How Much Does a Social Worker Make?

Social workers dedicate their careers to advocating for vulnerable people and promoting social justice. While challenging, the job can also be rewarding, especially for those driven to serve others.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), social workers earned a median annual salary of $58,380 in 2023. However, social workers’ salaries can vary widely and depend on many factors, such as your specific field and degree.

Keep reading to learn how much social workers make in different states and sectors.

According to thousands of social worker salaries reported on Payscale, more experienced social workers tend to report higher average annual salaries than social workers just starting their careers.

Additionally, the BLS reports different median salaries for different types of social workers as of 2023, including:

According to the BLS, social workers are also in demand. The Bureau projects employment for social workers to grow by 7% between 2023 and 2033, much faster than the 4% growth rate across all occupations during the same period.

According to the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), West Coast social workers tend to earn higher salaries. Salaries for social workers in the South tend to be lower. Additionally, metropolitan areas tend to pay higher social worker salaries than rural areas.

Below are the median salaries for the four different social worker categories listed by the BLS as of 2023.

Earning a bachelor’s in social work is often just the first step for students who hope to become social workers. Below are a few ways you can grow your career and, potentially, your paycheck.

A master’s in social work (MSW) program prepares graduates for clinical social work, healthcare, and administration careers. A master’s degree is necessary for licensure, and licensed social workers are likely to earn more money than social workers with a bachelor’s degree alone.

According to the National Association of College Employers (NACE), class of 2022 graduates who earned a bachelor’s in social work made a median starting salary of $39,200. Recent graduates with an MSW earned a median salary of $54,930.

After earning a master’s degree, you must get licensed to practice clinical social work in your state.

To become licensed, students complete several hundred supervised hours of practice and pass the Association of Social Work Boards exam.

All that extra time spent studying and gaining experience can pay off. According to Payscale in October 2024, the average licensed clinical social worker salary was $67,160.

If you’re interested in maximizing your pay as a social worker, keep in mind that social workers’ salaries can depend on their industry.

Social workers tend to earn the most money working for the federal government, where they research and develop social service, healthcare, and education policies.

According to the BLS, social workers in the federal government earned a median salary of $93,870 in 2023.

Other top-paying industries for social workers include:

A Ph.D. or doctor of social work degree (DSW) program prepares students to become expert-level clinicians and perform macro-level social work, involving solving systemic problems in society through policies and programs. Social workers with a Ph.D. or DSW may be qualified to work as professors or researchers.

According to the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard database, graduates of social work doctoral programs earned an early-career median salary of $73,930.

Below, find more jobs you can pursue with a degree in social work, with salary and job outlook data from the BLS and Payscale.

Counselors help individuals and families navigate life’s challenges. There are many types of counseling careers with different focuses, such as mental health, family issues, substance use, and education.

Aspiring health educators study community health and epidemics in order to teach the public about healthy choices and influence health policy. Some may go on to earn a master’s in public health.

Assistant behavior analysts work under supervision to help guide individuals or groups to change or improve their behaviors. This work requires a deep knowledge of how people learn behaviors and respond to interventions.

To work without supervision, you will need a master’s degree in applied behavior analysis or a related field.

Psychologists work to understand how the mind works in conjunction with behavior. They help people or groups overcome barriers in their personal lives, at school, and in the workplace. Psychologist careers take many different shapes, like clinical counseling, research, or even human resources.