When choosing a career, money isn’t the only factor. But it’s important to enter a field with your eyes open about average and potential salaries. How much do social workers make?

Social worker salaries range significantly depending on your level of education, position, industry, and location. If you are contemplating a career in social work, you should research salary prospects in your area or in locations you are willing to move to. Also, consider your earning potential upon earning a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree.

The annual median salary for social workers was $61,330 in May 2024, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). This is not the average salary; the median is the midpoint of a salary distribution. The lowest-earning 10% of social workers made less than $41,580 per year in 2024, according to the BLS. The highest 10% of earners made more than $99,500 annually that year. Social worker salaries vary based on factors such as social work career, education, and experience.

Different social work careers can lead to different salaries and may also have additional requirements. A BSW may prepare graduates for entry-level positions, whereas clinical social workers are typically required to hold a master’s degree. How much you can make with a BSW, therefore, may be different than a clinical social worker’s salary. 

Using the most recent BLS data (from May 2024), across industries, workers with master’s degrees earned $297 more per week than those with bachelor’s degrees (weekly earnings of $1,840 vs $1,543). 

A higher degree may allow you to earn more as a social worker, though several factors influence a social worker’s income.

BSW Salary

Because salary data are usually tracked by job title (social worker) rather than by degree (BSW), it can be hard to point to one definitive “BSW salary.” One of the most current profession-specific sources published in 2025 is the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) 2024 Social Work Workforce Survey (reported July 2025): among nonlicensed social workers in that survey, the median annual gross earnings were $48,410 for bachelor’s-level social workers and $63,860 for master’s-level social workers, and 51.7% of bachelor’s-level respondents were enrolled in a graduate program, a reminder that many BSW earners move quickly toward an MSW.

MSW Salary

Graduates with MSWs have a broader range of employment opportunities because most states require social workers to be licensed, and some require license holders to hold a master’s degree. Clinical social workers are licensed to diagnose and treat mental, behavioral and emotional disorders. These social workers, sometimes called licensed clinical social workers (LCSWs), are required to have a master’s degree in social work. 

Like other fields, clinical social worker salaries vary based on a variety of factors, including employment sector, experience and location, but earning an MSW may open the door to LCSW salaries.

DSW Salary

Those looking to continue their social work education can also earn a Doctor of Social Work (DSW) degree. A DSW degree is a postgraduate program designed for social workers to learn more about research, supervision and policy analysis. A doctoral education in social work may allow graduates to pursue advanced licensure or teaching. DSW salaries vary depending on where graduates choose to work, but the median annual salary for postsecondary social work teachers was $83,980 in 2024.

Social worker salaries also vary by state. A healthcare social worker, for example, earned an annual mean salary of $85,780 in Connecticut, while someone in the same position earned $97,090 in California, the highest-paying states for healthcare social workers, according to May 2024 BLS data.

A boost in compensation in the highest-paying states or metropolitan areas may be appealing, but it’s important to consider opportunities for growth, career outlook and cost of living in those areas when deciding where to work. 

Below is a closer look at the highest-paying states for four categories of social workers: child, family and school social workers, mental health and substance abuse social workers, healthcare social workers and all other types. All salary values represent mean (or average) salaries at the state level.

Child, Family and School Social Worker Salaries by State

The highest-paying states for child, family and school social workers, based on average salaries in 2024, were:

Salaries vary by location within a state as well. Using May 2024 BLS data, four of the 10 top-paying metropolitan areas for child, family and school social workers were in Connecticut. Another three were in the New York-New Jersey area.

The top-paying non-metropolitan area in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California, with an average annual salary of $85,500, followed by Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, Connecticut at $83,300.

Salary information below was retrieved from the Occupational Employment and Wages for child, family and school social workers from the BLS as of May 2024.

