Health care social worker demographics and statistics in the US
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Health care social worker demographics by:
Health care social worker gender statistics
78.8% of health care social workers are women and 21.2% of health care social workers are men.
- Female, 78.8%
- Male, 21.2%
Health care social worker gender ratio
| Gender | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Female | 78.8% |
| Male | 21.2% |
Health care social worker gender pay gap
Women earn $1.01 for every $1 earned by men
Male income
$41,818
Female income
$42,161
Health care social worker gender ratio over time
This data breaks down the percentage of men and women in health care social worker positions over time. Currently, 78.8% of health care social workers are female.
Health care social worker gender ratio by year
| Year | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 19.59% | 80.41% |
| 2011 | 18.80% | 81.20% |
| 2012 | 18.75% | 81.25% |
| 2013 | 18.07% | 81.93% |
| 2014 | 18.99% | 81.01% |
| 2015 | 18.76% | 81.24% |
| 2016 | 19.04% | 80.96% |
| 2017 | 18.62% | 81.38% |
| 2018 | 23.57% | 76.43% |
| 2019 | 23.98% | 76.02% |
| 2020 | 25.83% | 74.17% |
| 2021 | 21.22% | 78.78% |
Health care social worker related jobs gender ratio
We compared health care social workers with similar job titles to see how gender ratios vary. As you can see, public health worker and rehabilitation engineer have the biggest gender ratio gaps.
| Job title | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Breastfeeding Educator | 2% | 98% |
| Certified Lactation Counselor | 3% | 97% |
| Lactation Specialist | 5% | 95% |
| Health Care Social Worker | 21% | 79% |
| Donation Worker | 70% | 30% |
| Rehabilitation Engineer | 70% | 30% |
| Public Health Worker | 81% | 19% |
Male
Female
100%
75%
50%
25%
0%
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
Health care social worker demographics by race
The most common ethnicity among health care social workers is White, which makes up 58.5% of all health care social workers. Comparatively, 19.9% of health care social workers are Black or African American and 12.3% of health care social workers are Hispanic or Latino.
- White, 58.5%
- Black or African American, 19.9%
- Hispanic or Latino, 12.3%
- Unknown, 5.4%
- Asian, 3.3%
- American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
Health care social worker race
| Health care social worker race | Percentages |
|---|---|
| White | 58.5% |
| Black or African American | 19.9% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 12.3% |
| Unknown | 5.4% |
| Asian | 3.3% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.6% |
Health care social worker race and ethnicity over time
See how health care social worker racial and ethnic diversity trended since 2010 according to the United States Census Bureau data.
Health care social worker race and ethnicity by year
| Year | White | Black or African American | Asian | Hispanic or Latino |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 66.83% | 17.57% | 2.59% | 10.00% |
| 2011 | 65.42% | 18.60% | 3.01% | 10.04% |
| 2012 | 65.75% | 17.96% | 2.81% | 10.36% |
| 2013 | 65.67% | 17.74% | 2.90% | 10.11% |
| 2014 | 65.32% | 17.27% | 3.07% | 11.30% |
| 2015 | 65.17% | 17.67% | 2.89% | 11.38% |
| 2016 | 64.92% | 17.21% | 3.27% | 11.88% |
| 2017 | 65.28% | 15.66% | 3.37% | 12.35% |
| 2018 | 65.80% | 17.35% | 2.18% | 11.32% |
| 2019 | 66.88% | 15.00% | 2.08% | 12.40% |
| 2020 | 62.15% | 15.96% | 3.26% | 12.70% |
| 2021 | 58.45% | 19.92% | 3.32% | 12.27% |
Health care social worker wage gap by race
According to our data, unknown health care social workers have the highest average salary compared to other ethnicities. White health care social workers have the lowest average salary at $40,261.
| Ethnicity | Salary |
|---|---|
| Unknown | $42,385 |
| White | $40,261 |
| Black or African American | $41,820 |
| Asian | $42,305 |
| Hispanic or Latino | $42,361 |
Average health care social worker age
See how the average age of health care social workers varies based on ethnicity and gender.
Male
Female
Health care social worker age by race and gender
| Race | Male age | Female age |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown | 37 | |
| White | 46 | 46 |
| Black or African American | 48 | 44.5 |
| Asian | 38.5 | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 35 | 43 |
Health care social worker age breakdown
The average age of health care social workers is 40+ years years old, representing 63% of the health care social worker population.
Health care social worker age breakdown
| Health Care Social Worker Years | Percentages |
|---|---|
| 40+ years | 63% |
| 30-40 years | 28% |
| 20-30 years | 8% |
Health care social worker educational attainment
The most common degree for health care social workers is bachelor's degree, with 31% of health care social workers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 20% and associate degree degree at 18%.
