How to hire a licensed social worker

Licensed social worker hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring licensed social workers in the United States:

In the United States, the median cost per hire a licensed social worker is $1,633.
It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
Human Resources use 15% of their expenses on recruitment on average.
On average, it takes around 12 weeks for a new licensed social worker to become settled and show total productivity levels at work.

How to hire a licensed social worker, step by step

To hire a licensed social worker, you should clearly understand the skills and experience you are looking for in a candidate, and allocate a budget for the position. You will also need to post and promote the job opening to reach potential candidates. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to hire a licensed social worker:

Here's a step-by-step licensed social worker hiring guide:

Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
Step 3: Make a budget
Step 4: Write a licensed social worker job description
Step 5: Post your job
Step 6: Interview candidates
Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new licensed social worker
Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a licensed social worker do?

Licensed Social Workers are duly and legally recognized to carry out activities related to social work. They identify individuals or groups of people in need and assess what kind of help they require. They may assist these people in connecting to agencies that would cater to their needs. Licensed Social Workers also help people cope with their challenges. They are responsible for crafting treatment plans or well-being improvement plans for the individuals they help. They may also be called on during times of crisis to provide emotional support to the individuals involved.

Learn more about the specifics of what a licensed social worker does

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Identify your hiring needs

The licensed social worker hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

Determine employee vs contractor status

Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

A licensed social worker's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, licensed social workers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

Here's a comparison of licensed social worker salaries for various roles:

Type of Licensed Social Worker	Description	Hourly rate
Licensed Social Worker	Social workers help people solve and cope with problems in their everyday lives. One group of social workers—clinical social workers—also diagnose and treat mental, behavioral, and emotional issues.	$19-37
Family Therapist	A Family Therapist works with couples and families to help ameliorate marital and family issues. They can work in hospitals, treatment programs, government agencies, health organizations, and private practices.	$17-32
Mental Health Professional	The duties of a mental health professional will revolve around observing the behavior of patients. They are responsible for knowing their medical history, conducting consultations and assessments, diagnosing conditions, devising particular treatments and prescribing medication, and providing emotional support to patients... Show more	$16-33

Create an ideal candidate profile
Common skills:
- Social Work
- Patients
- Home Health
- Rehabilitation
- Substance Abuse
- Crisis Intervention
- Community Resources
- Patient Care
- Discharge Planning
- MSW
- Medicaid
- LSW
- Mental Illness
- Psychosocial Assessments
Check all skills
Responsibilities:
- Foster self-determination of patients by evaluating for vocational rehabilitation that includes employment, volunteering, or education opportunities.
- Evaluate and provide psychotherapy services to patients diagnose with serious and persistent mental illness and/or chemical dependency within an inpatient setting.
- Provide clinical supervision to MSW students.
- Supervise and train MSW students during their final concentration practicum.
- Plan and facilitate trainings that address trauma exposure and the impact of compassion fatigue on administrative staff.
- Provide medically relate social services to residents in a sub-acute, short term rehabilitation unit.
More licensed social worker duties

Make a budget

Including a salary range in your licensed social worker job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A licensed social worker can vary based on:

Location. For example, licensed social workers' average salary in south dakota is 47% less than in alaska.
Seniority. Entry-level licensed social workers 47% less than senior-level licensed social workers.
Certifications. A licensed social worker with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a licensed social worker's salary.

Average licensed social worker salary

$57,005yearly

$27.41 hourly rate

Entry-level licensed social worker salary

$41,000 yearly salary

Updated December 24, 2025

Average licensed social worker salary by state

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	California	$81,976	$39
2	Oregon	$70,125	$34
3	Massachusetts	$62,667	$30
4	Indiana	$58,523	$28
5	New Jersey	$58,016	$28
6	Pennsylvania	$57,049	$27
7	Delaware	$56,837	$27
8	New York	$55,671	$27
9	Ohio	$54,156	$26
10	Texas	$53,342	$26
11	Colorado	$52,885	$25
12	Arizona	$52,680	$25
13	Mississippi	$51,676	$25
14	Hawaii	$51,488	$25
15	Louisiana	$50,594	$24
16	Maryland	$49,960	$24
17	Minnesota	$49,906	$24
18	North Carolina	$49,585	$24
19	South Carolina	$49,415	$24
20	Michigan	$47,940	$23

