What are the main factors that influence a Social Worker's salary?

The primary factors are: 1) Experience Level, 2) Geographic Location, 3) Education/Skills, 4) Company Size & Industry

How does experience change A Social Worker's salary?

A Social Worker's salary grows with experience: starting around $60,361 for beginners, reaching about $63,693 at mid-level, and approach $67,698 for experts.

What are the highest paying states for a Social Worker?

Social Worker salary varies significantly by state. The top 3 highest paying states for Social Worker roles are District of Columbia $69,911, California $69,646, Massachusetts $68,717. These tech hubs typically pay 10-15% above the national average.

How much do different types of Social Worker roles make?

Salaries for Social Worker level roles vary by specialization: Geriatric Social Worker: $89,805; Licensed Clinical Social Worker: $83,481; Dialysis Social Worker: $79,032; Medical Social Worker (BSW): $65,902; Medical Social Worker (MSW): $65,902.

How do different companies affect a Social Worker's salary?

Company size, industry, and compensation structure create significant salary variations for Social Worker roles. Large, established industry leaders like New York Police Department ($97,099) and State of New York - Metropolitan Transportation Authority ($95,962) offer base salaries 35-40% above the national average. In contrast, smaller firms or startups may offer closer to $75,106.

Social Worker Salary in the United States

How much does a Social Worker make in the United States?

As of May 18, 2021, the average salary for a Social Worker in the United States is $63,142 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $30.

However, a Social Worker's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

Top Earners (90th percentile): $77,764
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $56,682 to $70,796
Entry-Level (10th percentile): $50,801

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Social Worker Salaries by Percentile

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$70,796	$5,900	$1,361	$34
Average	$63,142	$5,262	$1,214	$30
25th Percentile	$56,682	$4,724	$1,090	$27

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Key Factors That Influence Social Worker Salaries

A Social Worker's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Social Worker Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Social Worker's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $60,361
Early Career (1-2 years): $60,815
Mid-Level (2-4 years): $63,693
Senior-Level (5-8 years): $67,091
Expert (over 8 years): $67,698

Levels	Salary
Entry Level Social Worker	$60,361
Intermediate Level Social Worker	$60,815
Senior Level Social Worker	$63,693
Specialist Level Social Worker	$67,091
Expert Level Social Worker	$67,698

View as Graph

What Am I Worth?

How Do Social Worker Salaries Vary from State to State?

Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Social Workers. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:

District of Columbia: $69,911.
California: $69,646.
Massachusetts: $68,717.

District of Columbia $69,911 California $69,646 Massachusetts $68,717 Washington $68,465 New Jersey $68,440 Alaska $68,351 Connecticut $67,480 New York $67,126

Hawaii $65,996 Rhode Island $65,466 Maryland $65,106 Minnesota $64,613 Colorado $64,424 Illinois $64,361 Oregon $64,121 Delaware $63,944

New Hampshire $63,833 Virginia $63,584 Pennsylvania $62,858 Nevada $62,492 North Dakota $62,372 Michigan $62,182 Wisconsin $62,113 Vermont $61,974

Texas $61,589 Maine $61,563 Arizona $61,526 Ohio $61,481 Georgia $60,900 Indiana $60,610 Wyoming $60,553 Utah $60,465

Iowa $60,427 Kansas $60,124 Louisiana $60,035 North Carolina $60,004 Missouri $59,991 Florida $59,745 Montana $59,612 Nebraska $59,486

Kentucky $59,417 South Carolina $59,164 Tennessee $59,006 Idaho $58,943 New Mexico $58,482 Oklahoma $58,381 Alabama $58,009 South Dakota $57,383

