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Job outlook for family service workers in the United States
Family service worker job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected family service worker job growth rate is 9% from 2018-2028.
About 64,000 new jobs for family service workers are projected over the next decade.
Family service worker salaries have increased 12% for family service workers in the last 5 years.
There are over 48,315 family service workers currently employed in the United States.
There are 111,599 active family service worker job openings in the US.
The average family service worker salary is $37,674.
Are family service worker jobs in demand?
Family service worker job and salary trends over time
Family service worker jobs over time
Family service worker job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 48,315 | 0.01% |
| 2020 | 46,620 | 0.01% |
| 2019 | 46,561 | 0.01% |
| 2018 | 45,490 | 0.01% |
| 2017 | 43,529 | 0.01% |
Average family service worker salary over time
Family service worker salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $37,674 | $18.11 | +2.2% |
| 2024 | $36,865 | $17.72 | +2.4% |
| 2023 | $35,994 | $17.30 | +4.3% |
| 2022 | $34,524 | $16.60 | +2.6% |
| 2021 | $33,645 | $16.18 | +2.1% |
Family service worker jobs by state
Most common states for family service workers
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | 739,795 | 246 | 33% |
| 2 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 2,058 | 30% |
| 3 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 1,744 | 24% |
| 4 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 320 | 24% |
| 5 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 155 | 22% |
| 6 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 857 | 21% |
| 7 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 186 | 21% |
| 8 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 1,143 | 20% |
| 9 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 717 | 20% |
| 10 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 387 | 20% |
| 11 | Georgia | 10,429,379 | 1,870 | 18% |
| 12 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 1,459 | 17% |
| 13 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 520 | 17% |
| 14 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 353 | 17% |
| 15 | Delaware | 961,939 | 159 | 17% |
| 16 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 100 | 17% |
| 17 | California | 39,536,653 | 6,232 | 16% |
| 18 | South Carolina | 5,024,369 | 798 | 16% |
| 19 | West Virginia | 1,815,857 | 285 | 16% |
| 20 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 280 | 16% |
Most common cities for family service workers
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texarkana | 2 | 7% | $32,135 |
| 2 | Little Rock | 5 | 3% | $32,269 |
| 3 | North Little Rock | 2 | 3% | $32,281 |
| 4 | Hot Springs | 1 | 3% | $32,241 |
| 5 | Fayetteville | 2 | 2% | $33,012 |
| 6 | Conway | 1 | 2% | $32,440 |
| 7 | Fort Smith | 1 | 1% | $32,696 |
Family Service Worker job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of family service worker experts
Ohio State University
Ohio University
Ramapo College of New Jersey
Colorado State University - Pueblo
Metropolitan State University
University of Indianapolis
Pennsylvania State University
Siena College
Kennesaw State University
Azusa Pacific University
What Family Service Worker skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Emily McCave PhD, MSW, LCSW: The need for social workers is high, particularly after the pandemic. A shortage of social workers means that there's an increasing demand in the field. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics social work jobs are expected to increase 13% between 2020 and 2030.
What will help Family Service 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.
Deanna Wilkinson Ph.D.
Associate ProfessorOhio State University
Human Development, Family Studies, And Related Services
What Family Service Worker skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Deanna Wilkinson Ph.D.: My advice to HDFS graduates beginning their careers is to seek out opportunities that align with your passions and will allow you to utilize your academic knowledge and skills to help children and families in meaningful ways.
What will help Family Service Workers increase their earning potential?
L. Justin Wheeler: One of the best ways to improve skills, continue to learn, and access support is to work as part of a team – take advantage of opportunities for group supervision, peer consultation, and interprofessional collaboration.
What general advice would you give to a Family Service Worker?
Dr. Timmesha Butler-Davis PhD, LCSW: Social work encompasses a vast array of roles, making it challenging to pinpoint a specific day-to-day function. Social workers operate in a generalist capacity, providing direct services like therapy, case management, or client advocacy. Alternatively, they may engage in macro-level activities such as policy advocacy, organizational leadership, or education. A typical day might involve individual client sessions, documenting clinical notes, planning therapeutic interventions, or advocating on Capitol Hill. At its essence, social work strives to challenge social injustices and foster a more equitable society.
What Family Service Worker skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Timmesha Butler-Davis PhD, LCSW: Perhaps the most rewarding aspect of social work is its capacity for significant impact. Whether it's guiding someone through coping mechanisms in therapy or fostering empathy within marginalized communities, social workers play a pivotal role in effecting positive change. However, it's worth noting that the extensive documentation and writing required in this field are often perceived as less favorable aspects.
What general advice would you give to a Family Service 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.
What Family Service Worker skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Pamela Richmond Ph.D.: Social workers are trained to understand and intervene on three levels—micro (individuals and families), mezzo (formal groups and organizations) and macro (community and the broader society). Given the challenges currently taking place nationally and internationally such as poverty, immigration, abortion controversy, societal racism/discrimination and the war in the middle east, social workers are trained to intervene and advocate for change on a variety of system levels.
