Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Job outlook for victim advocates in the United States
Victim advocate job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected victim advocate job growth rate is 12% from 2018-2028.
About 52,400 new jobs for victim advocates are projected over the next decade.
Victim advocate salaries have increased 13% for victim advocates in the last 5 years.
There are over 8,396 victim advocates currently employed in the United States.
There are 68,084 active victim advocate job openings in the US.
The average victim advocate salary is $38,628.
Are victim advocate jobs in demand?
Victim advocate job and salary trends over time
Victim advocate jobs over time
Victim advocate job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 8,396 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 8,429 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 8,524 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 8,268 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 8,095 | 0.00% |
Average victim advocate salary over time
Victim advocate salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $38,628 | $18.57 | +2.6% |
| 2024 | $37,661 | $18.11 | +3.9% |
| 2023 | $36,254 | $17.43 | +1.9% |
| 2022 | $35,577 | $17.10 | +4.1% |
| 2021 | $34,170 | $16.43 | +3.2% |
Victim advocate jobs by state
Most common states for victim advocates
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 2,192 | 32% |
| 2 | Alaska | 739,795 | 134 | 18% |
| 3 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 181 | 14% |
| 4 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 100 | 14% |
| 5 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 702 | 12% |
| 6 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 115 | 11% |
| 7 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 777 | 10% |
| 8 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 103 | 10% |
| 9 | Arizona | 7,016,270 | 629 | 9% |
| 10 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 519 | 9% |
| 11 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 504 | 9% |
| 12 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 272 | 9% |
| 13 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 171 | 9% |
| 14 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 74 | 9% |
| 15 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 1,079 | 8% |
| 16 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 1,011 | 8% |
| 17 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 304 | 8% |
| 18 | Arkansas | 3,004,279 | 254 | 8% |
| 19 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 141 | 8% |
| 20 | Delaware | 961,939 | 78 | 8% |
Most common cities for victim advocates
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Twentynine Palms | 1 | 4% | $42,232 |
| 2 | Brighton | 1 | 3% | $40,824 |
| 3 | Poughkeepsie | 1 | 3% | $50,723 |
| 4 | Woburn | 1 | 3% | $45,433 |
| 5 | Biloxi | 1 | 2% | $39,633 |
| 6 | Boulder | 1 | 1% | $40,818 |
| 7 | Boynton Beach | 1 | 1% | $37,905 |
| 8 | Cedar Rapids | 1 | 1% | $31,155 |
| 9 | Fairfield | 1 | 1% | $42,762 |
| 10 | Lakewood | 1 | 1% | $40,862 |
| 11 | Wilmington | 1 | 1% | $49,503 |
| 12 | Boston | 3 | 0% | $45,761 |
| 13 | Jacksonville | 1 | 0% | $36,520 |
| 14 | San Francisco | 1 | 0% | $43,152 |
Victim Advocate job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of victim advocate experts
Ohio State University
Ramapo College of New Jersey
Ohio University
Colorado State University - Pueblo
College of Saint Scholastica
Metropolitan State University
Campbellsville University
East Carolina University
Siena College
Nazareth College of Rochester
Kennesaw State University
Azusa Pacific University
What general advice would you give to a Victim Advocate?
Emily McCave PhD, MSW, LCSW: Most people find social work to be incredibly rewarding, knowing that you are a facilitator of positive change, whether be within an individual, organization, or at a larger community or societal level. For many, being able to help people reach their full capacity is fulfilling. The amount of documentation we must complete in clinical settings is often what is liked the least.
What will help Victim Advocates increase their earning potential?
Emily McCave PhD, MSW, LCSW: For clinical positions, which is what most social workers do, daily tasks typically include conducting assessments and providing individual, family, and/or group therapy to children and/or adults, while collaborating with other providers working with the client. There is also daily clinical documentation that needs to be completed.
Deanna Wilkinson Ph.D.
Associate ProfessorOhio State University
Human Development, Family Studies, And Related Services
What Victim Advocate skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Deanna Wilkinson Ph.D.: My advice to HDFS graduates beginning their careers is to seek out opportunities that align with your passions and will allow you to utilize your academic knowledge and skills to help children and families in meaningful ways.
