2023 Social Workers Salary Report

2023 Salary Report for Social Workers

The average salary for Social Workers is $54,880. The three states that pay Social Workers the most are New Jersey ($75,410), Connecticut ($70,690) and District of Columbia ($70,340).

When adjusted for cost-of-living, the states that pay Social Workers the highest average annual salary are Connecticut ($68,339), New Jersey ($67,839) and North Dakota ($64,526).

When adjusted for cost-of-living the three states that pay Social Workers the least are Mississippi ($42,037), Delaware ($42,352) and Arizona ($44,070).

The following table shows the average yearly salary for Social Workers in each state and the average yearly salary after being adjusted for the cost-of-living (COLA) in that state.

The three states with the highest positive cost-of-living gap are West Virginia ($5,644), Alabama ($5,444) and Mississippi ($5,137).

State	Salary	COLA	Gap
New Jersey	$75,410	$67,839	-$7,571
Connecticut	$70,690	$68,339	-$2,351
District of Columbia	$70,340	$63,108	-$7,232
New York	$68,660	$62,299	-$6,361
California	$64,940	$58,833	-$6,107
Rhode Island	$63,550	$62,396	-$1,154
Maryland	$62,440	$58,646	-$3,794
Hawaii	$61,790	$55,175	-$6,615
Alaska	$61,580	$59,647	-$1,933
Maine	$61,070	$63,102	$2,032
Minnesota	$60,940	$61,793	$853
Washington	$60,230	$56,101	-$4,129
Colorado	$59,790	$58,122	-$1,668
North Dakota	$59,390	$64,526	$5,136
Virginia	$58,100	$57,536	-$564
Nevada	$57,670	$59,417	$1,747
Illinois	$55,930	$55,663	-$267
New Hampshire	$55,650	$53,659	-$1,991
Massachusetts	$54,980	$51,173	-$3,807
Oregon	$54,790	$53,391	-$1,399
Vermont	$53,060	$53,407	$347
Michigan	$51,900	$55,189	$3,289
Utah	$51,650	$54,186	$2,536
North Carolina	$51,060	$55,597	$4,537
Iowa	$50,380	$55,332	$4,952
Wyoming	$50,090	$54,292	$4,202
Pennsylvania	$49,390	$50,625	$1,235
Texas	$49,310	$49,538	$228
Wisconsin	$48,910	$52,484	$3,574
Florida	$48,890	$48,545	-$345
Georgia	$48,200	$50,984	$2,784
Ohio	$48,200	$52,568	$4,368
Kansas	$47,850	$51,808	$3,958
Idaho	$47,560	$52,149	$4,589
New Mexico	$46,870	$51,185	$4,315
Tennessee	$46,280	$50,222	$3,942
South Carolina	$45,710	$49,875	$4,165
Indiana	$45,520	$49,211	$3,691
Alabama	$45,200	$50,644	$5,444
Louisiana	$45,010	$48,544	$3,534
South Dakota	$44,770	$48,918	$4,148
Nebraska	$43,730	$47,077	$3,347
Arizona	$43,660	$44,070	$410
Oklahoma	$43,580	$47,722	$4,142
Kentucky	$43,440	$48,385	$4,945
Montana	$41,980	$45,413	$3,433
Delaware	$41,450	$42,352	$902
West Virginia	$41,230	$46,874	$5,644
Arkansas	$41,110	$46,098	$4,988
Missouri	$41,070	$44,405	$3,335
Mississippi	$36,900	$42,037	$5,137

Salary Range by Education and Experience

About 50% of Social Workers in the United States earn between $38,900 and $62,560 with an experience level that ranges between 5 to 14 years.

About 10% of Social Workers in the U.S. earn more than $78,710, a rate for highly educated and experienced Social Workers.

Approximately 10% of Social Workers in the United States earn under $35,820, a rate generally reserved for less experienced or entry level Social Workers.