What will help Family Service Workers increase their earning potential?
Pamela Richmond Ph.D.: Social workers employed in a variety of diverse settings to include prisons, hospitals, child welfare, homeless shelters, nursing homes, substance abuse facilities, mental health facilities, community organizations and politics (and there are many, many more settings). The setting and the population of clients the social workers assist (children, youth, adults, etc.) will determine the specific day-to-day workload. However, general daily tasks completed regardless of the setting include interacting with clients/community constituents, responding to phone calls/e-mails, problem-solving, teamwork within the organization employed and/or with community constituents and documentation. Social workers entering the profession have fulfilled placement work during their educational training. Meaning, prior to graduation they have been placed in an agency working under the supervision of a social worker applying what they have learned in their coursework. As a result, when they begin their work as a social worker, they are ready to apply the knowledge, values and the skills they have learned to fulfill the tasks mentioned above.
What will help Family Service Workers increase their earning potential?
Monica Bies: An ability to incorporate anti-racist and anti-oppressive practices and policies that advance equity in all settings in which we live and work.
What Family Service Worker skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Lynell Cooper MSW, LCSW: Being empathetic will enhance your ability to connect with clients, while resilience will help you manage emotional stress effectively. Fostering a lens of cultural humility will serve as a conduit to success and effectiveness.
What general advice would you give to a Family Service Worker?
Dr. J. Lendrum PhD: If possible, seek out internships during your undergraduate career to build your resume and portfolio. Through internships, cultivate your social skills and social networks because it's through our informal social networks that we find opportunities for jobs, scholarships, and other opportunities.
What will help Family Service Workers increase their earning potential?
James Andrews LCSW, LICSW, BCD: Completing the MSW and graduating as a professional social worker is exciting and can be overwhelming. There are some general areas of professional development that I would strongly recommend new social workers entering the workforce focus on addressing. The first (and in many ways perhaps the most important) is to actively network. Connect with peers and mentors by building and maintaining professional relationships through joining professional organizations and attending industry events such as conferences and other professional events. Join your state chapter of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and become active; don’t just pay your dues every year. Contact the chapter office and volunteer for a committee and run for a volunteer leadership position. Get involved! Next, be adaptable! If the social service field is characterized by any one quality, it is change. Cultivating the ability to grow, adapt to new technologies, methodologies, and work environments will be crucial to one’s career success. Not only does the quality of flexibility makes one a valuable employee and prepares you for unexpected challenges and opportunities, but it is also a central trait needed for those who desire to open their own clinical practices one day. Related to adaptability is the practice of continuous learning. Social work and the larger industry of social services ever evolving, so it is imperative that new graduates embrace the idea that even though they have graduated, they must always be students, ever learning and developing new skills. This involves a commitment to lifelong learning which involves pursuing certifications, workshops attendance, and staying updated with the latest industry trends and technologies through independent reading and research. This not only keeps your skills relevant but also demonstrates your commitment to professional growth. And finally, and too often ignored, is the importance of developing and cultivating what are called “soft skills”. Skills such as communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and time management a(and others) are essential. For the successful social worker. Such soft skills complement one’s technical abilities and are highly valued by employers. And in many ways are what will enable a person to advance in their career.
Elisa Martin Ph.D., MSW
Associate Professor of Social Work, Department Chair & Program DirectorSiena College
Social Sciences
What general advice would you give to a Family Service Worker?
Elisa Martin Ph.D., MSW: The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the need for social workers will grow faster than many other professions, which means finding employment upon graduation will not be a problem.
What will help Family Service 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 general advice would you give to a Family Service Worker?
Dr. Dexter Voisin: Social work is a diverse profession, and social workers engage in a wide variety of roles from clinicians, policy analysts, community workers, advocates, child welfare workers, mental health counselors, and many others.
What will help Family Service Workers increase their earning potential?
Dr. Dexter Voisin: I think there is a lot of misinformation about what is social work. Many persons have a very narrow view of social workers that they remove children from homes as “baby snatchers” or work with income assistance. However, social work is much broader than these roles.
What general advice would you give to a Family Service Worker?
Cynthia Peters MSW: When people hear the word social worker, they immediately think about the folks that take children from their families due to some report of abuse. They have a tendency to immediately not like what they think is social work. Social Work is so much more than working for DCS. What I like about Social Work is that there are so many jobs/careers you can walk into and utilize the skill you learned about the profession. Your job title does not need to be Social Worker. I know a social worker that is the Director of Public Works; Recreation Coordinator; Minister; Assistant to in the Governor's Office; Victim Advocate; Management Assistant; Council person; Governor; Senator. The sky is the limit to what career or job a social worker can do.
What general advice would you give to a Family Service 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 Family Service 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 general advice would you give to a Family Service Worker?