What Victim Advocate skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Timmesha Butler-Davis PhD, LCSW: Perhaps the most rewarding aspect of social work is its capacity for significant impact. Whether it's guiding someone through coping mechanisms in therapy or fostering empathy within marginalized communities, social workers play a pivotal role in effecting positive change. However, it's worth noting that the extensive documentation and writing required in this field are often perceived as less favorable aspects.
What general advice would you give to a Victim Advocate?
Jennifer Shadik: Social work can be a challenging profession. We are often helping people who have experienced trauma or are going through extremely difficult situations. We are there to help them navigate these challenges, while building on their strengths and resources. Helping people through these challenging circumstances and seeing them grow and change is very rewarding. Building relationships with people, helping them learn new knowledge and skills, and advocating for social and economic justice are gratifying aspects of being a social worker.
What will help Victim Advocates increase their earning potential?
Jennifer Shadik: Social workers are involved in helping individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities in a variety of ways. Depending on the specific job, they may provide education, mediate conflict, connect individuals and families to resources, provide therapeutic intervention, and/or develop policies to help at an individual or national level.
What general advice would you give to a Victim Advocate?
Pamela Richmond Ph.D.: Challenges social workers can face are high caseloads, not enough resources to assist clients and exposure to horrific aspects of humanity. Social workers enjoy being a part of the change process by recognizing the strengths and resiliency of individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities. Workers advocate for individuals that are marginalized and oppressed, ensuring they have a voice. They enjoy looking at solutions to problems and empowering others to make changes beneficial for their lives.
What Victim Advocate skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Pamela Richmond Ph.D.: Social workers are trained to understand and intervene on three levels—micro (individuals and families), mezzo (formal groups and organizations) and macro (community and the broader society). Given the challenges currently taking place nationally and internationally such as poverty, immigration, abortion controversy, societal racism/discrimination and the war in the middle east, social workers are trained to intervene and advocate for change on a variety of system levels.
What will help Victim Advocates increase their earning potential?
Pamela Richmond Ph.D.: Social workers employed in a variety of diverse settings to include prisons, hospitals, child welfare, homeless shelters, nursing homes, substance abuse facilities, mental health facilities, community organizations and politics (and there are many, many more settings). The setting and the population of clients the social workers assist (children, youth, adults, etc.) will determine the specific day-to-day workload. However, general daily tasks completed regardless of the setting include interacting with clients/community constituents, responding to phone calls/e-mails, problem-solving, teamwork within the organization employed and/or with community constituents and documentation. Social workers entering the profession have fulfilled placement work during their educational training. Meaning, prior to graduation they have been placed in an agency working under the supervision of a social worker applying what they have learned in their coursework. As a result, when they begin their work as a social worker, they are ready to apply the knowledge, values and the skills they have learned to fulfill the tasks mentioned above.
What Victim Advocate skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Nancy Kelley PhD: Probably the first piece of advice I would give to graduates beginning their social work career is to keep an open mind-- one never knows what life might bring, so opportunities may arise that you weren't expecting. Every professional encounter provides an opportunity for experience and professional development that will inevitably advance one's career. Secondly, every professional experience, whether positive or negative, has take-aways and lessons learned so be prepared to find the silver lining in all you do. Third, don't give up; persistence and patience usually pays off in the long run when you are committed to a cause. Sometimes social workers undertake a lot of trial-and-error before successfully accomplishing our goals. Fourth, be sure to practice self-care; we cannot help other people if we do not care for ourselves first. We need to be able to 'practice what we preach,' so to speak, and give ourselves permission to prioritize self-care and seek support when needed. Lastly, remember that cultural competency is a life-long, career-long process. In order to expand our cultural competency, we need to continuously practice cultural humility when interfacing with diversity in all of its forms by embracing lifelong learning and self-reflection, mitigating power imbalances, and aspiring for institutional accountability.
What general advice would you give to a Victim Advocate?
Dr. Michele Sneed DSW, LGSW: Social work is known for its versatility. The day-to-day activities can greatly vary depending on the work setting. Certain core responsibilities can be identified among social workers across various contexts. These include things such as; conducting assessments, advocating for clients' rights and needs, offering support and counseling, engaging in community outreach efforts, and documentation, among other duties. Although tasks may differ, the fundamental aspects of social work underscore the profession's commitment to promoting well-being, social justice, and empowerment for individuals and communities.
What will help Victim Advocates increase their earning potential?
