Social Worker Salary
Average Social Worker Salary
$50,102yearly
How much does a Social Worker make?
Social workers make $50,102 per year on average, or $24.09 per hour, in the United States. Social workers on the lower end of that spectrum, the bottom 10% to be exact, make roughly $37,000 a year, while the top 10% makes $67,000.
Location impacts how much a social worker can expect to make. Social workers make the most in Oregon, Alaska, California, Washington, and Nevada.
Highest Paying States For Social Workers
The darker areas on the map show where social workers earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
- State View
- County View
Social Worker average salary by State
| Rank | State | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon | $67,057 | $32.24 | 897 |
| 2 | Washington | $59,863 | $28.78 | 1,716 |
| 3 | California | $60,592 | $29.13 | 6,366 |
| 4 | Idaho | $53,676 | $25.81 | 365 |
| 5 | Connecticut | $56,958 | $27.38 | 678 |
| 6 | New Hampshire | $53,534 | $25.74 | 368 |
| 7 | Alaska | $64,923 | $31.21 | 133 |
| 8 | Utah | $53,356 | $25.65 | 647 |
| 9 | New Mexico | $53,253 | $25.60 | 408 |
| 10 | Rhode Island | $55,730 | $26.79 | 161 |
| 11 | Nevada | $57,212 | $27.51 | 239 |
| 12 | West Virginia | $49,219 | $23.66 | 319 |
| 13 | Vermont | $56,220 | $27.03 | 91 |
| 14 | District of Columbia | $62,788 | $30.19 | 206 |
| 15 | Arizona | $53,588 | $25.76 | 697 |
| 16 | Massachusetts | $52,520 | $25.25 | 1,780 |
| 17 | Wyoming | $49,845 | $23.96 | 84 |
| 18 | Texas | $49,561 | $23.83 | 3,628 |
| 19 | Maine | $48,772 | $23.45 | 271 |
| 20 | Minnesota | $51,676 | $24.84 | 660 |
| 21 | Louisiana | $48,509 | $23.32 | 645 |
| 22 | South Carolina | $47,915 | $23.04 | 891 |
| 23 | North Dakota | $49,816 | $23.95 | 99 |
| 24 | New Jersey | $53,256 | $25.60 | 864 |
| 25 | Colorado | $49,541 | $23.82 | 1,144 |
| 26 | North Carolina | $47,712 | $22.94 | 1,679 |
| 27 | New York | $51,304 | $24.67 | 2,055 |
| 28 | Delaware | $49,348 | $23.73 | 215 |
| 29 | Mississippi | $48,746 | $23.44 | 211 |
| 30 | Pennsylvania | $47,835 | $23.00 | 1,385 |
| 31 | Michigan | $47,563 | $22.87 | 998 |
| 32 | Wisconsin | $48,160 | $23.15 | 451 |
| 33 | Ohio | $48,035 | $23.09 | 856 |
| 34 | Maryland | $48,815 | $23.47 | 1,078 |
| 35 | Tennessee | $43,700 | $21.01 | 1,239 |
| 36 | Florida | $44,733 | $21.51 | 3,305 |
| 37 | Illinois | $48,072 | $23.11 | 1,401 |
| 38 | Hawaii | $49,983 | $24.03 | 130 |
| 39 | Oklahoma | $44,745 | $21.51 | 572 |
| 40 | South Dakota | $42,906 | $20.63 | 230 |
| 41 | Nebraska | $43,648 | $20.98 | 463 |
| 42 | Montana | $46,145 | $22.19 | 164 |
| 43 | Arkansas | $45,141 | $21.70 | 262 |
| 44 | Alabama | $44,051 | $21.18 | 673 |
| 45 | Georgia | $44,104 | $21.20 | 1,939 |
| 46 | Iowa | $45,893 | $22.06 | 336 |
| 47 | Missouri | $43,758 | $21.04 | 1,089 |
| 48 | Virginia | $44,452 | $21.37 | 1,642 |
| 49 | Indiana | $44,259 | $21.28 | 649 |
| 50 | Kentucky | $44,118 | $21.21 | 323 |
| 51 | Kansas | $44,637 | $21.46 | 239 |
Highest Paying Cities For Social Workers
| Rank | City | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portland, OR | $67,065 | $32.24 |
| 2 | San Francisco, CA | $63,180 | $30.38 |
| 3 | Washington, DC | $62,783 | $30.18 |
| 4 | Seattle, WA | $60,188 | $28.94 |
| 5 | Reno, NV | $59,521 | $28.62 |
| 6 | Phoenix, AZ | $53,662 | $25.80 |
| 7 | Salt Lake City, UT | $53,350 | $25.65 |
| 8 | Rochester, NH | $53,215 | $25.58 |
| 9 | Worcester, MA | $52,597 | $25.29 |
| 10 | Saint Paul, MN | $51,759 | $24.88 |
| 11 | New York, NY | $51,336 | $24.68 |
| 12 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $50,024 | $24.05 |
| 13 | Fort Worth, TX | $49,724 | $23.91 |
