Social Work

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Total Degrees​
Awarded in 2017

54,706

growing 3.31%

Median In-State​
Public Tuition

$6,833

growing 4.83%

Median Out-of-State​
Private Tuition

$29,210

growing 2.4%

Average Wage

$56,392

growing 0.0844%

People in Workforce

763,692

growing 3.87%

Average Employee Age

43.1

growing 0.262%

About

Institutions

Employment

Diversity

Skills

About

The locations with the highest concentration of Social Work degree recipients are New York, NY, Los Angeles, CA, and Chicago, IL. The locations with a relatively high number of Social Work degree recipients are Aurora, IL, College Place, WA, and Silver City, NM. The most common degree awarded to students studying Social Work is a masters degree.

Photo by AFGE

Public Administration and Social Service

Institutions

Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Social Work and the types of students that study this field. University of Southern California awards the most degrees in Social Work in the US, but Brescia University and Our Lady of the Lake University have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Social Work.

Tuition costs for Social Work majors are, on average, $6,833 for in-state public colleges, and $29,210 for out of state private colleges.

The most common sector, by number of institutions, that offers Social Work programs are Public, 4-year or above institutions (349 total). The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded, is Public, 4-year or above (35,595 completions).

Institutions

Institution with the Most Degrees Awarded in Social Work

  1. University of Southern California

  2. Rutgers University-New Brunswick

  3. The University of Texas at Arlington

The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded in Social Work, is Public, 4-year or above (35,595 completions).

The following chart shows the share of universities that offer Social Work programs, by the total number of completions, colored and grouped by their sector.

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Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

$6,833

Median In-State Public

$29,210

Median Out of State Private

University of Southern California has the most Social Work degree recipients, with 1,478 degrees awarded in 2017.

The following bar chart shows the state tuition for the top 5 institutions with the most degrees awarded in Social Work.

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Specialized Colleges

Highest Concentration Institution

  1. Brescia University

    40.2%

  2. Our Lady of the Lake University

    38%

  3. Southern University at New Orleans

    32.3%

Out of all institutions that offer Social Work programs and have at least 5 graduates in those programs, Brescia University and Our Lady of the Lake University have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Social Work, with 40.2% and 38%, respectively.

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Degrees Awarded by County

Counties with the Most Degrees Awarded in Social Work

  1. Los Angeles County, CA

  2. New York County, NY

  3. Cook County, IL

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest number of degrees awarded in Social Work by year.

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Growth in Awarded Degrees

Counties with the Fastest Growing Number of Degrees Awarded

  1. Gogebic County, MI

  2. Charleston County, SC

  3. Sawyer County, WI

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest growth in degrees awarded for Social Work.

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Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Public Administration and Social Service graduates and on wages and locations for those in the field.

The industry that employs the most Public Administration and Social Service majors is Individual & family services, though the highest paying industry, by average wage, is Other personal services.

Wages

Yearly Income for Common Jobs

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Social Work is from the 2 Digit Course Public Administration and Social Service.

$56,392

Average Wage in Workforce

± $1,598

0.0844%

1 Year Growth

± 3.97%

The average salary for Public Administration and Social Service majors is $56,392 and the most common occupations are Social workers, all other, Elementary & middle school teachers, and Social & community service managers.

This chart shows the average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Public Administration and Social Service majors.

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Highest Paying Locations

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Social Work is from the 2 Digit Course Public Administration and Social Service.

Highest Paying Pumas

  1. Plainfield City & Westfield Town (South) PUMA, NJ

  2. Inner Mission & Castro PUMA, CA

  3. Fairfield, New Canaan, Wilton, Weston & Easton Towns PUMA, CT

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States colored by the average salary of Public Administration and Social Service majors.

Note that the census collects information tied to where people live, not where they work. It is possible that Public Administration and Social Service majors live and work in the same place, but it is also possible that they live and work in two different places.

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Occupations

Most Common

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Social Work is from the 2 Digit Course Public Administration and Social Service.

The most common occupations Public Administration and Social Service majors, by number of employees, are Social workers, all other, Elementary & middle school teachers, and Social & community service managers.

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Most Specialized

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Social Work is from the 2 Digit Course Public Administration and Social Service.

Compared to other majors, there are an unusually high number of Public Administration and Social Service majors working as Social workers, all other, Mental health and substance abuse social workers, and Child, family, and school social workers.

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Highest Paid

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Social Work is from the 2 Digit Course Public Administration and Social Service.

The highest paid occupations by median income for Public Administration and Social Service majors are Lawyers, & judges, magistrates, & other judicial workers, Chief executives & legislators, and Dentists.

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Occupations by Share

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Social Work is from the 2 Digit Course Public Administration and Social Service.

763,692

2018 Workforce

± 21,400

3.87%

1 Year Growth

± 3.85%

The number of Public Administration and Social Service graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 3.87%, from 735,273 in 2017 to 763,692 in 2018.