Dr. Aimée Vadnais Psy.D, LMFT: Keep in touch with your professors and classmates. They will be able to provide you with letters of recommendations in the future, connect you with job leads, and can make introductions to you to people in the field. Keep your resume current with any trainings or seminars that you attend and include additional certifications you obtain. Keep educating yourself by taking continuing education to learn more about certain topics, theories, interventions, or populations you are interested in learning more about. Network through CAMFT or AAMFT by attending their local chapter events, where you can meet others in the field in your area. Lastly, create a Linked In page so you can advertise about yourself and form local connections with others in your field.
What general advice would you give to a Family Service Worker?
Andrew Schoolnik: Saying 'yes' to as many challenges and tasks as possible. The accumulation of these experiences will create new opportunities and the cumulation of myriad opportunities is central to career advancement. The 2021 revision to the Social Work Code of Ethics includes the importance of self-care, and saying 'yes' must be balanced with this.
What will help Family Service 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.
Dr. Roxanne Ruiz-Adams
What Family Service Worker skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Roxanne Ruiz-Adams: In the evolving landscape of social work, the importance of digital literacy cannot be overstated. Proficiency in digital tools and platforms for communication, data management, and service delivery is crucial as technology becomes more embedded in social work practice. Additionally, as societies grow more diverse, cultural competence becomes essential, necessitating an understanding of cultural sensitivities, biases, and their impact on client interactions. The field of social work is increasingly intersecting with healthcare, education, and criminal justice, highlighting the value of skills in interdisciplinary collaboration and understanding the roles of other professionals. Furthermore, with the rising awareness and de-stigmatization of mental health issues, there is a growing demand for social workers skilled in mental health support and intervention. Finally, the ability to integrate research evidence into practice, making informed decisions based on the latest findings, underscores the growing emphasis on evidence-based practice. These evolving competencies are shaping the future of social work, making it imperative for professionals in the field to adapt and thrive.
What general advice would you give to a Family Service Worker?
Nicole Willis Ph.D., LMSW: Maximizing your salary first starts with doing the groundwork in the junior and senior year of the Social Work program. You'll want to have a strong and competitive professional resume that show how you stand-out from the other job seekers. The second phase is during the entry-level job interview phase. Best advice I ever received about salary is to NOT accept the first salary offered right away. Let your potential employer know that you'd like a day or two to think about the offer. During those two days, do your homework. Find out what is the average pay for like positions there and in other organizations. Talk with mentors you have within your professional network to get their thoughts on your offer. Don't be afraid to negotiate salary or negotiate the possibility that the potential employer would include paying for you to participate in a conference every year so you can earn the CEUs you need to maintain your Social Work license. In Social Work, we utilize great humility when working with clients and client systems. However, when in the office interviewing and considering that salary offer, put that humility aside for a while and think like a business person.
What Family Service Worker skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Nicole Willis Ph.D., LMSW: Maximizing your salary first starts with doing the groundwork in the junior and senior year of the Social Work program. You'll want to have a strong and competitive professional resume that show how you stand-out from the other job seekers. The second phase is during the entry-level job interview phase. Best advice I ever received about salary is to NOT accept the first salary offered right away. Let your potential employer know that you'd like a day or two to think about the offer. During those two days, do your homework. Find out what is the average pay for like positions there and in other organizations. Talk with mentors you have within your professional network to get their thoughts on your offer. Don't be afraid to negotiate salary or negotiate the possibility that the potential employer would include paying for you to participate in a conference every year so you can earn the CEUs you need to maintain your Social Work license. In Social Work, we utilize great humility when working with clients and client systems. However, when in the office interviewing and considering that salary offer, put that humility aside for a while and think like a business person.
What will help Family Service Workers increase their earning potential?
Katherine Stavrianopoulos Ph.D.: Continued Learning and Development: Stay committed to lifelong learning by attending workshops, pursuing advanced certifications, and staying updated on the latest research and therapeutic techniques. Supervision and Mentorship: Seek out supervision and mentorship opportunities from experienced professionals in the field. Consider participating in a peer supervision group where you can support one another and be open to constructive criticism as part of your development. Engage in regular self-reflection for personal growth. Prioritize Self-Care: Establish healthy boundaries between work and personal life, engage in activities that recharge you and help prevent burn out. Cultural Competence and Diversity: Cultivate cultural humility and strive to understand the diverse backgrounds and perspectives of your clients. Continuously educate yourself on multiculturalism and antiracism to provide competent and inclusive counseling services. Ethical Practice: Adhere to ethical guidelines and professional standards in your practice. Strive to Build Strong Therapeutic Relationships: Establish rapport, demonstrate empathy, and create a safe and trusting environment where clients feel comfortable exploring their thoughts and feelings. Evidence-Based Practice: Stay informed about research findings and utilize interventions that have been empirically validated for specific client populations and presenting issues. Networking and Collaboration: Build professional connections within the counseling community. Attend conferences, join professional organizations, and participate in networking events to expand your professional network. Collaboration with colleagues can lead to referrals, consultation opportunities, and mutual support. Consider doing some pro bono work: Pro bono services help bridge the gap to access mental health services for individuals who cannot afford them.