Average social work major salary

Updated September 14, 2023

$44,906

$25,00010%

$44,906Median

$77,00090%

What is the average social work major salary in the US?

Social work major graduates in America make, on average, $44,906 a year or $21.59 per hour.There is a huge gap between the top 10 percent earners and the bottom 10 percent earners -- about $52,000. The top 10 percent earn over $77,000, while the bottom 10 percent make less than $25,000 annually.Most jobs for social work majors are in health care companies and non profits companies.California, Connecticut, Alaska, New Jersey, and Washington are some of the states with the best salaries for social work major graduates in the US.

Best paying cities

$56,731

$53,500

$50,787

Average social work salary by company

There is good job security for social work major graduates. However, some industries offer better pay and benefit packages than others.health care companies and non profits companies have the most job opportunities for social work major graduates.The two companies that report the highest salaries for social work major graduates are Favorite Healthcare Staffing and Aya Healthcare.Companies like MedPro Healthcare Staffing and Careerstaff Unlimited - A Genesis Healthcare Company also report very competitive wages for social work major graduates.

Average salary by company

Rank	Company	Zippia score	Average social work salary
1	1.Favorite Healthcare Staffing	4.4	$59,381
2	2.Aya Healthcare	4.7	$58,014
3	3.MedPro Healthcare Staffing	4.4	$56,469
4	4.Careerstaff Unlimited - A Genesis Healthcare Company	4.5	$56,277
5	5.Wellpath	4.8	$56,231
6	6.Encompass Health	4.1	$56,218
7	7.Sutter Health	4.8	$56,080
8	8.Mission Regional Medical Center	4.8	$55,358
9	9.Mohawk Valley Health System	4.6	$55,002
10	10.Fresenius Medical Care North America Holdings Limited Partnership	4.3	$54,498
11	11.Medical City Arlington	3.9	$53,366
12	12.Catholic Health East	3.8	$53,288
13	13.Tenet Healthcare	4.5	$53,273
14	14.Accountable Healthcare Holdings Corp.	4.7	$53,096
15	15.St. David's HealthCare	4.5	$52,509
16	16.WakeMed	4.7	$52,417
17	17.Cedars-Sinai	4.8	$52,318
18	18.Prime Healthcare	4.7	$52,314
19	19.University of Maryland Medical System	4.3	$52,304
20	20.CarolinaEast	4.1	$52,199

Average social work major salary by city

Social work major graduates in the United States of America make on average $44,906 a year or $21.59 per hour.The city with the highest salaries for social work major graduates is San Francisco, CA at $56,731 per year.The San Francisco, CA average entry-level salary for social work majors is $31,000.Washington, DC, Seattle, WA, New York, NY, Portland, OR, Las Vegas, NV, and Rochester, NH are the best cities for social work major graduates looking for a higher than average salary.California, Connecticut, Alaska, New Jersey, and Washington are the states with the highest payscale for social work major graduates.On the other hand, Kentucky, Missouri, South Carolina, Oklahoma, and Alabama report the lowest wages for social work major graduates.

Average salary by location

Rank	City	Average social work salary	Salary range
1	San Francisco, CA	$56,731	$32k $77k
2	Washington, DC	$53,500	$32k $77k
3	Seattle, WA	$50,787	$32k $77k
4	New York, NY	$49,837	$32k $77k
5	Portland, OR	$49,382	$32k $77k
6	Las Vegas, NV	$48,533	$32k $77k
7	Rochester, NH	$47,215	$32k $77k
8	Worcester, MA	$46,666	$32k $77k
9	Chicago, IL	$45,975	$32k $77k
10	Baltimore, MD	$45,887	$32k $77k
11	Minneapolis, MN	$45,579	$32k $77k
12	Portland, ME	$44,421	$32k $77k
13	Philadelphia, PA	$44,161	$32k $77k
14	Richmond, VA	$43,781	$32k $77k
15	Cleveland, OH	$43,617	$32k $77k
16	El Paso, TX	$43,560	$32k $77k
17	Madison, WI	$43,258	$32k $77k
18	Denver, CO	$43,190	$32k $77k
19	Albuquerque, NM	$43,153	$32k $77k
20	Phoenix, AZ	$43,002	$32k $77k

Average social work major salary by state

The darker areas on the map show where social work majors earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average salary