| 14 | Denver, CO | $49,560 | $23.83 |
| 15 | Portland, ME | $49,013 | $23.56 |
Here Are The Five Most In Demand Cities Right Now:
Social Worker Salary Details
What is a Social Worker's Salary?
| Percentile | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $67,000 | $5,583 | $32 |
| 75th Percentile | $58,000 | $4,833 | $28 |
| Average | $50,102 | $4,175 | $24 |
| 25th Percentile | $42,000 | $3,500 | $20 |
| 10th Percentile | $37,000 | $3,083 | $18 |
Average Salary By Related Titles
| Job Title | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family Counselor | $41,510 | $3,459 | $19.96 | 93,253 |
| Crisis Counselor | $51,142 | $4,262 | $24.59 | 76,255 |
| Service Counselor | $35,402 | $2,950 | $17.02 | 44,284 |
| Family Therapist | $50,774 | $4,231 | $24.41 | 106,982 |
| Social Service Coordinator | $40,946 | $3,412 | $19.69 | 109,487 |
| Family Support Worker | $38,207 | $3,184 | $18.37 | 159,875 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for Social Workers, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Sarah Christa Butts MSW
Director of Public Policy, National Association of Social Workers
Social workers are required to have a high level of education. Usually, a Master's degree and starting salaries are often far too low. Still, social workers can increase their wages over time, and there are many opportunities and positions available. Increasing reimbursement and compensation for social workers and reducing student loan debt are advocacy priorities for NASW.Show more
Here are the five companies hiring the most now:
Which Companies Pay Social Workers The Most?
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Health Advocates | $79,323 | $38.14 | |
| 2 | Medical Billing | $76,003 | $36.54 | 12 |
| 3 | Whidbey General Hospital | $74,014 | $35.58 | 2 |
| 4 | Trident Medical Center | $73,863 | $35.51 | |
| 5 | Renal Research Institute, LLC | $73,681 | $35.42 | |
| 6 | US Oncology Holdings Inc | $73,024 | $35.11 | 9 |
| 7 | American Renal Associates Holdings | $71,453 | $34.35 | 11 |
| 8 | Medical City Arlington | $70,251 | $33.77 | |
| 9 | Planit | $70,211 | $33.76 | |
| 10 | AHMC Healthcare | $70,038 | $33.67 | 14 |
| 11 | Favorite Healthcare Staffing | $69,874 | $33.59 | 2 |
| 12 | Vail Health | $69,535 | $33.43 | |
| 13 | Mission Health Services | $69,198 | $33.27 | 5 |
| 14 | Landmark Hospital | $69,041 | $33.19 | 1 |
| 15 | Healthcare Resolution Services | $68,955 | $33.15 | |
| 16 | SCA Health | $68,872 | $33.11 | 1 |
| 17 | Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center | $68,830 | $33.09 | 7 |
| 18 | Cibola General Hospital | $68,472 | $32.92 | 3 |
| 19 | The University of Chicago | $68,213 | $32.79 | 2 |
| 20 | Baptist Health Care | $68,138 | $32.76 | 27 |
Social Worker Salary Trends
Social Worker Salary By Experience Level
| Experience Level | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry Level | $36,500 | $17.56 |
| Mid Level | $55,500 | $26.67 |
| Senior Level | $73,800 | $35.50 |
Average Social Worker Salary Over Time
Compare salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Social Worker Salary By Year
| Year | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $50,100 | $24.09 | +1.5% |
| 2021 | $49,300 | $23.72 | +1.0% |
| 2020 | $48,900 | $23.49 | +2.4% |
| 2019 | $47,700 | $22.93 | +2.0% |
| 2018 | $46,700 | $22.47 | +2.6% |
Recently Added Social Worker Salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date Added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The County of San Mateo | Ihss Social Worker II/III-Bilingual Spanish, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Farsi, Russian Pref (Open & Promo) | San Mateo, CA | 07/26/2022 | $73,528 |