%	Years	Employed	Annual Salary
10%	Less than a Year	34,005	Under $35,820
15%	2 – 4 years	51,008	$35,820 – $38,900
25%	5 – 9 years	85,012	$38,900 – $49,150
25%	10 – 14 years	85,012	$49,150 – $62,560
15%	15 – 20 years	51,008	$62,560 – $78,710
10%	20+ years	34,005	Above $78,710

Salary Compared to Related Professions

With an average annual salary of $54,880, Social Workers in the United States tend to earn less than Industrial Organizational Psychologists ($113,320), Clinical and Counseling Psychologists ($99,640), Forensic Psychologists ($98,010), Psychology Teachers ($88,390), School Psychologists ($82,770), Health Care Social Workers ($62,310), and Marriage and Family Therapists ($59,660).

However, Social Workers tend to earn more than Substance Abuse Counselors ($53,490).

Title	Annual Salary
Industrial Organizational Psychologists	$113,320
Clinical and Counseling Psychologists	$99,640
Forensic Psychologists	$98,010
Psychology Teachers	$88,390
School Psychologists	$82,770
Health Care Social Workers	$62,310
Marriage and Family Therapists	$59,660
Social Workers	$54,880
Substance Abuse Counselors	$53,490

State-by-State Demand for Social Workers in 2030

The U.S. Department of Labor projects that by the year 2030, the total demand for Social Workers will be 377,400 with an average yearly openings of 36,700.

The three states needing the most Social Workers are California (51,800), New York (34,560) and Texas (23,880).

The three states needing the highest percentage of new Social Workers are Arizona (25.2%), New York (24.2%) and Maryland (22.2%).

In the table below, find the states, sorted from highest to lowest, with the highest demand for Social Workers in 2030.

State	2020	2030	% Change	Yearly Openings
California	47,200	51,800	9.7%	4,970
New York	27,830	34,560	24.2%	3,520
Texas	20,870	23,880	14.4%	2,340
Pennsylvania	20,600	22,440	8.9%	2,150
Illinois	16,280	17,500	7.5%	1,660
Michigan	13,050	14,620	12%	1,420
Florida	12,300	14,180	15.3%	1,400
North Carolina	12,430	14,160	13.9%	1,390
Ohio	10,760	11,960	11.2%	1,160
Massachusetts	9,310	10,210	9.7%	980
Virginia	8,780	9,860	12.3%	960
Washington	8,540	9,840	15.2%	1,100
Minnesota	8,640	9,560	10.6%	920
Missouri	9,020	9,480	5.1%	890
Colorado	7,320	8,840	20.8%	840
Indiana	7,790	8,600	10.4%	830
Arizona	6,280	7,860	25.2%	800
Maryland	6,030	7,370	22.2%	750
Kentucky	6,890	7,140	3.6%	670
Georgia	6,000	7,080	18%	700
Tennessee	5,930	6,520	9.9%	630
Connecticut	5,670	5,940	4.8%	560
Oklahoma	6,380	5,930	-7.1%	520
New Jersey	5,010	5,450	8.8%	520
South Carolina	4,450	5,030	13%	490
Oregon	4,170	4,890	17.3%	460
Wisconsin	4,150	4,620	11.3%	450
Alabama	4,130	4,320	4.6%	410
Nevada	3,380	3,850	13.9%	380
Iowa	3,190	3,620	13.5%	350
Mississippi	3,350	3,600	7.5%	340
Nebraska	3,240	3,520	8.6%	340
Puerto Rico	3,460	3,280	-5.2%	290
Kansas	2,370	2,490	5.1%	230
District of Columbia	2,160	2,450	13.4%	240
New Mexico	1,990	2,180	9.5%	210
Rhode Island	1,850	2,040	10.3%	200
West Virginia	1,930	2,000	3.6%	190
Utah	1,570	1,890	20.4%	190
South Dakota	1,770	1,880	6.2%	180
Hawaii	1,680	1,840	9.5%	180
Maine	1,740	1,770	1.7%	160
Delaware	1,320	1,500	13.6%	150
Idaho	1,320	1,440	9.1%	130
Vermont	1,160	1,320	13.8%	130
Arkansas	1,190	1,290	8.4%	120
Montana	1,030	1,200	16.5%	120
Alaska	950	1,030	8.4%	100
North Dakota	720	810	12.5%	80
New Hampshire	700	780	11.4%	80
Wyoming	600	650	8.3%	60
Louisiana	430	450	4.7%	40

