Social Worker salary

Quoted Expert
Leanne Charlesworth Ph.D.

Average social worker salary

$50,102

$24.09 hourly rate

Entry-level social worker salary
$37,000 yearly salary
Updated January 8, 2025

How much does a social worker make?

The average social worker salary in the United States is $50,102. Social worker salaries typically range between $37,000 and $67,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for social workers is $24.09 per hour.

Social worker salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Social workers earn the highest average salary in Oregon.

On This Page
Social worker salary by: 

Where can a Social Worker earn more?

Compare salary by location
Loading...
Vs
Loading...
78k
58k
38k
18k
Columbus, OH$67,065
Philadelphia, PA$47,951
Compare salary by company
Loading...
Vs
Loading...
98k
78k
58k
38k
Health Advocates$79,323
Baptist Health Care$68,138

Social Worker

Experience Level
ascdesc
Avg. Salary
ascdesc
Hourly Rate
ascdesc
Entry-level social worker$36,500$17.56
Mid-level social worker$55,500$26.67
Senior-level social worker$73,800$35.50

Social Worker salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Indeed, Glassdoor, Ziprecruiter, SalaryExpert, Payscale and CareerExplorer, the average salary for a social worker typically falls between $50,102 and $75,750.
zippia
$50,102yearly
glassdoor[1]
$69,470yearly
indeed[2]
$65,638yearly
Salary.com[3]
$50,706yearly
ZipRecruiter[4]
$75,750yearly
payscale[5]
$54,146yearly
SalaryExpert[6]
$55,115yearly
CareerExplorer[7]
$61,190yearly

Average social worker salary by state

The average social worker salary in Oregon, Alaska, and California are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average social worker salary states are Georgia, Alabama, and Missouri.

  • State View
  • County View
Average Salary:

Highest paying states for social workers

Rank
ascdesc
State
ascdesc
Avg. Salary
ascdesc
Hourly Rate
ascdesc
1Oregon$67,057$32.24
2Washington$59,863$28.78
3California$60,592$29.13
4Idaho$53,676$25.81
5Connecticut$56,958$27.38
6New Hampshire$53,534$25.74
7Alaska$64,923$31.21
8Utah$53,356$25.65
9New Mexico$53,253$25.60
10Rhode Island$55,730$26.79
11Nevada$57,212$27.51
12West Virginia$49,219$23.66
13Vermont$56,220$27.03
14District of Columbia$62,788$30.19
15Arizona$53,588$25.76
16Massachusetts$52,520$25.25
17Wyoming$49,845$23.96
18Texas$49,561$23.83
19Maine$48,772$23.45
20Minnesota$51,676$24.84
21Louisiana$48,509$23.32
22South Carolina$47,915$23.04
23North Dakota$49,816$23.95
24New Jersey$53,256$25.60
25Colorado$49,541$23.82
26North Carolina$47,712$22.94
27New York$51,304$24.67
28Delaware$49,348$23.73
29Mississippi$48,746$23.44
30Pennsylvania$47,835$23.00
31Michigan$47,563$22.87
32Wisconsin$48,160$23.15
33Ohio$48,035$23.09
34Maryland$48,815$23.47
35Tennessee$43,700$21.01
36Florida$44,733$21.51
37Illinois$48,072$23.11
38Hawaii$49,983$24.03
39Oklahoma$44,745$21.51
40South Dakota$42,906$20.63
41Nebraska$43,648$20.98
42Montana$46,145$22.19
43Arkansas$45,141$21.70
44Alabama$44,051$21.18
45Georgia$44,104$21.20
46Iowa$45,893$22.06
47Missouri$43,758$21.04
48Virginia$44,452$21.37
49Indiana$44,259$21.28
50Kentucky$44,118$21.21
51Kansas$44,637$21.46

Highest paying cities for social workers

The highest-paying cities for social workers are Portland, OR, San Francisco, CA, and Washington, DC.