Social work major average salary by state

State	Average social work major salary	Average hourly rate
California	$54,148	$26.03
Connecticut	$51,387	$24.71
Alaska	$51,035	$24.54
New Jersey	$50,730	$24.39
Washington	$50,579	$24.32
New York	$49,818	$23.95
Oregon	$49,527	$23.81
Nevada	$48,742	$23.43
New Hampshire	$47,794	$22.98
Rhode Island	$47,542	$22.86
Hawaii	$47,064	$22.63
North Dakota	$46,936	$22.57
Massachusetts	$46,708	$22.46
Illinois	$45,905	$22.07
Maryland	$45,703	$21.97
Minnesota	$45,529	$21.89
Vermont	$45,398	$21.83
Maine	$44,100	$21.20
Delaware	$43,990	$21.15
Idaho	$43,951	$21.13
Pennsylvania	$43,930	$21.12
Virginia	$43,923	$21.12
Wisconsin	$43,488	$20.91
Colorado	$43,216	$20.78
New Mexico	$43,162	$20.75
Arizona	$42,860	$20.61
Michigan	$42,837	$20.59
Wyoming	$42,682	$20.52
Ohio	$42,595	$20.48
Texas	$42,018	$20.20
West Virginia	$41,722	$20.06
North Carolina	$41,628	$20.01
Utah	$41,441	$19.92
Iowa	$41,278	$19.85
Montana	$39,852	$19.16
Kansas	$39,802	$19.14
Indiana	$39,405	$18.94
Nebraska	$38,936	$18.72
Louisiana	$38,772	$18.64
Georgia	$38,558	$18.54
South Dakota	$38,510	$18.51
Tennessee	$38,479	$18.50
Mississippi	$38,357	$18.44
Florida	$38,269	$18.40
Kentucky	$38,140	$18.34
Missouri	$38,097	$18.32
South Carolina	$37,745	$18.15
Oklahoma	$37,684	$18.12
Alabama	$37,614	$18.08
Arkansas	$36,865	$17.72

Highest paying jobs for social work majors

Rank	Job title	Average salary	Open jobs
1	Real Estate Agent	$91,787	41,399
2	Assistant Professor	$87,099	30,531
3	School Psychologist	$78,430	25,457
4	Program Analyst	$75,039	156,716
5	Business Analyst	$74,430	170,514
6	Data Analyst	$74,342	167,520
7	Registered Nurse	$73,349	646,159
8	Analyst	$73,007	253,138
9	Psychotherapist	$69,921	20,520
10	Account Executive	$69,618	205,561
11	Quality Improvement Specialist	$67,473	80,504
12	Clinical Specialist	$67,002	55,670
13	Outpatient Physical Therapist	$66,358	119,973
14	Clinical Social Worker	$63,056	124,816
15	Workshop Facilitator	$62,982	26,933
16	Clinical Research Associate	$62,965	94,336
17	Social Work Supervisor	$62,939	93,867
18	Clinical Supervisor	$61,615	71,220
19	Renal Social Worker	$59,366	100,129
20	Psychiatric Social Worker	$59,144	57,284

Average social work major salary by industry

Wages for social work major graduates can differ based on the industry they work in.Our data shows that health care companies, telecommunication companies, and professional companies tend to have the highest salaries for social work major graduates.health care companies pay social work major graduates the highest wages, averaging $39,966 per year. Telecommunication companies and professional companies pay well too, at $36,963 and $36,547, respectively.The average social work major salary in the non profits industry is lower than the rest, coming in at $31,907.

Average salary by industry

Rank	Industry	Average social work major salary	Range
1	Health Care	$39,966	$26k $50k
2	Telecommunication	$36,963	$26k $50k
3	Professional	$36,547	$26k $50k
4	Government	$35,477	$26k $50k
5	Manufacturing	$35,129	$26k $50k
6	Finance	$33,937	$26k $50k
7	Media	$33,924	$26k $50k
8	Education	$33,511	$26k $50k
9	Retail	$33,463	$26k $50k
10	Non Profits	$31,907	$26k $50k

Salary history for social work major graduates

This data shows the national average salary between 2011-2020 among Social Work major graduates.

Social work major salary by experience level

Average salary by experience level salaries by experience level

The salary for a social work major graduate can range from $27,370 to $74,988 depending on the amount of work experience that the person has. Data on how experience level affects salary is provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) as part of their National Compensation Survey, which is based on factors such as knowledge, complexity, contacts, and environment.

Experience level	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
Entry-level average salary by experience level	$27,400	$13.16
Mid-level average salary by experience level	$44,400	$21.36
Senior-level average salary by experience level	$75,000	$36.05

Salaries for related majors

Rank	Major	Average salary	Range
1	Public Administration	$73,065	$30k $102k
2	Public Policy Analysis	$60,367	$30k $102k
3	Community Organization And Advocacy	$59,787	$30k $102k
4	Human Services	$38,481	$30k $102k