Medical social worker demographics and statistics in the US
Medical social worker demographics research summary. Zippia estimates medical social worker demographics and statistics in the United States by using a database of 30 million profiles. Our medical social worker estimates are verified against BLS, Census, and current job openings data for accuracy. Zippia's data science team found the following key facts about medical social workers after extensive research and analysis:
- There are over 148,216 medical social workers currently employed in the United States.
- 85.7% of all medical social workers are women, while 14.3% are men.
- The average medical social worker age is 44 years old.
- The most common ethnicity of medical social workers is White (58.5%), followed by Black or African American (19.9%), Hispanic or Latino (12.3%) and Unknown (5.4%).
- Medical social workers are most in-demand in San Francisco, CA.
- The health care industry is the highest-paying for medical social workers.
- 13% of all medical social workers are LGBT.
On this page
Medical social worker demographics by:
Medical social worker gender statistics
85.7% of medical social workers are women and 14.3% of medical social workers are men.
- Female, 85.7%
- Male, 14.3%
Medical social worker gender ratio
| Gender | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Female | 85.7% |
| Male | 14.3% |
Medical social worker gender pay gap
Women earn $1.01 for every $1 earned by men
Male income
$56,513
Female income
$56,987
Medical social worker gender ratio over time
This data breaks down the percentage of men and women in medical social worker positions over time. Currently, 85.7% of medical social workers are female.
Medical social worker gender ratio by year
| Year | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 13.13% | 86.87% |
| 2011 | 12.56% | 87.44% |
| 2012 | 12.52% | 87.48% |
| 2013 | 12.03% | 87.97% |
| 2014 | 12.70% | 87.30% |
| 2015 | 12.53% | 87.47% |
| 2016 | 12.73% | 87.27% |
| 2017 | 12.43% | 87.57% |
| 2018 | 16.05% | 83.95% |
| 2019 | 16.36% | 83.64% |
| 2020 | 17.76% | 82.24% |
| 2021 | 14.31% | 85.69% |
Medical social worker related jobs gender ratio
We compared medical 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% |
| Medical Social Worker | 14% | 86% |
| 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%
Medical social worker demographics by race
The most common ethnicity among medical social workers is White, which makes up 58.5% of all medical social workers. Comparatively, 19.9% of medical social workers are Black or African American and 12.3% of medical 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%
Medical social worker race
| Medical 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% |
Medical social worker race and ethnicity over time
See how medical social worker racial and ethnic diversity trended since 2010 according to the United States Census Bureau data.
Medical 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% |
Medical social worker wage gap by race
According to our data, unknown medical social workers have the highest average salary compared to other ethnicities. White medical social workers have the lowest average salary at $54,355.
| Ethnicity | Salary |
|---|---|
| Unknown | $57,298 |
| White | $54,355 |
| Black or African American | $56,515 |
| Asian | $57,188 |
| Hispanic or Latino | $57,266 |
Average medical social worker age
See how the average age of medical social workers varies based on ethnicity and gender.
Male
Female
Medical 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 |
Medical social worker age breakdown
The average age of medical social workers is 40+ years years old, representing 63% of the medical social worker population.
Medical social worker age breakdown
| Medical Social Worker Years | Percentages |
|---|---|
| 40+ years | 63% |
| 30-40 years | 28% |
| 20-30 years | 8% |
Medical social worker educational attainment
The most common degree for medical social workers is master's degree, with 48% of medical social workers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are bachelor's degree degree at 46% and bachelor's degree degree at 4%.
- Master's, 48%
- Bachelor's, 46%
- Associate, 4%
- Doctorate, 1%
- Other Degrees, 1%
Medical social workers by degree level
| Medical social worker degree | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Master's | 48% |
| Bachelor's | 46% |
| Associate | 4% |
| Doctorate | 1% |
| Other Degrees | 1% |
Medical social worker jobs you might like
Medical social worker wage gap by degree level
According to the data, medical social workers with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $65,848 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, medical social workers earn a median annual income of $58,897 compared to $56,144 for medical social workers with an Associate degree.
| Education | Salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $65,848 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $48,436 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $58,897 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $56,144 |
Medical social worker employment statistics
Most medical social workers work for a private in the health care industry.
Company size where medical social workers work
Below, you can see the size of companies where medical social workers work.
Medical social worker jobs by employer size
| Company size | Percentages |
|---|---|
| < 50 employees | 7% |
| 50 - 100 employees | 15% |
| 100 - 500 employees | 18% |
| 500 - 1,000 employees | 11% |
| 1,000 - 10,000 employees | 34% |
| > 10,000 employees | 15% |
Medical social worker jobs by company type
Employees with the medical social worker job title have their preferences when it comes to working for a company. For instance, most medical social workers prefer to work at private companies over public companies.
Medical social worker jobs by sector
| Company type | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Education | 3% |
| Public | 4% |
| Private | 89% |
| Government | 4% |
Medical social worker jobs by industry
The most common industries for medical social workers are health care, non profits and professional.
Medical social worker industry statistics
| Industry | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Health Care | 83% |
| Non Profits | 3% |
| Professional | 3% |
| Government | 2% |
| Education | 2% |
| Manufacturing | 1% |
| Finance | 1% |
| Start-up | 1% |
| Fortune 500 | 1% |
| Retail | 1% |
| Technology | 1% |
| Insurance | 1% |
Medical social worker turnover and employment statistics
Medical social worker unemployment rate over time
The unemployment rate for medical social workers between 2008 and the most recent data has varied, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Medical social worker unemployment rate by year
| Year | Medical 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 medical social worker tenure
The average medical social worker stays at their job for 1-2 years, based on the 10,938 medical social workers resumes in Zippia's database.
Medical social worker tenure statistics
| Number of years | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Less than 1 year | 17% |
| 1-2 years | 34% |
| 3-4 years | 15% |
| 5-7 years | 16% |
| 8-10 years | 7% |
| 11+ years | 10% |
Medical social worker LGBT ratio compared to similar jobs
Review the percent of medical 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Anger Control Counselor | 8.96% | 58,069 |
| Probation Counselor | 9.50% | 29,518 |
| Ecclesiastical Worker | 11.25% | 20,239 |
| Vocational Case Manager | 11.48% | 77,552 |
| Medical Social Worker | 12.99% | - |
| Senior Residential Counselor | 15.06% | 34,607 |
| Case Therapist | 15.06% | 50,610 |
Similar medical social worker jobs LGBT demographics
| Profession | Percentages of LGBT | Job openings |
|---|---|---|
| Anger Control Counselor | 8.96% | 58,069 |
| Probation Counselor | 9.50% | 29,518 |
| Ecclesiastical Worker | 11.25% | 20,239 |
| Vocational Case Manager | 11.48% | 77,552 |
| Senior Residential Counselor | 15.06% | 34,607 |
| Case Therapist | 15.06% | 50,610 |
Foreign languages spoken by medical social workers
The most common foreign language among medical social workers is Spanish at 66.6%. The second-most popular foreign language spoken is French at 4.8% and Mandarin is the third-most popular at 4.5%.
- Spanish, 66.6%
- French, 4.8%
- Mandarin, 4.5%
- Chinese, 3.7%
- Cantonese, 3.4%
- Other, 17.0%
Medical social worker languages spoken
| Foreign language | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Spanish | 66.6% |
| French | 4.8% |
| Mandarin | 4.5% |
| Chinese | 3.7% |
| Cantonese | 3.4% |
| Other | 17.0% |
