Job outlook for direct support workers in the United States

Direct support worker job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

The projected direct support worker job growth rate is 36% from 2018-2028.
About 1,185,800 new jobs for direct support workers are projected over the next decade.
Direct support worker salaries have increased 26% for direct support workers in the last 5 years.
There are over 168,206 direct support workers currently employed in the United States.
There are 116,405 active direct support worker job openings in the US.
The average direct support worker salary is $28,538.

Are direct support worker jobs in demand?

Yes, direct support worker jobs are in demand. Direct support worker demand is projected to grow 36% from 2018 to 2028.

Direct support worker job and salary trends over time

Compare the number of direct support worker jobs and the average direct support worker salary over time.

Direct support worker jobs over time

Direct support worker job growth rate over time

Year	# of jobs	% of population
2021	168,206	0.05%
2020	166,298	0.05%
2019	194,003	0.06%
2018	823,539	0.25%
2017	757,885	0.23%

Average direct support worker salary over time

Direct support worker salary by year

Year	Avg. salary	Hourly rate	% Change
2025	$28,538	$13.72	+7.2%
2024	$26,610	$12.79	+7.4%
2023	$24,783	$11.91	+4.0%
2022	$23,834	$11.46	+5.4%
2021	$22,616	$10.87	+4.5%

Top direct support worker jobs near you

Direct support worker jobs by state

The map below shows you the number of direct support worker job openings in each state. The darker areas on the map show where direct support workers earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Most common states for direct support workers

Rank	State	Population	# of jobs	Employment/ 1000ppl
1	South Dakota	869,666	350	40%
2	Washington	7,405,743	2,209	30%
3	Missouri	6,113,532	1,795	29%
4	Delaware	961,939	282	29%
5	New Mexico	2,088,070	550	26%
6	New Hampshire	1,342,795	345	26%
7	South Carolina	5,024,369	1,278	25%
8	Nebraska	1,920,076	451	23%
9	West Virginia	1,815,857	403	22%
10	California	39,536,653	8,449	21%
11	Alabama	4,874,747	1,043	21%
12	District of Columbia	693,972	149	21%
13	Massachusetts	6,859,819	1,346	20%
14	Oregon	4,142,776	812	20%
15	Oklahoma	3,930,864	792	20%
16	Connecticut	3,588,184	705	20%
17	Georgia	10,429,379	1,999	19%
18	Virginia	8,470,020	1,569	19%
19	Tennessee	6,715,984	1,293	19%
20	Louisiana	4,684,333	891	19%

Most common cities for direct support workers

Rank	City	# of jobs	Employment/ 1000ppl	Avg. salary
1	Hilo	2	5%	$35,813
2	Portland	3	4%	$33,642
3	Franklin Town	1	3%	$32,505
4	Barnstable Town	1	2%	$32,776
5	Fort Wayne	1	0%	$24,743
6	Philadelphia	1	0%	$25,602

Direct support worker jobs

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