Arkansas $57,042 West Virginia $56,859 Mississippi $56,310

Top Paying Cities for Social Workers

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

San Jose: $79,641
San Francisco: $78,858
Oakland: $77,109

San Jose, CA $79,641

San Francisco, CA $78,858

Oakland, CA $77,109

New York, NY $73,175

Queens Village, NY $72,702

Paramus, NJ $72,197

Passaic, NJ $72,133

Bergenfield, NJ $72,070

Stamford, CT $71,976

Huntington, NY $71,912

Newark, NJ $71,502

Bridgeport, CT $71,376

New Brunswick, NJ $71,167

Vallejo, CA $71,035

Middlesex, NJ $70,997

Somerset, NJ $70,940

Petaluma, CA $70,795

Santa Cruz, CA $70,549

Boston, MA $70,422

Monterey, CA $70,107

Fairbanks, AK $70,062

Los Angeles, CA $69,942

Washington, DC $69,911

Seattle, WA $69,797

Santa Rosa, CA $69,785

Juneau, AK $69,601

Orange, CA $69,393

Anchorage, AK $69,279

Anaheim, CA $69,235

Santa Ana, CA $69,141

Nassau, NY $69,103

Long Beach, CA $69,077

Danbury, CT $69,058

Santa Maria, CA $68,844

Everett, WA $68,831

Bremerton, WA $68,522

Trenton, NJ $68,402

Sacramento, CA $68,376

San Diego, CA $68,345

Brockton, MA $68,320

Tacoma, WA $68,294

Santa Barbara, CA $68,206

Lowell, MA $67,953

New Suffolk, NY $67,928

Nashua, NH $67,852

Lompoc, CA $67,751

Ventura, CA $67,688

Stockton, CA $67,669

New Haven, CT $67,543

Atlantic City, NJ $67,379

Hartford, CT $67,240

Modesto, CA $67,208

Poughkeepsie, NY $67,069

New Britain, CT $67,038

Kennewick, WA $66,949

Olympia, WA $66,949

New London, CT $66,937

Norwich, CT $66,918

Lawrence, MA $66,886

Bakersfield, CA $66,710

New Bedford, MA $66,621

Riverside, CA $66,621

Richland, WA $66,558

Portsmouth, NH $66,507

Vineland, NJ $66,495

San Bernardino, CA $66,444

Boulder, CO $66,268

Worcester, MA $66,217

Portland, OR $66,160

Saint Paul, MN $66,084

Minneapolis, MN $66,084

Philadelphia, PA $65,996

Honolulu, HI $65,661

Springfield, MA $65,440

Providence, RI $65,434

Chicago, IL $65,251

Bellingham, WA $65,175

Baltimore, MD $65,106

Chico, CA $64,948

Wilmington, DE $64,841

Pittsfield, MA $64,777

Manchester, NH $64,657

Spokane, WA $64,380

Denver, CO $64,373

Albany, NY $64,077

Troy, NY $64,051

Schenectady, NY $63,919

Burlington, VT $63,780

Portland, ME $63,559

Salem, OR $63,508

Yakima, WA $63,496

Ann Arbor, MI $63,477

Rochester, MN $63,300

Reno, NV $63,268

Fresno, CA $63,268

Milwaukee, WI $63,211

Detroit, MI $63,148

Allentown, PA $63,129

Carson City, NV $63,123

Houston, TX $63,028

Colorado Springs, CO $63,022

Syracuse, NY $62,990

Eugene, OR $62,871

Gary, IN $62,795

Bismarck, ND $62,795

Galveston, TX $62,795

Springfield, OR $62,744

Medford, OR $62,593

Fort Collins, CO $62,567

Austin, TX $62,517

Mesa, AZ $62,384

Phoenix, AZ $62,372

Dallas, TX $62,353

Reading, PA $62,315

Saint Cloud, MN $62,290

Concord, NH $62,233

Madison, WI $62,208

Utica, NY $62,037

Raleigh, NC $61,987

Las Vegas, NV $61,980

Rochester, NY $61,936

Des Moines, IA $61,930

Atlanta, GA $61,829

Battle Creek, MI $61,810

Salt Lake City, UT $61,791

Lancaster, PA $61,696

Champaign, IL $61,683

Harrisburg, PA $61,608

Durham, NC $61,551

Kansas City, MO $61,545

Kansas City, KS $61,532

Fort Worth, TX $61,526

Boca Raton, FL $61,500

Cleveland, OH $61,494

Columbus, OH $61,481

Pittsburgh, PA $61,475

Richmond, VA $61,450

Indianapolis, IN $61,437

Cincinnati, OH $61,355

Petersburg, VA $61,260

Lansing, MI $61,121

Billings, MT $61,121

Huntsville, AL $61,121

Lebanon, PA $61,115

Pueblo, CO $61,109

Dayton, OH $61,109

Appleton, WI $61,090

Buffalo, NY $61,065

Racine, WI $61,033

Charlotte, NC $61,027

Saint Louis, MO $61,008

Springfield, IL $60,983

