Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between senior social workers and case workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a senior social worker and a case worker. Additionally, a senior social worker has an average salary of $55,254, which is higher than the $41,459 average annual salary of a case worker.
The top three skills for a senior social worker include social work, patients and veterans. The most important skills for a case worker are social work, crisis intervention, and patients.
| Senior Social Worker | Case Worker | |
| Yearly salary | $55,254 | $41,459 |
| Hourly rate | $26.56 | $19.93 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 103,740 | 107,329 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Master's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A senior social worker is in charge of overseeing the support services conducted in a community or a particular area. Their responsibilities often revolve around coordinating different social workers, handling issues or concerns, managing schedules, and performing support tasks for other staff when necessary. They also perform welfare checks on families, provide referrals to other support agencies, conduct interviews and counseling, and identify any signs of abuse or neglect. Furthermore, as a senior social worker, it is essential to lead and mentor junior social workers, all while adhering to the agency's policies and regulations.
Caseworkers are social workers who watch over the welfare of underprivileged individuals and at-risk families by counseling and providing them with assistance. Usually employed under the government or a local non-profit organization, a caseworker must conduct a thorough interview and house visits to determine the needs of the family. They then refer them to any programs or agencies that can give them the specific care and help needed. Furthermore, it is crucial to identify neglect and abuse signs, reporting them to the authorities right away.
Senior social workers and case workers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Social Worker | Case Worker | |
| Average salary | $55,254 | $41,459 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $75,000 | Between $30,000 And $55,000 |
| Highest paying City | Newark, NJ | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | University of California, Berkeley | Appalachian Regional Healthcare |
| Best paying industry | Government | Education |
There are a few differences between a senior social worker and a case worker in terms of educational background:
| Senior Social Worker | Case Worker | |
| Most common degree | Master's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Social Work | Psychology |
| Most common college | Boston College | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between senior social workers' and case workers' demographics:
| Senior Social Worker | Case Worker | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 23.1% Female, 76.9% | Male, 26.8% Female, 73.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 13.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 2.7% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5% | Black or African American, 13.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 2.7% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |