Best states for a social work administrator

Q: What is the best state for social work administrators?

The best state to be a social work administrator is Washington based on social work administrator salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for social work administrators?

The highest paying state for social work administrators is Mississippi based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for social work administrators?

The worst state for social work administrators is Oklahoma, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Quoted expert

Mona Danner Ph.D.

Rank 1 - 10
11 - 20
21 - 30
31 - 40
41 - 51

Do you wonder which states in the U.S. are the best for social work administrators? If so, we have the full list of best to worst states for social work administrator jobs for you to check out and see if you think it's time to move and start anew. Not all states fare the same when it come to job opportunity and pay.This way, if you are newly entering the job market, or you are looking to change jobs, you know which places are the best for social work administrator jobs.

To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for social work administrators. Washington is the best state for social work administrators, where the median salary is $76,028.If you are currently seeking employment as a social work administrator, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.

10 best states for social work administrators in 2026

1. Washington
Total social work administrator jobs: 1,372
Average annual salary: $76,028
Lowest 10 percent earn: $57,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $100,000
Location Quotient:
1.31
Social work administrator jobs in Washington
2. New Jersey
Total social work administrator jobs: 1,045
Average annual salary: $94,399
Lowest 10 percent earn: $67,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $131,000
Location Quotient:
0.92
Social work administrator jobs in New Jersey
3. North Dakota
Total social work administrator jobs: 149
Average annual salary: $68,408
Lowest 10 percent earn: $52,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $89,000
Location Quotient:
1.12
Social work administrator jobs in North Dakota
4. New York
Total social work administrator jobs: 2,402
Average annual salary: $70,116
Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $98,000
Location Quotient:
1.31
Social work administrator jobs in New York
5. New Mexico
Total social work administrator jobs: 342
Average annual salary: $65,198
Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $87,000
Location Quotient:
1.22
Social work administrator jobs in New Mexico
6. Connecticut
Total social work administrator jobs: 452
Average annual salary: $75,551
Lowest 10 percent earn: $53,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $105,000
Location Quotient:
0.95
Social work administrator jobs in Connecticut
7. Idaho
Total social work administrator jobs: 304
Average annual salary: $64,200
Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $85,000
Location Quotient:
1.3
Social work administrator jobs in Idaho
8. North Carolina
Total social work administrator jobs: 1,238
Average annual salary: $73,742
Lowest 10 percent earn: $53,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $101,000
Location Quotient:
0.9
Social work administrator jobs in North Carolina
9. Nevada
Total social work administrator jobs: 320
Average annual salary: $65,941
Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $88,000
Location Quotient:
1.07
Social work administrator jobs in Nevada
10. West Virginia
Total social work administrator jobs: 210
Average annual salary: $64,823
Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $89,000
Location Quotient:
0.96
Social work administrator jobs in West Virginia

Social work administrator jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a social work administrator

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for a social work administrator