York, PA $60,970

Elkhart, IN $60,970

Gastonia, NC $60,964

Benton Harbor, MI $60,964

Beaumont, TX $60,926

Lorain, OH $60,913

Toledo, OH $60,888

Binghamton, NY $60,856

Rock Hill, SC $60,850

Rockford, IL $60,818

Elyria, OH $60,787

Fargo, ND $60,787

Flagstaff, AZ $60,743

Fort Lauderdale, FL $60,705

Miami, FL $60,667

Duluth, MN $60,566

Bangor, ME $60,484

Cedar Rapids, IA $60,414

Louisville, KY $60,383

Grand Rapids, MI $60,370

Hialeah, FL $60,364

Casper, WY $60,275

Scranton, PA $60,200

New Orleans, LA $60,181

Virginia Beach, VA $60,174

Akron, OH $60,143

Peoria, IL $60,061

Sarasota, FL $60,048

Green Bay, WI $60,004

Baton Rouge, LA $59,972

Charleston, SC $59,960

Nashville, TN $59,941

Jamestown, NY $59,928

Davenport, IA $59,928

Tucson, AZ $59,897

Cheyenne, WY $59,878

Saint Petersburg, FL $59,859

Tampa, FL $59,846

Omaha, NE $59,833

Evansville, IN $59,808

Port Arthur, TX $59,808

Bradenton, FL $59,783

Santa Fe, NM $59,669

Orlando, FL $59,606

Clearwater, FL $59,537

La Crosse, WI $59,404

Canton, OH $59,404

Grand Forks, ND $59,385

Tulsa, OK $59,366

Albuquerque, NM $59,366

Newport News, VA $59,360

High Point, NC $59,341

Ogden, UT $59,316

Corpus Christi, TX $59,265

Laramie, WY $59,227

Norfolk, VA $59,227

Rock Island, IL $59,189

Saginaw, MI $59,177

Jacksonville, FL $59,170

Salisbury, NC $59,158

Memphis, TN $59,145

Moline, IL $59,114

Fort Myers, FL $59,095

Waterloo, IA $59,013

Spartanburg, SC $58,949

Lincoln, NE $58,918

Fort Wayne, IN $58,905

Birmingham, AL $58,836

Cedar Falls, IA $58,823

Provo, UT $58,817

Springfield, OH $58,810

San Antonio, TX $58,798

Greensboro, NC $58,773

South Bend, IN $58,766

Winston Salem, NC $58,760

Boise, ID $58,741

Savannah, GA $58,697

Muskegon, MI $58,583

Lima, OH $58,507

Lake Charles, LA $58,482

Anderson, IN $58,470

Lexington, KY $58,451

Augusta, GA $58,432

Greenville, SC $58,432

Wichita, KS $58,375

Tuscaloosa, AL $58,375

Columbia, SC $58,318

Bloomington, IN $58,160

Roanoke, VA $58,122

Asheville, NC $58,040

Knoxville, TN $57,933

Shreveport, LA $57,926

Wilmington, NC $57,844

Frankfort, KY $57,724

Oklahoma City, OK $57,680

Chillicothe, OH $57,655

Longview, TX $57,649

Topeka, KS $57,630

Mobile, AL $57,535

Terre Haute, IN $57,510

Erie, PA $57,503

Altoona, PA $57,472

Melbourne, FL $57,453

Amarillo, TX $57,428

Killeen, TX $57,409

Fayetteville, AR $57,358

Sioux Falls, SD $57,314

Chattanooga, TN $57,276

Idaho Falls, ID $57,270

Gainesville, FL $57,137

Portsmouth, OH $57,106

Little Rock, AR $57,093

Lynchburg, VA $57,093

Youngstown, OH $57,068

Lafayette, LA $57,068

Temple, TX $57,042

Daytona Beach, FL $57,030

Clarksville, TN $57,024

Pensacola, FL $57,017

Hopkinsville, KY $56,828

Charleston, WV $56,821

Florence, SC $56,790

Sioux City, IA $56,752

Macon, GA $56,569

Tallahassee, FL $56,563

Fayetteville, NC $56,550

Wichita Falls, TX $56,537

Waco, TX $56,537

Pine Bluff, AR $56,512

Vincennes, IN $56,392

Lubbock, TX $56,367

Great Falls, MT $56,329

Alamogordo, NM $56,323

Abilene, TX $56,272

Rapid City, SD $56,190

Monroe, LA $56,190

Albany, GA $56,152

Huntington, WV $56,146

Jackson, MS $56,140

Greenville, MS $56,133

Parkersburg, WV $56,070

Montgomery, AL $56,057

Johnstown, PA $56,045

Springfield, MO $55,994

Biloxi, MS $55,963

Sumter, SC $55,830

Columbus, GA $55,824

Twin Falls, ID $55,786

Pascagoula, MS $55,704

Kingsport, TN $55,540

Gulfport, MS $55,521

Alexandria, LA $55,312

Fort Smith, AR $55,155

El Paso, TX $54,984

Helena, MT $54,902

Las Cruces, NM $54,700

Harlingen, TX $54,523

Pocatello, ID $54,466

Florence, AL $54,447