Projected Demand for Psychology Professions to 2030

The U.S. Department of Labor projects that the three professions needing the most new psychologists in the United States by 2030 are Substance Abuse Counselors (402,600), Social Workers (377,400) and Health Care Social Workers (209,300).

The three professions needing the highest percentage of new psychologists in the United States by 2030 are Substance Abuse Counselors (22.9%), Marriage and Family Therapists (16.3%) and Health Care Social Workers (13.2%).

Title	2020	2030	Change	% Change	Avg. Yearly Openings
Social Workers	335,300	377,400	42,100	12.6%	36,700
Substance Abuse Counselors	327,500	402,600	75,100	22.9%	41,000
Health Care Social Workers	184,900	209,300	24,400	13.2%	20,400
Marriage and Family Therapists	73,200	85,100	11,900	16.3%	8,500
Forensic Psychologists	55,200	56,300	1,100	2%	3,700
Psychology Teachers	44,100	48,600	4,500	10.2%	4,700
Industrial Organizational Psychologists	4,900	5,000	100	2%	300

10 Highest-Paying Cities

The top ten cities where Social Workers are paid the highest average yearly salary in the United States are shown in the table below.

The top three cities with the highest Social Workers salary in the United States are are San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara ($76,500), Trenton ($75,250) and New York-Newark-Jersey City ($73,840).

When adjusted for the cost-of-living (COLA) the three cities that pay psychologists the most in the United States are are Portland-South Portland ($74,524), Duluth ($72,604) and Trenton ($72,495).

City / Metro	Average Yearly Salary	Cost-of-Living Adjusted
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara	$76,500	$68,230
Trenton	$75,250	$72,495
New York-Newark-Jersey City	$73,840	$63,947
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk	$73,750	$72,007
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford	$73,010	$71,285
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward	$72,750	$61,983
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria	$70,910	$63,579
Ocean City	$70,420	$69,619
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim	$69,540	$62,150
Santa Cruz-Watsonville	$69,210	$63,252

10 Highest-Paying Rural Areas

The top ten nonmetropolitan areas where Social Workers are paid the highest average annual salary in the United States are shown in the table below.

The three rural areas in the United States with the highest Social Workers salary are Connecticut ($72,100), Eastern Washington ($63,000) and Southeast Minnesota ($60,460).

When adjusted for the cost-of-living (COL) the three rural areas in the United States with the highest annual salary are Connecticut ($70,396), Southeast Minnesota ($68,239) and Northwest Minnesota ($66,648).

Rural Areas	Yearly Salary	COL Adjusted
Connecticut	$72,100	$70,396
Eastern Washington	$63,000	$64,948
Southeast Minnesota	$60,460	$68,239
Western Washington	$60,350	$62,216
Hawaii / Kauai	$60,070	$56,035
Maryland	$60,020	$65,833
West North Dakota	$59,180	$65,770
Northwest Minnesota	$59,050	$66,648
Southwest Maine	$58,920	$63,739
Northeast Minnesota	$58,590	$66,129

State-by-State Social Workers Salary Summaries

See state-by-state summaries for the average annual salary, average hourly salary, cost-of-living adjusted salaries, current employment, 2030 projected employment, and the state’s current cost of living index.

Find links to the highest paid city reports and state salary reports.

Frequently Asked Questions About Social Workers Salaries

Official Data Sources for Social Workers: Salary Data | Projected Employment | Cost of Living Data