| Alamance County | Social Worker III-Intake | Alamance, NC | 07/26/2022 | $50,000 |
| Brightspring Health Services | Social Worker-Lmsw-PRN | Denver, CO | 07/26/2022 | $70,958 |
| Midland Care Connection | Social Worker | Topeka, KS | 07/26/2022 | $54,000 |
| Opengate, Inc. | Social Worker/Intake Coordinator | Hawthorne, NY | 07/26/2022 | $60,000 |
| Centura Health | Social Worker MSW PRN | Frisco, CO | 07/26/2022 | $64,071 |
| Swedish Medical Center | Social Worker II | Englewood, CO | 07/25/2022 | $54,262 |
| Saint Luke's Health Systems | Kidney & Liver Transplant Social Worker PRN | Denver, CO | 07/25/2022 | $62,944 |
| The Medical Center of Aurora | Social Worker III | Aurora, CO | 07/25/2022 | $60,773 |
| Radiology Oncology at Swedish | Social Worker | Englewood, CO | 07/25/2022 | $55,432 |
Social Worker Salaries FAQs
What state pays Social Workers the most?
Oregon pays Social Workers the most in the United States, with an average salary of $67,057 per year, or $32.24 per hour.
How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a Social Worker?
You know if you are being paid fairly as a Social Worker if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in Alaska you should be paid close to $64,923 per year.
What type of Social Worker gets paid the most?
Clinical Social Worker gets paid the most. Clinical Social Worker made a median salary of $63,056. The best-paid 10 percent make $77,000, while the lowest-paid 10 percent make $51,000.
What is a good starting salary for a Social Worker?
A good starting salary for a social worker is $40,000 in the United States. That puts you in the 10th percentile of annual income for a social worker in the U.S., which is about what you would expect if you were new to the field. The average salary for social workers is $53,175, but that normally requires some level of experience to achieve. Furthermore, a good starting salary for a social worker can vary by state.
Can you make 100k as a social worker?
Yes, you can make $100,000 per year as a social worker. However, this is highly unlikely. Even social workers in higher-paid positions do not typically earn more than $70,000 per year.
Certain qualifications are useful for increasing your earning potential as a social worker. Most social workers will have, at minimum, a bachelor's degree in social work. This is often shortened to BSW.
Do social workers get paid well?
Yes, social workers get paid well. Depending on the location and area of social work, it is possible for a social worker's yearly earnings to exceed $90,000. It is much more typical for social workers to earn between $30,000 per year and $70,000 per year.
Do social workers make good money?
No, social workers do not make good money. Many social workers have intense jobs that can be very stressful, but also gratifying. However, this does not translate into them being well-compensated.
What field of social work pays the most?
The highest-paying field for social workers are at the government (state or federal) level and the medical field. These positions tend to pay well because they tend to require the most knowledge and expertise.
What is the highest-paid social work job?
The social workers who are usually paid the highest are those who work for the government at the state or federal level and the social workers who work within the medical field.
These positions tend to pay well because they tend to require a good amount of knowledge. Social workers in these positions must know how to navigate complex systems with rules and procedures that can be very rigid.
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