How Much Do Licensed Master Social Workers Make?

Having a clear understanding of earnings potential is important, especially if you are researching career paths or considering changing jobs. If you're one of those people, and you're curious what kind of salary licensed master social workers make, you've come to the right place.

Using data from Lightcast,™ the Best Adult Colleges and Careers Guide has compiled rich information about salary for licensed master social workers and related jobs, including details about average compensation, salary trends and job growth. We've also gathered advertised salaries from actual job postings to provide insight into what employers of licensed master social workers are offering as compensation.

Keep reading to learn more about how much licensed master social workers can expect to make in the United States.

At a Glance: Salary & Jobs for Licensed Master Social Workers

According to data from 2023, there were about 363,064 positions for licensed master social workers in the United States. In terms of salary, the national median salary for licensed master social workers was reported to be $53,934. Additionally, when examining job demand, employers across the country posted 231,182 job postings related to positions for licensed master social workers.

How Much Money Do Licensed Master Social Workers Make?

Median salary is just one data point. To build a better understanding of how much money licensed master social workers and related positions can expect to make in the United States, it can be helpful to look at the full range of compensation for those jobs.

Let's look more deeply at data that was reported to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for detail into the lowest and highest salary earnings for licensed master social workers.

Annual Salary for Licensed Master Social Workers

According to the BLS, the lowest earners for licensed master social workers and related professions earned about $37,898 per year in 2023. Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum, the highest earners made about $85,592 annually.

As mentioned previously, the median salary for licensed master social workers in the United States in 2023 was $53,934.

Hourly Salary for Licensed Master Social Workers

The BLS also breaks down compensation for licensed master social workers by hourly salary, and the median average hourly pay for licensed master social workers in 2023 was $26. Lowest hourly earners took home $18 while the highest reported hourly salaries for licensed master social workers was $41.

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Degree Options for Licensed Master Social Workers

Advertised Compensation for Licensed Master Social Workers

Data from the BLS is one way to dig into compensation for licensed master social workers, but another way to build a more real-time understanding of salary is to look at actual job postings and see what compensation organizations are currently providing to fill open positions for licensed master social workers.

Keep in mind that salary data is not included in every job posting, so the information compiled here is reflective of the data available through Lightcast.™

Annual Salary from Job Postings for Licensed Master Social Workers

During a review of 191,908 job postings related to licensed master social workers, advertised salary was included in 71,627 of them, which was 37%. Based on those postings, the median advertised salary for licensed master social workers was $62,080 per year.

Hourly Salary from Job Postings for Licensed Master Social Workers

A similar analysis of job postings provides insight into advertised hourly salary for licensed master social workers. Based on 31% of postings with advertised compensation, the median hourly salary for open positions for licensed master social workers in the United States is about $30.

Salary Trend for Licensed Master Social Workers

If you're thinking about pursuing a career in the field, you may want to understand how compensation has changed over time for licensed master social workers. The chart below provides a snapshot of advertised salaries over the past three years.

Based on compensation data that was included in job postings for licensed master social workers dating back to September 2020, advertised salaries for licensed master social workers have increased 19%.

What's the Job Growth for Licensed Master Social Workers?

Another data point that someone thinking about a career path should consider is whether or not jobs are expected to see growth in the future. The chart below looks at projected employment for licensed master social workers over the next 10 years.

According to the data obtained through Lightcast,™ there were 363,287 jobs for licensed master social workers in the United States in 2023. By 2033, it is expected that about 35,198 jobs will be added. That's a 9.7% increase over the next 10-year period.

Additional Links

Ready to dig deeper into career information about licensed master social workers? Visit our other pages focused on salary and education for licensed master social workers.

What do licensed master social workers do?
Licensed Master Social Workers: How do you become one?

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