According to recent data from the  BLS, the highest-paying states for mental health and substance abuse social workers in 2024 were:

Of the top 10 highest-paying metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas for mental health social workers, eightwere in California. The other two highest-paying metropolitan areas were New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ and Las Cruces, New Mexico.

Salary information below was retrieved from the Occupational Employment and Wages for mental health and substance abuse social workers from the BLS as of May 2024.

The BLS reported that the five highest-paying states for healthcare social workers as of May 2024 were:

All ten of the top-paying metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas were in California. The highest-paying metro area was Napa, California, with an annual mean wage of $127,690. 

Salary information below was retrieved from the Occupational Employment and Wages for healthcare social workers from the BLS as of January 2026.

As the numbers above illustrate, employment levels and salaries vary significantly across states.

Prospective MSW students should also note that the salary estimates above do not distinguish between entry-level and more advanced roles. Additionally, these estimates cover not only licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) and MSW graduate salaries but also the wages of social workers with only a BSW.

According to the BLS, the highest-paying states for all other social workers as of May 2024 were:

The top-paying metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas for all other types of social workers varied. The top paying area was Reno, Nevada, at $133,860, with Chico, California next, followed by Amherst town-Norhampton, Massachusetts, Fayetteville, North Carolina, and then San Antonio-New Braunfels, Texas.

Social worker salaries also vary depending on the industry or sector of your social work career. Additionally, prospective MSW students should note that the highest-paying industries for social workers might not be the industries with the most available jobs. For example, consider the variance between the national annual mean wages of healthcare social workers in the top-paying industries for their profession versus the salaries of healthcare social workers in the industries with the highest employment levels.

The BLS reported that the 2024 median annual salaries for social workers in the top industries were:

Salary information above was retrieved from the Occupational Employment and Wages for child, family and school social workers from the BLS as of January 2026.

Salary information above was retrieved from the Occupational Employment and Wages for mental health and substance abuse social workers from the BLS as of January 2026.

Salary information above was retrieved from the Occupational Employment and Wages for healthcare social workers from the BLS as of January 2026.

Other Factors That Could Affect Pay

Several factors may also affect a social worker’s salary, including:

Licensure: There are several types of social worker licenses. The Association of Social Work Boards, which administers exams in every state, offers five categories of social work licensure: associate, bachelor’s, master’s, advanced generalist, and clinical. You can obtain Professional Social Work Credentials or Advanced Practice Specialty Credentials through the National Association of Social Workers to showcase your knowledge and experience. Your license and credentials influence the type of position you can hold—as determined by the state licensing board—and your potential salary.

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Experience: Typically, salaries increase during your career. A social worker with 15 years of experience might command a higher salary than a social worker starting their career. However, other factors greatly affect this. A social worker with fewer years of experience might make more in a popular metropolitan area than a social worker with greater experience in a low-paying rural area.

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Hours: Social worker salaries may vary depending on whether you are salaried or hourly and how much you work. Full-time social workers typically make more than part-time workers. Also, social workers who are paid hourly and often work overtime might earn more annually.

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Gender: Few, if any, professions in the United States have eliminated the gender pay gap. It may be possible for men to negotiate higher salaries as social workers, though this is not necessarily the case at the regional or facility level. Fully understanding social worker salaries in your area can help you negotiate an appropriate salary, no matter your gender.

Due to the variance in the salaries of jobs that MSW graduates may qualify for, current and prospective MSW students should thoroughly research their desired career options to make sure they prepare both academically and through internships for a job that meets (or at least puts them on the right path toward) their salary goals.

A great place to start is to find an MSW online in our full list of programs. Here are some other recommendations for potential and current MSW students:

Though there are social work positions that require only a bachelor’s degree and a license, many positions and facilities require social workers to hold an MSW. Earning a master’s degree is a traditional step in becoming a social worker.

Earning an MSW does not have to be an inconvenience. Accredited part-time and full-time MSW programs are offered online. You can continue working while earning your master’s and advancing your career.

Information last updated: January 2026