Brownsville, TX $54,435

Dothan, AL $54,334

Mcallen, TX $54,302

Columbus, MS $53,835

Altus, OK $53,544

Lawton, OK $53,424

Pierre, SD $53,197

What Skills Can Increase a Social Worker's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

Planning (Mentioned in 8.84% Job Postings): An act or process of making or carrying out plans. Establishment of goals, policies, and procedures for a social or economic unit city planning business planning.
Patient Care (Mentioned in 2.49% Job Postings): Patient care refers to the prevention, treatment, and management of illness and the preservation of physical and mental well-being through services offered by health professionals.
Geriatrics (Mentioned in 1.28% Job Postings): Geriatrics, or geriatric medicine, is a medical specialty focused on providing care for the unique health needs of older adults. The term geriatrics originates from the Greek geron meaning "old man", and iatros meaning "healer".

See More Skills

Skills	Demand Percentage
Planning	8.84%
Patient Care	2.49%
Geriatrics	1.28%

What skills can make your compensation higher?

Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Social Worker's salary.

Verbal Communication: Can increase your salary by up to 3%.
Collaboration: Can increase your salary by up to 3%.
Psychiatric: Can increase your salary by up to 3%.

Skill	Salary	Salary % Increase
Verbal Communication	$65,036	3%
Collaboration	$65,036	3%
Psychiatric	$65,036	3%
Presentation	$64,405	2%
Critical Thinking	$64,405	2%
Dialysis	$64,405	2%

Get Latest Data

How Education impacts a Social Worker's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Social Workers enter the field with a Master's Degree or MBA degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.

According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for a Social Worker with a Master's Degree or MBA is between $71,017 and $74,969).

Social Worker Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Social Worker

No Diploma 0.1%

High School 0.8%

Associates 1.5%

Bachelors 5.1%

Masters 91.4%

Doctorate 1.1%

view as table

Degree Level	% of user with this level of education
No Diploma	0.1%
High School	0.8%
Associates	1.5%
Bachelors	5.1%
Masters	91.4%
Doctorate	1.1%

view as graph

Social Worker Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Social Worker's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on May 18, 2021

$56,682

Average $63,142/year

$70,796

$4,724

Average $5,262/month

$5,900

$1,090

Average $1,214/week

$1,361

$27

Average $30/hour

$34

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$70,796	$5,900	$1,361	$34
Average	$63,142	$5,262	$1,214	$30
25th Percentile	$56,682	$4,724	$1,090	$27

Salaries of jobs related to Social Worker

Salary Trends for Social Worker

Salaries for a Social Worker can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $74,440 in 2023 to around $70,834 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Social Worker salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Social Worker Over Time

2022

$???

2023

$74,440

2024

$72,269

2025

$70,834

2026

$???

2027

$???

Year	Average Annual Salary
2022	View More
2023	$74,440
2024	$72,269
2025	$70,834
2026	View More
2027	View More

Most common benefits for Social Worker

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401(k)

Disability

Healthcare

Pension

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Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

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We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

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