Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Job outlook for long term care social workers in the United States
Are long term care social worker jobs in demand?
Long term care social worker job and salary trends over time
Long term care social worker jobs over time
Long term care social worker job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 395 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 401 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 398 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 383 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 382 | 0.00% |
Average long term care social worker salary over time
Long term care social worker salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $48,296 | $23.22 | +1.6% |
| 2024 | $47,559 | $22.86 | +1.0% |
| 2023 | $47,098 | $22.64 | +2.4% |
| 2022 | $45,983 | $22.11 | +2.1% |
| 2021 | $45,053 | $21.66 | +2.6% |
Long term care social worker jobs by state
Most common states for long term care social workers
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 498 | 37% |
| 2 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 323 | 37% |
| 3 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 259 | 37% |
| 4 | Delaware | 961,939 | 299 | 31% |
| 5 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 556 | 29% |
| 6 | Missouri | 6,113,532 | 1,694 | 28% |
| 7 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 1,074 | 26% |
| 8 | North Carolina | 10,273,419 | 2,560 | 25% |
| 9 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 516 | 25% |
| 10 | Georgia | 10,429,379 | 2,503 | 24% |
| 11 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 1,798 | 24% |
| 12 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 327 | 24% |
| 13 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 250 | 24% |
| 14 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 1,957 | 23% |
| 15 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 1,316 | 23% |
| 16 | South Carolina | 5,024,369 | 1,135 | 23% |
| 17 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 695 | 22% |
| 18 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 383 | 22% |
| 19 | Vermont | 623,657 | 140 | 22% |
| 20 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 158 | 21% |
Most common cities for long term care social workers
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Queensbury | 1 | 4% | $47,587 |
| 2 | Dover | 1 | 3% | $58,747 |
| 3 | Tulsa | 1 | 0% | $44,963 |
Long Term Care Social Worker job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of long term care social worker experts
University of New Hampshire
University of Nevada - Reno
Longwood University
Long Island University-Brooklyn
What's a good job out of college for Long Term Care Social Workers?
Summer Cook Ph.D.: Perhaps any job within the field of Kinesiology would be a good start. Students need a variety of experiences and if they missed out on normal shadowing or internship opportunities during the pandemic, any opportunity will allow them to determine what they like and don't like about certain careers. Telehealth in Exercise Science is new and a lot more opportunities in that area could be interesting.
Dr. Tammy Abernathy Ph.D.
Professor Special Education, Special Education Program CoordinatorUniversity of Nevada - Reno
Special Education Program
What type of skills will young Long Term Care Social Workers need?
Dr. Tammy Abernathy Ph.D.: Young graduates will need to linked to the host of resources that are available to them. To they will need to continue to be learners and willing to spend the time to hone their craft. Young graduates may need some financial assistance to join professional organizations that offer resources that will keep them on the cutting edge of policy, research and implementation. It is important that young graduates learn how to get and how to use the most current information and not rely solely on colleagues or their school district for information.
For example, the most cutting edge information for teaching students with disabilities in a COVID environment came of professional organizations posting information weekly and not from their employers. These organizations have been responsive to questions from educators and supportive of innovation from teachers. Young graduates are already technologically advanced and they know how to learn independently in some cases. We anticipate that they will be able generalize these skills into teaching practices for their own students. Young graduates must be knowledgeable in the content areas, but social emotional learning and trauma informed practices will be essential.
What experience really stands out on Long Term Care Social Worker resumes?
Dr. Tammy Abernathy Ph.D.: Experience with students with disabilities in a variety of settings. A degree, a major and teaching license are important, but experience with students and their families matters. This is where the love of the profession and children is born. Special educators believe in their students. They set high expectations for students and they tirelessly push for these outcomes. We are not a sympathetic lot. We want our students to reach their own hopes and dreams and we can't do that unless we set high expectations and build self-determined students. Also, evidence that you are a strong collaborative partner, and you can show evidence of collaborative work will be noticed. Special education services are not provided by one teacher only. Being able to work within a group to serve students is essential. Advocacy skills are a plus. Experience advocating with and for students with disabilities will get attention. Further, demonstrating that you can teach students to advocate for themselves is also important.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Long Term Care Social Workers to find work opportunities?
Teresa Reynolds: The unique feature that social work provides to its graduates is that there are a variety of settings to which graduates can apply. There are a variety of positions for BSW graduates in agencies such as Department of Social Services/Human Services, Nursing homes, hospice, foster care, probation & parole, domestic violence shelters, homeless shelters, prevention agencies, child advocacy agencies, early intervention programs and more. The trends are showing that the job market will seek social workers to work with the older American population, as our society is aging. Students are encourage to seek experience with a variety of populations so that he/she will be marketable.
Dr. Telvis Rich
Associate ProfessorLong Island University-Brooklyn
Department of Social Wok
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Long Term Care Social Worker job market given the pandemic?
Dr. Telvis Rich: With the worldwide presence of COVID-19, there has been arise of career opportunities for undergraduate and graduate level professional Social Workers. For example, there is an increase of case managers to level set the intake process in short and long term care faculties where bachelor level Social Workers fill a great need. Further, there is need for master-level Social Workers to serve diverse populations in rural and metropolitan areas providing telehealth therapies, financial Social Work services and support, and community based practice leadership where housing needs have been dramatically been impacted in the United States.