Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between social workers assistant and licensed social workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a social worker assistant, becoming a licensed social worker takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a licensed social worker has an average salary of $57,005, which is higher than the $37,542 average annual salary of a social worker assistant.
The top three skills for a social worker assistant include social work, patients and public assistance. The most important skills for a licensed social worker are social work, patients, and home health.
| Social Worker Assistant | Licensed Social Worker | |
| Yearly salary | $37,542 | $57,005 |
| Hourly rate | $18.05 | $27.41 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 115,098 | 66,130 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | 2 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Average age | 43 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 2 |
A social worker assistant is in charge of performing support tasks for social workers in the joint effort to assist disadvantaged families in communities. Their responsibilities include preparing and processing documentation, managing schedules, arranging appointments with clients and external parties, handling calls and correspondence, maintaining records, and running errands on behalf of staff. Furthermore, a social worker assistant may reach out to families to identify their needs, conduct interviews and assessments, facilitate activities, and monitor the progress of families or individuals, referring them to other agencies as needed.
Licensed Social Workers are duly and legally recognized to carry out activities related to social work. They identify individuals or groups of people in need and assess what kind of help they require. They may assist these people in connecting to agencies that would cater to their needs. Licensed Social Workers also help people cope with their challenges. They are responsible for crafting treatment plans or well-being improvement plans for the individuals they help. They may also be called on during times of crisis to provide emotional support to the individuals involved.
Social workers assistant and licensed social workers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Social Worker Assistant | Licensed Social Worker | |
| Average salary | $37,542 | $57,005 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $51,000 | Between $41,000 And $78,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Sacramento, CA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Minnesota State Fair | Favorite Healthcare Staffing |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a social worker assistant and a licensed social worker in terms of educational background:
| Social Worker Assistant | Licensed Social Worker | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Most common major | Social Work | Social Work |
| Most common college | SUNY at Binghamton | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between social workers assistant' and licensed social workers' demographics:
| Social Worker Assistant | Licensed Social Worker | |
| Average age | 43 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 34.9% Female, 65.1% | Male, 16.1% Female, 83.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 21.8% Asian, 7.0% White, 51.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2% | Black or African American, 19.9% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 3.3% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 13% |