Dr. Michele Sneed DSW, LGSW: The concern frequently voiced by social workers is the documentation aspect of their work. While acknowledging its crucial role in accountability and transparency, social workers often find documentation to be time-consuming and tedious. This stems from the perception that excessive time spent on paperwork detracts from the meaningful interactions they could be having with the individuals and communities they serve.
What will help Victim Advocates increase their earning potential?
Monica Bies: An ability to incorporate anti-racist and anti-oppressive practices and policies that advance equity in all settings in which we live and work.
Dr. Kimberly Mudd-Fegett DSW, MSSW
Associate Professor of Social WorkCampbellsville University
Social Work
What general advice would you give to a Victim Advocate?
Dr. Kimberly Mudd-Fegett DSW, MSSW: Social Work is a very large field; therefore, the practice of Social Work varies greatly depending on which field you enter. Overall, nearly all areas of Social Work include working with individuals who are facing some form of crisis or life challenge. Social Workers work to assist in providing education, assistance and most importantly empowerment. Social Workers are trained professionals who work from a set of ethics that govern their professional standards to respect, empathize and value all individuals. Most all Social Workers enter the professional because they feel called to assist and make a difference in the life of others.
What Victim Advocate skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Kimberly Mudd-Fegett DSW, MSSW: The best thing about being a Social Worker is the ability to serve, assist and empower other individuals who are facing challenges within their life. Although this can be very overwhelming, at times the rewards this can provide, and self-fulfillment is hard to put into words. One of the greatest challenges of Social Work is maintaining adequate self-care and knowing that you can impact or help all individuals. This can be extremely challenging and overwhelming, particularly for new workers. One must ensure that they have adequate supervision, education, and resources to protect their wellbeing or burnout is highly likely.
What Victim Advocate skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Logan Kennedy PhD: I would tell recent graduates to follow their passion. As cliche as that might sound, working with people impacted by the criminal justice system can be emotionally taxing, as many of them are dealing with some of the worst moments of their lives. Doing something that you believe in can make a huge difference in how those interactions go, especially for those who are committed to helping others. Many of our students go into advocacy work to help those who may have been impacted by the system or have been victimized in some way. Having a passion for that type of work is pivotal in jobs that can be emotionally challenging.
What will help Victim Advocates increase their earning potential?
Dr. J. Lendrum PhD: Trust yourself and follow your passions. It is possible to find a meaningful career that aligns with your core interests and values.
Elisa Martin Ph.D., MSW
Associate Professor of Social Work, Department Chair & Program DirectorSiena College
Social Sciences
What will help Victim Advocates increase their earning potential?
Elisa Martin Ph.D., MSW: The beauty of the social work profession is that the skills you learn from your degree can be applied in a range of settings and populations. Depending on your interest, you could be working with children, youth, adults, older adults, or in an area of interest like domestic violence, homelessness, child welfare, gerontology. The work you do could be one-on-one, with small groups, running programs within an organization, and/or working in communities.
What Victim Advocate skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Erin Cole DSW, LCSW: When you're looking for jobs, don't look for a forever job. Find something that seems like a good fit right now. The pressure for it to be forever is too much. Do it for as long as it feels right and move on when it doesn't. Also, remember that being a new graduate is an asset! You are more current on trends in social work, literature, and evidence-based practices than many seasoned professionals. You add value to the setting and should not minimize that by falling back on being new in the field.
What will help Victim Advocates increase their earning potential?
Dr. Dexter Voisin: I think there is a lot of misinformation about what is social work. Many persons have a very narrow view of social workers that they remove children from homes as “baby snatchers” or work with income assistance. However, social work is much broader than these roles.
What general advice would you give to a Victim Advocate?
Cynthia Peters MSW: When people hear the word social worker, they immediately think about the folks that take children from their families due to some report of abuse. They have a tendency to immediately not like what they think is social work. Social Work is so much more than working for DCS. What I like about Social Work is that there are so many jobs/careers you can walk into and utilize the skill you learned about the profession. Your job title does not need to be Social Worker. I know a social worker that is the Director of Public Works; Recreation Coordinator; Minister; Assistant to in the Governor's Office; Victim Advocate; Management Assistant; Council person; Governor; Senator. The sky is the limit to what career or job a social worker can do.
