 a year on average.

The median annual wage for social workers hired in the field of individual and family services was $43,030.

* Based on information from the May 2023 salary report from the BLS. The figures represent accumulated data for all states of employment for Social Workers. BLS data represents averages and medians for workers at all levels of education and experience. This data doesn't represent starting salaries.

* Employment conditions in your area may vary.


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