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Job outlook for community support workers in the United States
Are community support worker jobs in demand?
Community support worker job and salary trends over time
Community support worker jobs over time
Community support worker job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2,137 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 2,145 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 2,170 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 2,104 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 2,060 | 0.00% |
Average community support worker salary over time
Community support worker salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $31,486 | $15.14 | +2.6% |
| 2025 | $30,698 | $14.76 | +3.9% |
| 2024 | $29,551 | $14.21 | +1.9% |
| 2023 | $29,000 | $13.94 | +4.1% |
| 2022 | $27,853 | $13.39 | +3.2% |
Community support worker jobs by state
Most common states for community support workers
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 316 | 36% |
| 2 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 2,007 | 27% |
| 3 | Missouri | 6,113,532 | 1,633 | 27% |
| 4 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 505 | 24% |
| 5 | South Carolina | 5,024,369 | 1,167 | 23% |
| 6 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 137 | 20% |
| 7 | California | 39,536,653 | 7,440 | 19% |
| 8 | Alabama | 4,874,747 | 903 | 19% |
| 9 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 249 | 19% |
| 10 | Oklahoma | 3,930,864 | 710 | 18% |
| 11 | Kansas | 2,913,123 | 511 | 18% |
| 12 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 340 | 18% |
| 13 | Louisiana | 4,684,333 | 795 | 17% |
| 14 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 597 | 14% |
| 15 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 425 | 14% |
| 16 | Michigan | 9,962,311 | 1,326 | 13% |
| 17 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 1,112 | 13% |
| 18 | Tennessee | 6,715,984 | 893 | 13% |
| 19 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 727 | 13% |
| 20 | Delaware | 961,939 | 123 | 13% |
Most common cities for community support workers
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bangor | 2 | 6% | $30,055 |
| 2 | Bend | 1 | 1% | $36,748 |
| 3 | Oxnard | 1 | 0% | $36,139 |
Community Support Worker job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of community support worker experts
Baruch College of the City University of New York
Colorado State University - Pueblo
Campbellsville University
Siena College
Nazareth College of Rochester
Kennesaw State University
Azusa Pacific University
University of Nevada - Reno
Bowling Green State University
What will help Community Support Workers increase their earning potential?
Emily McCave PhD, MSW, LCSW: For clinical positions, which is what most social workers do, daily tasks typically include conducting assessments and providing individual, family, and/or group therapy to children and/or adults, while collaborating with other providers working with the client. There is also daily clinical documentation that needs to be completed.
What Community Support Worker skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Timothy Aubry: I can’t really predict which skills will be important in the next 3-5 years, but that’s exactly why a liberal arts degree is a good bet. The reason I say that is that the liberal arts teach you to be flexible and open-minded, to rethink your assumptions continuously, to read new situations, and to adjust your ideas in response to new evidence. In other words, studying the liberal arts will prepare you to navigate an ever-changing job landscape and adapt to whatever demands and requirements come to prevail in the future. Rather than tie yourself down to one particular field or skillset, why not develop your mind so you can be prepared for all variety of challenges and possibilities?
What general advice would you give to a Community Support Worker?
Pamela Richmond Ph.D.: Challenges social workers can face are high caseloads, not enough resources to assist clients and exposure to horrific aspects of humanity. Social workers enjoy being a part of the change process by recognizing the strengths and resiliency of individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities. Workers advocate for individuals that are marginalized and oppressed, ensuring they have a voice. They enjoy looking at solutions to problems and empowering others to make changes beneficial for their lives.
Dr. Kimberly Mudd-Fegett DSW, MSSW
Associate Professor of Social WorkCampbellsville University
Social Work
What general advice would you give to a Community Support Worker?
Dr. Kimberly Mudd-Fegett DSW, MSSW: Social Work is a very large field; therefore, the practice of Social Work varies greatly depending on which field you enter. Overall, nearly all areas of Social Work include working with individuals who are facing some form of crisis or life challenge. Social Workers work to assist in providing education, assistance and most importantly empowerment. Social Workers are trained professionals who work from a set of ethics that govern their professional standards to respect, empathize and value all individuals. Most all Social Workers enter the professional because they feel called to assist and make a difference in the life of others.
What will help Community Support Workers increase their earning potential?
Dr. J. Lendrum PhD: Trust yourself and follow your passions. It is possible to find a meaningful career that aligns with your core interests and values.
Elisa Martin Ph.D., MSW
Associate Professor of Social Work, Department Chair & Program DirectorSiena College
Social Sciences
What will help Community Support Workers increase their earning potential?
Elisa Martin Ph.D., MSW: The beauty of the social work profession is that the skills you learn from your degree can be applied in a range of settings and populations. Depending on your interest, you could be working with children, youth, adults, older adults, or in an area of interest like domestic violence, homelessness, child welfare, gerontology. The work you do could be one-on-one, with small groups, running programs within an organization, and/or working in communities.
What Community Support Worker skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Erin Cole DSW, LCSW: When you're looking for jobs, don't look for a forever job. Find something that seems like a good fit right now. The pressure for it to be forever is too much. Do it for as long as it feels right and move on when it doesn't. Also, remember that being a new graduate is an asset! You are more current on trends in social work, literature, and evidence-based practices than many seasoned professionals. You add value to the setting and should not minimize that by falling back on being new in the field.