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	Washington	$76,028	$57,000	7,405,743	1,372
2	New Jersey	$94,399	$67,000	9,005,644	1,045
3	North Dakota	$68,408	$52,000	755,393	149
4	New York	$70,116	$50,000	19,849,399	2,402
5	New Mexico	$65,198	$48,000	2,088,070	342
6	Connecticut	$75,551	$53,000	3,588,184	452
7	Idaho	$64,200	$48,000	1,716,943	304
8	North Carolina	$73,742	$53,000	10,273,419	1,238
9	Nevada	$65,941	$48,000	2,998,039	320
10	West Virginia	$64,823	$47,000	1,815,857	210
11	Maryland	$78,170	$55,000	6,052,177	644
12	New Hampshire	$63,233	$44,000	1,342,795	277
13	Colorado	$63,156	$47,000	5,607,154	1,117
14	Hawaii	$67,694	$58,000	1,427,538	178
15	Virginia	$75,571	$54,000	8,470,020	543
16	Alaska	$63,037	$54,000	739,795	170
17	Oregon	$62,863	$47,000	4,142,776	664
18	District of Columbia	$77,595	$55,000	693,972	148
19	Massachusetts	$61,703	$43,000	6,859,819	1,772
20	South Carolina	$64,067	$47,000	5,024,369	549
21	Kansas	$62,859	$46,000	2,913,123	387
22	Texas	$60,370	$45,000	28,304,596	2,876
23	Utah	$57,489	$42,000	3,101,833	581
24	California	$62,966	$47,000	39,536,653	4,792
25	Illinois	$60,827	$44,000	12,802,023	1,695
26	Georgia	$59,697	$44,000	10,429,379	1,321
27	Maine	$54,777	$39,000	1,335,907	259
28	South Dakota	$56,214	$42,000	869,666	159
29	Wyoming	$55,686	$41,000	579,315	97
30	Montana	$56,326	$42,000	1,050,493	184
31	Tennessee	$58,454	$43,000	6,715,984	615
32	Iowa	$57,763	$42,000	3,145,711	419
33	Wisconsin	$56,978	$42,000	5,795,483	597
34	Pennsylvania	$55,072	$39,000	12,805,537	1,512
35	Vermont	$54,046	$38,000	623,657	131
36	Alabama	$54,731	$40,000	4,874,747	568
37	Rhode Island	$53,606	$38,000	1,059,639	188
38	Arizona	$52,148	$39,000	7,016,270	1,034
39	Delaware	$54,774	$39,000	961,939	181
40	Louisiana	$54,792	$40,000	4,684,333	412
41	Michigan	$50,784	$36,000	9,962,311	1,240
42	Nebraska	$52,135	$38,000	1,920,076	298
43	Minnesota	$54,355	$40,000	5,576,606	847
44	Florida	$48,657	$36,000	20,984,400	2,464
45	Missouri	$52,271	$38,000	6,113,532	698
46	Arkansas	$49,968	$37,000	3,004,279	282
47	Kentucky	$48,320	$35,000	4,454,189	424
48	Ohio	$46,975	$34,000	11,658,609	1,248
49	Mississippi	$45,799	$33,000	2,984,100	274
50	Indiana	$47,643	$34,000	6,666,818	760
51	Oklahoma	$46,697	$34,000	3,930,864	365

Highest paying states for social work administrators

Rank	State	Avg. Social Work Administrator Salary
1	Washington	$76,028
2	New Jersey	$94,399
3	North Dakota	$68,408
4	New York	$70,116
5	New Mexico	$65,198
6	Connecticut	$75,551
7	Idaho	$64,200
8	North Carolina	$73,742
9	Nevada	$65,941
10	West Virginia	$64,823
11	Maryland	$78,170
12	New Hampshire	$63,233
13	Colorado	$63,156
14	Hawaii	$67,694
15	Virginia	$75,571
16	Alaska	$63,037
17	Oregon	$62,863
18	District of Columbia	$77,595
19	Massachusetts	$61,703
20	South Carolina	$64,067
21	Kansas	$62,859
22	Texas	$60,370
23	Utah	$57,489
24	California	$62,966
25	Illinois	$60,827
26	Georgia	$59,697
27	Maine	$54,777
28	South Dakota	$56,214
29	Wyoming	$55,686
30	Montana	$56,326
31	Tennessee	$58,454
32	Iowa	$57,763
33	Wisconsin	$56,978
34	Pennsylvania	$55,072
35	Vermont	$54,046
36	Alabama	$54,731
37	Rhode Island	$53,606
38	Arizona	$52,148
39	Delaware	$54,774
40	Louisiana	$54,792
41	Michigan	$50,784
42	Nebraska	$52,135
43	Minnesota	$54,355
44	Florida	$48,657
45	Missouri	$52,271
46	Arkansas	$49,968
47	Kentucky	$48,320
48	Ohio	$46,975
49	Mississippi	$45,799
50	Indiana	$47,643
51	Oklahoma	$46,697

Expert opinions on the best states for social work administrators

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for social work administrators to find work opportunities?
Mona Danner Ph.D.
Professor and Chair of Sociology & Criminal Justice, Old Dominion University
Sociology graduates often pursue jobs that involve working directly with people in providing all manner of social services. Those services are needed everywhere.

Social work administrator best states FAQs

What is the best state for social work administrators?

What is the highest paying state for social work administrators?

What is the worst state for social work administrators?

Have more questions? See all answers to common community and social services questions.

Search for social work administrator jobs

Zippia Careers
Community and Social Services Industry
Social Work Administrator
Best states for Social Work Administrators

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse community and social services jobs

Total social work administrator jobs:	1,372
Average annual salary:	$76,028
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$57,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$100,000
Location Quotient:	1.31

Best states for a social work administrator

10 best states for social work administrators in 2026

1. Washington

2. New Jersey

3. North Dakota

4. New York

5. New Mexico

6. Connecticut

7. Idaho

8. North Carolina

9. Nevada

10. West Virginia