Rank
ascdesc
City
ascdesc
Avg. Salary
ascdesc
Hourly Rate
ascdesc
1Portland, OR$67,065$32.24
2San Francisco, CA$63,180$30.38
3Washington, DC$62,783$30.18
4Seattle, WA$60,188$28.94
5Reno, NV$59,521$28.62
6Phoenix, AZ$53,662$25.80
7Salt Lake City, UT$53,350$25.65
8Rochester, NH$53,215$25.58
9Worcester, MA$52,597$25.29
10Saint Paul, MN$51,759$24.88
11New York, NY$51,336$24.68
12Urban Honolulu, HI$50,024$24.05
13Fort Worth, TX$49,724$23.91
14Denver, CO$49,560$23.83
15Portland, ME$49,013$23.56
16Baltimore, MD$49,013$23.56
17Cleveland, OH$48,761$23.44
18New Orleans, LA$48,458$23.30
19Chicago, IL$48,200$23.17
20Philadelphia, PA$47,951$23.05

Social Workers are the most in-demand in these five cities:

  1. Portland, OR
  2. San Francisco, CA
  3. Washington, DC
  4. Seattle, WA
  5. Reno, NV

Social Worker salary details

A social worker's salary ranges from $37,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $67,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average Social Worker Salary Graph
Average Social Worker Salary Graph, Trends, and Summary

What is a social worker's salary?

Percentile
ascdesc
Annual Salary
ascdesc
Monthly Salary
ascdesc
Hourly Rate
ascdesc
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

Highest paying social worker jobs

The highest paying types of social workers are clinical social worker, psychiatric social worker, and medical social worker.

Job Title
ascdesc
Annual Salary
ascdesc
Monthly Salary
ascdesc
Hourly Rate
ascdesc
Job Openings
ascdesc
Family Counselor$41,510$3,459$19.9693,253
Crisis Counselor$51,142$4,262$24.5976,255
Service Counselor$35,402$2,950$17.0244,284
Family Therapist$50,774$4,231$24.41106,982
Social Service Coordinator$40,946$3,412$19.69109,487
Family Support Worker$38,207$3,184$18.37159,875

How would you rate the starting salaries for Social Workers, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?

Leanne Charlesworth Ph.D.

Professor, Director, Undergraduate Program, Chair, Nazareth College of Rochester

Social work is growing faster than the average occupation in our nation. National data suggest the median salary is 50,000. This is reasonable for a licensed MSW-level social worker to expect; salary prospects over time are excellent for social workers that focus on gradually increasing their employment responsibilities and obtaining advanced licensure or other certifications.

Which companies pay social workers the most?

Social worker salaries at Health Advocates and Medical Billing are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average social worker salary at companies like Whidbey General Hospital and Trident Medical Center are highly competitive.

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$51,000$50,600$50,200$49,800$49,400$49,000
MaleFemale

Social Worker salary trends

The average social worker salary has risen by $7,833 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average social worker earned $42,269 annually, but today, they earn $50,102 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for social workers over the last decade.

Compare social worker salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average social worker salary over time

Compare social worker salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

  • National Average
  • Columbus, OH

Social Worker salary by year

Year
ascdesc
Avg. Salary
ascdesc
Hourly Rate
ascdesc
% Change
ascdesc
2025$50,100$24.09+1.5%
2024$49,300$23.72+1.0%
2023$48,900$23.49+2.4%
2022$47,700$22.93+2.0%
2021$46,700$22.47+2.6%

Recently added social worker salaries

Company
ascdesc
Job
ascdesc
Location
ascdesc
Date Added
ascdesc
Salary
ascdesc
Boards of Cooperative Educational ServicesTrauma-Informed Therapist or Social WorkerCody, WY12/18/2024$19,332
SeamarSocial Worker II for Maternity Support ServicesWashougal, WA12/18/2024$65,532
Centerwell Home HealthSocial Worker Home Health Per DiemColorado Springs, CO12/17/2024$59,300
Acadia HealthcareSocial WorkerNew Baltimore, MI12/16/2024$54,262
Brookdale Senior LivingSocial WorkerSouth Kingstown, RI12/16/2024$54,137
Athena Health Care SystemsSocial WorkerRowe, MA12/16/2024$75,132
Axelon Services CorporationAxelon Services Corporation | Social Worker NYFine, NY12/16/2024$83,480
Catholic Health InitiativesSocial Worker BSWOmaha, NE12/16/2024$44,307
Foundation HealthSocial Worker-MSW Home ServicesFairbanks, AK12/16/2024$59,417
Imperial Council A A O N M SSocial WorkerUrban Honolulu, HI12/16/2024$68,016

Search for social worker jobs

Loading...
Loading...

Browse community and social services jobs