- Bachelor's, 31%
- Associate, 20%
- High School Diploma, 18%
- Master's, 16%
- Other Degrees, 15%
Health care social workers by degree level
| Health care social worker degree | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 31% |
| Associate | 20% |
| High School Diploma | 18% |
| Master's | 16% |
| Other Degrees | 15% |
Health care social worker jobs you might like
Health care social worker wage gap by degree level
According to the data, health care social workers with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $48,539 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, health care social workers earn a median annual income of $43,537 compared to $41,552 for health care social workers with an Associate degree.
| Education | Salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $48,539 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $35,981 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $43,537 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $41,552 |
Health care social worker employment statistics
Most health care social workers work for a private in the health care industry.
Company size where health care social workers work
Below, you can see the size of companies where health care social workers work.
Health care social worker jobs by employer size
| Company size | Percentages |
|---|---|
| < 50 employees | 9% |
| 50 - 100 employees | 22% |
| 100 - 500 employees | 30% |
| 500 - 1,000 employees | 15% |
| 1,000 - 10,000 employees | 17% |
| > 10,000 employees | 9% |
Health care social worker jobs by company type
Employees with the health care social worker job title have their preferences when it comes to working for a company. For instance, most health care social workers prefer to work at private companies over government companies.
Health care social worker jobs by sector
| Company type | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Education | 4% |
| Public | 3% |
| Private | 82% |
| Government | 10% |
Health care social worker jobs by industry
The most common industries for health care social workers are health care, professional and non profits.
Health care social worker industry statistics
| Industry | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Health Care | 47% |
| Professional | 11% |
| Non Profits | 8% |
| Government | 7% |
| Technology | 4% |
| Retail | 3% |
| Education | 3% |
| Media | 2% |
| Internet | 2% |
| Hospitality | 2% |
| Transportation | 2% |
| Finance | 2% |
| Start-up | 2% |
| Pharmaceutical | 1% |
| Utilities | 1% |
| Construction | 1% |
| Manufacturing | 1% |
| Telecommunication | 1% |
| Energy | 1% |
| Insurance | 1% |
| Fortune 500 | 1% |
| Real Estate | 1% |
Health care social worker turnover and employment statistics
Health care social worker unemployment rate over time
The unemployment rate for health care social workers between 2008 and the most recent data has varied, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Health care social worker unemployment rate by year
| Year | Health care social worker unemployment rate |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 3.89% |
| 2011 | 4.68% |
| 2012 | 4.85% |
| 2013 | 3.77% |
| 2014 | 2.89% |
| 2015 | 2.27% |
| 2016 | 2.28% |
| 2017 | 1.90% |
| 2018 | 2.61% |
| 2019 | 1.33% |
| 2020 | 2.51% |
| 2021 | 3.18% |
Average health care social worker tenure
The average health care social worker stays at their job for 1-2 years, based on the 1,094 health care social workers resumes in Zippia's database.
Health care social worker tenure statistics
| Number of years | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Less than 1 year | 23% |
| 1-2 years | 32% |
| 3-4 years | 14% |
| 5-7 years | 16% |
| 8-10 years | 5% |
| 11+ years | 10% |
Health care social worker LGBT ratio compared to similar jobs
Review the percent of health care social workers that are members of the LGBT community. You can see how this compares to similar jobs in the chart below.
| Job title | LGBT | Job openings |
|---|---|---|
| Grief Counselor | 8.96% | 27,537 |
| Court Worker | 9.50% | 20,668 |
| Monk | 11.25% | 46 |
| Client Care Coordinator | 11.48% | 128,593 |
| Health Care Social Worker | 12.99% | - |
| Program Counselor | 15.06% | 133,491 |
| Case Manager | 15.06% | 84,959 |
Similar health care social worker jobs LGBT demographics
| Profession | Percentages of LGBT | Job openings |
|---|---|---|
| Grief Counselor | 8.96% | 27,537 |
| Court Worker | 9.50% | 20,668 |
| Monk | 11.25% | 46 |
| Client Care Coordinator | 11.48% | 128,593 |
| Program Counselor | 15.06% | 133,491 |
| Case Manager | 15.06% | 84,959 |
Foreign languages spoken by health care social workers
The most common foreign language among health care social workers is Spanish at 68.0%. The second-most popular foreign language spoken is French at 12.0% and Russian is the third-most popular at 8.0%.
- Spanish, 68.0%
- French, 12.0%
- Russian, 8.0%
- Italian, 8.0%
- Swedish, 4.0%
Health care social worker languages spoken
| Foreign language | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Spanish | 68.0% |
| French | 12.0% |
| Russian | 8.0% |
| Italian | 8.0% |
| Swedish | 4.0% |