Average licensed social worker salary by company

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
1	Favorite Healthcare Staffing	$79,907	$38.42
2	Claxton Hepburn	$78,894	$37.93	3
3	Community Hospitals and Wellness Centers	$77,701	$37.36
4	Therapy Source	$77,435	$37.23	11
5	Hca Hospital Services Of San Diego	$76,585	$36.82
6	Encompass Health	$76,252	$36.66	177
7	Fresenius Medical Care North America Holdings Limited Partnership	$73,760	$35.46	109
8	Owens Healthcare	$73,491	$35.33	1
9	CFG Health Systems	$73,241	$35.21
10	Yale University	$72,948	$35.07	1
11	Senior Living Properties	$71,562	$34.40
12	Methodist Health System	$71,461	$34.36	4
13	Sun River Health	$71,292	$34.27	9
14	Accountable Healthcare Holdings Corp.	$71,163	$34.21	1
15	Maine Health/maine Mental Health Partners	$71,104	$34.18	8
16	Express Healthcare Professionals	$70,830	$34.05
17	Dignity Health	$70,633	$33.96	100
18	Queens- Long Island Renal Institute	$69,692	$33.51	3
19	UMass Lowell	$69,669	$33.49
20	Baptist Health Care	$69,373	$33.35	1

Writing a licensed social worker job description
A good licensed social worker job description should include a few things:
- Summary of the role
- List of responsibilities
- Required skills and experience
Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a licensed social worker job description:
Licensed social worker job description example

Our facility holds 320 beds: LTC, TCU, and Memory Care

Now offering Daily Pay! Get early access to your paycheck!

On-Site Child Daycare Center: 6 weeks to Preschool age

Perks for a Full-Time employee: Medical, Dental, Vision, 401 k, LTC/STC, Pet Insurance and more! Up to $2,500 on Tuition Reimbursement, Referral Program: Up to $2,000 per person, and Advancements!

Candidate must be a MN licensed Social Worker.

Hours of operation: Monday-Friday; 8am-4:30pm, with some flexibility.

Description:

North Ridge Health and Rehab has a rich history of providing quality care to seniors since 1966. We are a specialized senior health care community. Our continuum of care offers a variety of services: Senior Apartments, Assisted Living, Adult Day Program, Complex/Transitional Rehab Care, Long Term Care and secured areas for those with memory impairment.

Our emphasis at North Ridge is to recognize and provide for the needs of each individual, whether the goal is to remain in our community or to return home. Join our care team and find out why it is not only a special place to live or receive care, but also a special place to work.

The Social Worker provides for the medically related, social and emotional needs of the resident upon admission and throughout their stay.

Duties:

Major job functions include: obtaining pertinent information from resident, family, referral resources, physicians, etc. for complete social history. Provides case management services. Documents residents charts and participates in family conferences. Coordinates admissions, transfers and discharges. Communicates with hospital staff if resident is hospitalized.

Qualifications:

Must be a Licensed Social Worker or licensed nurse. Prefer experience in long term care. Must be able to work with a multidisciplinary team and have excellent written and verbal communication skills. Must have HMO, Medicare and Insurance experience. Must have knowledge of community resources and ensure compliance with all HIPAA regulations.

Candidate must be a MN licensed Social Worker.

Hours of operation: Monday-Friday; 8am-4:30pm, with some flexibility.

Job Posted by ApplicantPro
Post your job
There are various strategies that you can use to find the right licensed social worker for your business:
- Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
- Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
- Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
- Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.
Post your job online:
- Post your licensed social worker job on Zippia to find and recruit licensed social worker candidates who meet your exact specifications.
- Use field-specific websites.
- Post a job on free websites.
Interview candidates
Your first interview with licensed social worker candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.
It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.
The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.
Send a job offer and onboard your new licensed social worker
Once you've found the licensed social worker candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.
It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.
Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new licensed social worker. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.
Go through the hiring process checklist
- Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
- Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
- Define job responsibilities and requirements
- Establish budget and timeline
- Determine hiring decision makers for the role
- Write job description
- Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
- Promote the job internally
- Process applications through applicant tracking system
- Review resumes and cover letters
- Shortlist candidates for screening
- Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
- Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
- Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
- Conduct background checks on top candidates
- Check references of top candidates
- Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
- Extend offer to top candidate(s)
- Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
- Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
- Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
- Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)
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How much does it cost to hire a licensed social worker?

Hiring a licensed social worker comes with both the one-time cost per hire and ongoing costs. The cost of recruiting licensed social workers involves promoting the job and spending time conducting interviews. Ongoing costs include employee salary, training, benefits, insurance, and equipment. It is essential to consider the cost of licensed social worker recruiting as well the ongoing costs of maintaining the new employee.

The median annual salary for licensed social workers is $57,005 in the US. However, the cost of licensed social worker hiring can vary a lot depending on location. Additionally, hiring a licensed social worker for contract work or on a per-project basis typically costs between $19 and $37 an hour.

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Updated December 24, 2025

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How to hire a licensed social worker