What Victim Advocate skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Cynthia Peters MSW: It is a good profession to enter now, due to the need for social workers in some of the jobs that I mentioned in the previous question. Social Workers can provide a different perspective on service delivery. Meeting the clients where they are at; developing relationships with the community; advocating for client services; writing grants; monitoring grants; brokering services......
What general advice would you give to a Victim Advocate?
Cindy Snell: Be able to articulate the skills and experience you have that are relevant to the jobs you are seeking - tell your story! Learn another language than English. Negotiate your hiring terms. Learn about loan forgiveness options.
What general advice would you give to a Victim Advocate?
Camille Coleman: Do your research within the state and or country, and or agency you are seeking potential employment. Look up the laws, compare them to other states, don't be afraid to look at all careers within the social work field, for example research in social work gets overlooked, facilitation, curriculum development, etc. Future social workers should seek reciprocity in multiple states to practice counseling services after obtaining one's licensure, if wanting to provide therapeutic services. This will give one leverage to negotiate higher salary requests.
What will help Victim Advocates increase their earning potential?
Dr. Aimée Vadnais Psy.D, LMFT: Research the going rates in your industry and ask colleagues to have a good idea. Recognize your worth and advocate for yourself during pay discussions. Highlight unique skill sets that may be valuable to the agency. Provide free education nights to benefit the community, potentially leading to clients. Find a niche population you enjoy working with and market your services specifically to this area.
What general advice would you give to a Victim Advocate?
Andrew Schoolnik: Saying 'yes' to as many challenges and tasks as possible. The accumulation of these experiences will create new opportunities and the cumulation of myriad opportunities is central to career advancement. The 2021 revision to the Social Work Code of Ethics includes the importance of self-care, and saying 'yes' must be balanced with this.
What Victim Advocate skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Andrew Schoolnik: Dialogue and compromise. There are many apparatuses in today's society which are designed to pull people apart. Cable news and online news sites are famous examples of this. Add to this the echo chambers of social media where people largely associate with like-minded people while looking negatively at those with a different world view. This silo-ing of society is the antithesis of dialogue and compromise. Instead, it creates a class system of those who agree (the favored class) and those who disagree (the unfavored class).
On a macro level, the more the social worker dialogues with all stakeholders (those in favor and those opposed) the more that person gains knowledge and goodwill. This is at the heart of compromise - winning being defined as doing the most good for the most people.
On a clinical level, social workers work mutually with their clients. Learning about a client's values begins with dialogue (even when our values are different) and creating treatment plans is often-based on compromise (agency policy/goals, and client goals).
What will help Victim Advocates increase their earning potential?
Andrew Schoolnik: Education does not end with graduation but instead continues in one's first several years of social work practice (and ideally for a lifetime); therefore, it is very important to find employment with an excellent supervisor. Whether doing formal weekly supervision, or just having an ear to share ideas and gain support, having a supervisor who is knowledgeable, available, and caring is critical to the success of a newly-graduated social worker.
What Victim Advocate skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Alexis Henderson M.S., OTR/L, CLT, OCC: Never take the first salary offer but also do not get hung up on salary right out of the gate. Remember that helping professions are about more than money. Take every single continuing education and training opportunity that comes your way or that you can find. Training and becoming a master at your craft is how you increase your salary most productively!
What will help Victim Advocates increase their earning potential?
Alexis Henderson M.S., OTR/L, CLT, OCC: My advice to new graduates would be three-fold: First, take everything in stride. You cannot know what you do not know so do not feel embarrassed or incompetent if there is knowledge you are lacking. Most education in human service truly is acquired on the job. Never be afraid to ask questions and never let anyone make you feel inferior for needing to ask a question. Remember, you are working with human lives and therefore you would much rather ask the question and be safe than hurt someone. Second, work to separate work and personal life. It is so easy to come out of school and into the human profession field and want to fix everyone and everything. This is wonderful but also remember that your job is not your entire identity. There has to be some boundaries and separation, or burnout will be inevitable. Lastly, remember that your attitude dictates your experience. If you approach your work with kindness, gratitude, openness, and dedication it will take you so much farther in life. Challenging patients/clients are usually those who need help the most, so extend them a little extra kindness and grace. Your boss has a job to do, just like you, so ensure you stand up for what you need but also remember that them doing their job is not a personal attack.