How Much Do 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 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 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 social workers are offering as compensation.
Keep reading to learn more about how much social workers can expect to make in the United States.
At a Glance: Salary & Jobs for Social Workers
According to data from 2023, there were about 363,064 positions for social workers in the United States. In terms of salary, the national median salary for 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 social workers.
How Much Money Do Social Workers Make?
Median salary is just one data point. To build a better understanding of how much money 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 social workers.
Annual Salary for Social Workers
According to the BLS, the lowest earners for 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 social workers in the United States in 2023 was $53,934.
Annual Salary Range For Social Workers In 2023
Hourly Salary for Social Workers
The BLS also breaks down compensation for social workers by hourly salary, and the median average hourly pay for social workers in 2023 was $26. Lowest hourly earners took home $18 while the highest reported hourly salaries for social workers was $41.
Hourly Salary Range For Social Workers In 2023
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Advertised Compensation for Social Workers
Data from the BLS is one way to dig into compensation for 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 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 Social Workers
Advertised Annual Salary
During a review of 191,908 job postings related to social workers, advertised salary was included in 71,627 of them, which was 37%. Based on those postings, the median advertised salary for social workers was $62,080 per year.
Hourly Salary from Job Postings for Social Workers
Advertised Hourly Salary
A similar analysis of job postings provides insight into advertised hourly salary for social workers. Based on 31% of postings with advertised compensation, the median hourly salary for open positions for social workers in the United States is about $30.
Salary Trend for 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 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 social workers dating back to September 2020, advertised salaries for social workers have increased 19%.
Advertised Wage Trend For Social Workers
What's the Job Growth for 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 social workers over the next 10 years.
According to the data obtained through Lightcast,™ there were 363,287 jobs for 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.
Employment Projections For Social Workers
Additional Links
Ready to dig deeper into career information about social workers? Visit our other pages focused on salary and education for social workers.
What do social workers do?
Social Workers: How do you become one?
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