Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Best states for a hospital social worker
Quoted expert
KJ Cerankowski Ph.D.
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Are you thinking of becoming a hospital social worker and really want to work at Abington Hospital - Jefferson Health? Turns out, your chances to become a hospital social worker are better in some states than others.We wanted to look at the best states for hospital social workers -- where there are plenty of hospital social worker jobs to go around and hospital social workers get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
In order to get you the best states for hospital social workers, we looked at our data on jobs and wages -- specifically the average annual wage and the number of available jobs per capita.We found that Oregon is the best state for hospital social worker jobs, whereas Arkansas is the worst.
10 best states for hospital social workers in 2025
1. Oregon
Total hospital social worker jobs: 966 Average annual salary: $72,722 Lowest 10 percent earn: $53,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $99,000 Location Quotient: 1.35
2. New Hampshire
Total hospital social worker jobs: 376 Average annual salary: $67,673 Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $91,000 Location Quotient: 1.24
3. Washington
Total hospital social worker jobs: 1,817 Average annual salary: $64,810 Lowest 10 percent earn: $49,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $85,000 Location Quotient: 1.44
4. Connecticut
Total hospital social worker jobs: 752 Average annual salary: $65,081 Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $91,000 Location Quotient: 1.31
5. Massachusetts
Total hospital social worker jobs: 2,727 Average annual salary: $63,505 Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $86,000 Location Quotient: 1.71
6. California
Total hospital social worker jobs: 6,128 Average annual salary: $71,750 Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $106,000 Location Quotient: 1.21
7. Alaska
Total hospital social worker jobs: 170 Average annual salary: $73,923 Lowest 10 percent earn: $66,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $82,000 Location Quotient: 1.18
8. Idaho
Total hospital social worker jobs: 348 Average annual salary: $60,892 Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $84,000 Location Quotient: 1.22
9. Utah
Total hospital social worker jobs: 661 Average annual salary: $62,114 Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $88,000 Location Quotient: 1.2
10. New Mexico
Total hospital social worker jobs: 426 Average annual salary: $54,890 Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $82,000 Location Quotient: 1.25
Hospital social worker jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a hospital social worker
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a hospital social worker
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon | $72,722 | $53,000 | 4,142,776 | 966 |
| 2 | New Hampshire | $67,673 | $50,000 | 1,342,795 | 376 |
| 3 | Washington | $64,810 | $49,000 | 7,405,743 | 1,817 |
| 4 | Connecticut | $65,081 | $46,000 | 3,588,184 | 752 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $63,505 | $46,000 | 6,859,819 | 2,727 |
| 6 | California | $71,750 | $48,000 | 39,536,653 | 6,128 |
| 7 | Alaska | $73,923 | $66,000 | 739,795 | 170 |
| 8 | Idaho | $60,892 | $44,000 | 1,716,943 | 348 |
| 9 | Utah | $62,114 | $43,000 | 3,101,833 | 661 |
| 10 | New Mexico | $54,890 | $36,000 | 2,088,070 | 426 |
| 11 | District of Columbia | $69,590 | $47,000 | 693,972 | 208 |
| 12 | Rhode Island | $58,133 | $41,000 | 1,059,639 | 177 |
| 13 | Vermont | $59,808 | $45,000 | 623,657 | 96 |
| 14 | West Virginia | $51,685 | $35,000 | 1,815,857 | 321 |
| 15 | Indiana | $57,486 | $40,000 | 6,666,818 | 683 |
| 16 | Nevada | $56,731 | $37,000 | 2,998,039 | 246 |
| 17 | Delaware | $55,289 | $37,000 | 961,939 | 209 |
| 18 | Pennsylvania | $54,228 | $37,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,724 |
| 19 | New Jersey | $57,561 | $39,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,132 |
| 20 | Wyoming | $54,291 | $39,000 | 579,315 | 79 |
| 21 | New York | $55,479 | $38,000 | 19,849,399 | 2,112 |
| 22 | Arizona | $54,123 | $36,000 | 7,016,270 | 677 |
| 23 | Tennessee | $48,246 | $32,000 | 6,715,984 | 1,230 |
| 24 | Oklahoma | $50,088 | $33,000 | 3,930,864 | 567 |
| 25 | Texas | $50,991 | $33,000 | 28,304,596 | 3,596 |
| 26 | Ohio | $52,482 | $36,000 | 11,658,609 | 1,010 |