What Community Support Worker skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Cynthia Peters MSW: It is a good profession to enter now, due to the need for social workers in some of the jobs that I mentioned in the previous question. Social Workers can provide a different perspective on service delivery. Meeting the clients where they are at; developing relationships with the community; advocating for client services; writing grants; monitoring grants; brokering services......
What general advice would you give to a Community Support Worker?
Cindy Snell: Be able to articulate the skills and experience you have that are relevant to the jobs you are seeking - tell your story! Learn another language than English. Negotiate your hiring terms. Learn about loan forgiveness options.
What general advice would you give to a Community Support Worker?
Camille Coleman: Do your research within the state and or country, and or agency you are seeking potential employment. Look up the laws, compare them to other states, don't be afraid to look at all careers within the social work field, for example research in social work gets overlooked, facilitation, curriculum development, etc. Future social workers should seek reciprocity in multiple states to practice counseling services after obtaining one's licensure, if wanting to provide therapeutic services. This will give one leverage to negotiate higher salary requests.
What will help Community Support Workers increase their earning potential?
Camille Coleman: Organizational management is a more necessary prevalent skill due to the importance of documentation and the advancement of telehealth services. Learning multiple EHR (electronic health records) systems as well as being proactive in knowing the laws as it pertains to provide therapeutic services within multiple states.
What will help Community Support Workers increase their earning potential?
Dr. Aimée Vadnais Psy.D, LMFT: Research the going rates in your industry and ask colleagues to have a good idea. Recognize your worth and advocate for yourself during pay discussions. Highlight unique skill sets that may be valuable to the agency. Provide free education nights to benefit the community, potentially leading to clients. Find a niche population you enjoy working with and market your services specifically to this area.
What Community Support Worker skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Andrew Schoolnik: Dialogue and compromise. There are many apparatuses in today's society which are designed to pull people apart. Cable news and online news sites are famous examples of this. Add to this the echo chambers of social media where people largely associate with like-minded people while looking negatively at those with a different world view. This silo-ing of society is the antithesis of dialogue and compromise. Instead, it creates a class system of those who agree (the favored class) and those who disagree (the unfavored class).
On a macro level, the more the social worker dialogues with all stakeholders (those in favor and those opposed) the more that person gains knowledge and goodwill. This is at the heart of compromise - winning being defined as doing the most good for the most people.
On a clinical level, social workers work mutually with their clients. Learning about a client's values begins with dialogue (even when our values are different) and creating treatment plans is often-based on compromise (agency policy/goals, and client goals).
What will help Community Support Workers increase their earning potential?
Andrew Schoolnik: Education does not end with graduation but instead continues in one's first several years of social work practice (and ideally for a lifetime); therefore, it is very important to find employment with an excellent supervisor. Whether doing formal weekly supervision, or just having an ear to share ideas and gain support, having a supervisor who is knowledgeable, available, and caring is critical to the success of a newly-graduated social worker.
What will help Community Support Workers increase their earning potential?
Alexis Henderson M.S., OTR/L, CLT, OCC: My advice to new graduates would be three-fold: First, take everything in stride. You cannot know what you do not know so do not feel embarrassed or incompetent if there is knowledge you are lacking. Most education in human service truly is acquired on the job. Never be afraid to ask questions and never let anyone make you feel inferior for needing to ask a question. Remember, you are working with human lives and therefore you would much rather ask the question and be safe than hurt someone. Second, work to separate work and personal life. It is so easy to come out of school and into the human profession field and want to fix everyone and everything. This is wonderful but also remember that your job is not your entire identity. There has to be some boundaries and separation, or burnout will be inevitable. Lastly, remember that your attitude dictates your experience. If you approach your work with kindness, gratitude, openness, and dedication it will take you so much farther in life. Challenging patients/clients are usually those who need help the most, so extend them a little extra kindness and grace. Your boss has a job to do, just like you, so ensure you stand up for what you need but also remember that them doing their job is not a personal attack.
What will help Community Support Workers increase their earning potential?
Candace Riddley: I would encourage a beginning graduate to find a mentor who works in the field of social work. Mentorship is a great way for social workers to enhance their skills, knowledge, and career paths. This is an opportunity to provide guidance, support, feedback, and networking opportunities. Lastly, mentorship provides the opportunity to discuss job-related issues, career concerns, licensure, and challenges within the field. Mentorship is a great way to help graduates grow personally and professionally.
Lillian Wichinsky Ph.D.
Associate DeanUniversity of Nevada - Reno
School of Social Work
What general advice would you give to a Community Support Worker?
Lillian Wichinsky Ph.D.: A master's degree in social work maximizes the potential of social workers salaries and their level of expertise to provide needed services. Programs offered by CSWE accredited programs like the University of Nevada Reno, School of Social Work can maximize the potential of a social worker's career.
What will help Community Support Workers increase their earning potential?
Jennifer Wagner: Working with older adults are receiving care in their own homes, adult day centers, senior centers, senior living residences, assisted living, nursing homes, hospices and much more. The best way to find your niche is through volunteer work.