How Much Do Mental Health 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 mental health 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 mental health 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 mental health social workers are offering as compensation.
Keep reading to learn more about how much mental health social workers can expect to make in the United States.
At a Glance: Salary & Jobs for Mental Health Social Workers
According to data from 2022, there were about 111,817 positions for mental health social workers in the United States. In terms of salary, the national median salary for mental health social workers was reported to be $51,230. Additionally, when examining job demand, employers across the country posted 16,555 job postings related to positions for mental health social workers.
How Much Money Do Mental Health Social Workers Make?
Median salary is just one data point. To build a better understanding of how much money mental health 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 mental health social workers.
Annual Salary for Mental Health Social Workers
According to the BLS, the lowest earners for mental health social workers and related professions earned about $34,632 per year in 2022. Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum, the highest earners made about $97,656 annually.
As mentioned previously, the median salary for mental health social workers in the United States in 2022 was $51,230.
Annual Salary Range For Mental Health Social Workers In 2022
Hourly Salary for Mental Health Social Workers
The BLS also breaks down compensation for mental health social workers by hourly salary, and the median average hourly pay for mental health social workers in 2022 was $25. Lowest hourly earners took home $17 while the highest reported hourly salaries for mental health social workers was $47.
Hourly Salary Range For Mental Health Social Workers In 2022
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Advertised Compensation for Mental Health Social Workers
Data from the BLS is one way to dig into compensation for mental health 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 mental health 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 Mental Health Social Workers
Advertised Annual Salary
During a review of 14,854 job postings related to mental health social workers, advertised salary was included in 5,043 of them, which was 34%. Based on those postings, the median advertised salary for mental health social workers was $52,096 per year.
Hourly Salary from Job Postings for Mental Health Social Workers
Advertised Hourly Salary
A similar analysis of job postings provides insight into advertised hourly salary for mental health social workers. Based on 30% of postings with advertised compensation, the median hourly salary for open positions for mental health social workers in the United States is about $25.
Salary Trend for Mental Health 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 mental health 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 mental health social workers dating back to September 2019, advertised salaries for mental health social workers have increased 7%.
Advertised Wage Trend For Mental Health Social Workers
What's the Job Growth for Mental Health 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 mental health social workers over the next 10 years.
According to the data obtained through Lightcast,™ there were 111,767 jobs for mental health social workers in the United States in 2022. By 2032, it is expected that about 20,797 jobs will be added. That's a 18.6% increase over the next 10-year period.
Employment Projections For Mental Health Social Workers
Additional Links
Ready to dig deeper into career information about mental health social workers? Visit our other pages focused on salary and education for mental health social workers.
What do mental health social workers do?
Mental Health Social Workers: How do you become one?
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