| 27 | North Dakota | $53,050 | $42,000 | 755,393 | 98 |
| 28 | Maine | $47,001 | $35,000 | 1,335,907 | 357 |
| 29 | Colorado | $50,862 | $35,000 | 5,607,154 | 1,163 |
| 30 | Nebraska | $46,570 | $33,000 | 1,920,076 | 492 |
| 31 | Louisiana | $47,949 | $31,000 | 4,684,333 | 670 |
| 32 | Montana | $50,567 | $39,000 | 1,050,493 | 174 |
| 33 | Minnesota | $50,425 | $38,000 | 5,576,606 | 765 |
| 34 | Michigan | $48,005 | $34,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,031 |
| 35 | Mississippi | $48,782 | $32,000 | 2,984,100 | 234 |
| 36 | Hawaii | $52,811 | $46,000 | 1,427,538 | 134 |
| 37 | Iowa | $48,487 | $35,000 | 3,145,711 | 373 |
| 38 | South Carolina | $45,288 | $29,000 | 5,024,369 | 913 |
| 39 | Maryland | $48,195 | $32,000 | 6,052,177 | 1,147 |
| 40 | North Carolina | $45,370 | $30,000 | 10,273,419 | 1,707 |
| 41 | South Dakota | $40,519 | $30,000 | 869,666 | 239 |
| 42 | Missouri | $44,457 | $30,000 | 6,113,532 | 1,139 |
| 43 | Kansas | $47,023 | $32,000 | 2,913,123 | 254 |
| 44 | Wisconsin | $47,418 | $34,000 | 5,795,483 | 499 |
| 45 | Virginia | $44,605 | $29,000 | 8,470,020 | 1,693 |
| 46 | Florida | $40,954 | $26,000 | 20,984,400 | 3,300 |
| 47 | Illinois | $46,992 | $33,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,373 |
| 48 | Georgia | $40,120 | $26,000 | 10,429,379 | 1,966 |
| 49 | Kentucky | $44,336 | $30,000 | 4,454,189 | 324 |
| 50 | Alabama | $40,608 | $26,000 | 4,874,747 | 698 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $41,699 | $27,000 | 3,004,279 | 295 |
Highest paying states for hospital social workers
| Rank | State | Avg. Hospital Social Worker Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon | $72,722 |
| 2 | New Hampshire | $67,673 |
| 3 | Washington | $64,810 |
| 4 | Connecticut | $65,081 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $63,505 |
| 6 | California | $71,750 |
| 7 | Alaska | $73,923 |
| 8 | Idaho | $60,892 |
| 9 | Utah | $62,114 |
| 10 | New Mexico | $54,890 |
| 11 | District of Columbia | $69,590 |
| 12 | Rhode Island | $58,133 |
| 13 | Vermont | $59,808 |
| 14 | West Virginia | $51,685 |
| 15 | Indiana | $57,486 |
| 16 | Nevada | $56,731 |
| 17 | Delaware | $55,289 |
| 18 | Pennsylvania | $54,228 |
| 19 | New Jersey | $57,561 |
| 20 | Wyoming | $54,291 |
| 21 | New York | $55,479 |
| 22 | Arizona | $54,123 |
| 23 | Tennessee | $48,246 |
| 24 | Oklahoma | $50,088 |
| 25 | Texas | $50,991 |
| 26 | Ohio | $52,482 |
| 27 | North Dakota | $53,050 |
| 28 | Maine | $47,001 |
| 29 | Colorado | $50,862 |
| 30 | Nebraska | $46,570 |
| 31 | Louisiana | $47,949 |
| 32 | Montana | $50,567 |
| 33 | Minnesota | $50,425 |
| 34 | Michigan | $48,005 |
| 35 | Mississippi | $48,782 |
| 36 | Hawaii | $52,811 |
| 37 | Iowa | $48,487 |
| 38 | South Carolina | $45,288 |
| 39 | Maryland | $48,195 |
| 40 | North Carolina | $45,370 |
| 41 | South Dakota | $40,519 |
| 42 | Missouri | $44,457 |
| 43 | Kansas | $47,023 |
| 44 | Wisconsin | $47,418 |
| 45 | Virginia | $44,605 |
| 46 | Florida | $40,954 |
| 47 | Illinois | $46,992 |
| 48 | Georgia | $40,120 |
| 49 | Kentucky | $44,336 |
| 50 | Alabama | $40,608 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $41,699 |
Expert opinions on the best states for hospital social workers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for hospital social workers to find work opportunities?
KJ Cerankowski Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Comparative American Studies and Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies, Oberlin College
One great thing about a degree in these interdisciplinary fields is that it opens many job possibilities. Graduates from these fields may do all sorts of different work for nonprofits or NGOs in the education sector, politics, research, writing and editing, and healthcare settings.
With the pandemic, there has been so much variability state-by-state in terms of spread, plans for reopening, and what remains closed, that it's hard to say which places may be better to look for work. I know some recent graduates are still landing jobs and making big moves all over the United States for those jobs, while others are taking on remote work and choosing where they will live. I recommend, if one is able, casting a wide net, being open to new places or job possibilities you might not have initially imagined for yourself.
Hospital social worker best states FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common community and social services questions.
Search for hospital social worker jobs
Updated January 8, 2025