The largest single share of Public Administration and Social Service graduates go on to work as Social workers, all other (22.1%). This chart shows the various jobs filled by those with a major in Public Administration and Social Service by share of the total number of graduates.

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Industries

Most Common

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Social Work is from the 2 Digit Course Public Administration and Social Service.

The most common industries that employ Public Administration and Social Service majors, by number of employees, are Individual & family services, Elementary & secondary schools, and General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals.

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Highest Paid

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Social Work is from the 2 Digit Course Public Administration and Social Service.

The highest paying industries of Public Administration and Social Service majors, by average wage, are Other personal services, Professional & commercial equipment & supplies merchant wholesalers, and Securities, commodities, funds, trusts & other financial investments.

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Industries by Share

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Social Work is from the 2 Digit Course Public Administration and Social Service.

763,692

2018 Workforce

± 21,400

3.87%

1 Year Growth

± 3.85%

The number of Public Administration and Social Service graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 3.87%, from 735,273 in 2017 to 763,692 in 2018.

The industry which employs the most Public Administration and Social Service graduates by share is Individual & family services, followed by Elementary & secondary schools. This visualization shows the industries that hire those who major in Public Administration and Social Service.

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Specialty Locations

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Social Work is from the 2 Digit Course Public Administration and Social Service.

PUMAS with a relatively high number of Public Administration and Social Service majors

  1. West Hollywood & Beverly Hills Cities PUMA, CA

  2. Carr 2-Carr 111 PUMA, PR

  3. Carr 2-Carr 100 PUMA, PR

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States where there are a relatively high population of Public Administration and Social Service majors.

Note that the census collects information tied to where people live, not where they work. It is possible that Public Administration and Social Service majors live and work in the same place, but it is also possible that they live and work in two different places.

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Diversity

Demographic information on those who earn a degree in Public Administration and Social Service in the US. The average age of a person in the workforce with a degree in Public Administration and Social Service is 43.1, and the most common degree type these workers hold is a Masters Degree. Female employees are more likely to hold Public Administration and Social Service degrees, and White students earn the majority (29,085) of the degrees.

Workforce Age

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Social Work is from the 2 Digit Course Public Administration and Social Service.

43.1

Average Age in 2018

± 0.369 Years

0.262%

1 Year Change

± 1.21%

This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Public Administration and Social Service. The most common ages of employees with this major are 25 and 32 years old, which represent 3.33% and 2.95% of the population, respectively.

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Degrees Awarded

The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Social Work are Masters Degree, Bachelors Degree, and Associates Degree.

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Workforce Degrees

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Social Work is from the 2 Digit Course Public Administration and Social Service.

The most common degree types held by the working population in Public Administration and Social Service are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Professional degree.

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Gender Imbalance for Common Institutions

Female (87%)

Most Common Gender with a Degree in this Field

This chart shows the granted degrees by gender at the 5 institutions that graduate the most students in Social Work.

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Race & Ethnicity by Degrees Awarded

Most Common Race or Ethnicity

  1. White

    29,085 degrees awarded

  2. Black or African American

    10,507 degrees awarded

  3. Hispanic or Latino

    9,095 degrees awarded

This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Social Work for each race & ethnicity. White students earned the largest share of the degrees with this major.

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Race & Ethnicity by Gender

Most Common Race/Ethnicity and Gender Combination

  1. White Female

    10,423 degrees awarded

  2. Black or African American Female

    4,030 degrees awarded

  3. Hispanic or Latino Female

    3,512 degrees awarded

This chart illustrates the differences by gender for each race & ethnicity of Bachelors Degree recipients in Social Work. White Female students, who earn most of the degrees in this field, are the most common combination of race/ethnicity and gender.

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Global Diversity

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Social Work is from the 2 Digit Course Public Administration and Social Service.

Most Common Countries of Origin

  1. Mexico

    10,509 degree recipients

  2. Philippines

    4,582 degree recipients

  3. Jamaica

    4,508 degree recipients

High Relative Number of Students

  1. Barbados

    5.28 times more than expected

  2. Nigeria

    4.91 times more than expected

  3. Bulgaria

    4.14 times more than expected

There are a relatively high number of people that were born in Barbados that hold Public Administration and Social Service degrees (5.28 times more than expected), and the most common country of origin by total numbers for non-US students earning a degree in this field is Mexico (10,509 degree recipients).

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Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Social Work field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Social Work majors need many skills, but most especially Active Listening. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Social Work majors need more than the average amount of Operations Analysis, Operation and Control, and Negotiation.

These two visualizations, one a radial chart and one a bar chart, show the same information, a rating of how necessary the following skills are for Social Work majors. Toggle between "value" and "RCA" to see the absolute rating of that skill (value) and the revealed comparative advantage (RCA), or how much greater or lesser that skill's rating is than the average. The longer the bar or the closer the line comes to the circumference of the circle, the more important that skill is. The importance of Operations Analysis is very distinctive for majors, but the Active Listening, Social Perceptiveness, and Speaking are the three most important skills for people in the field.

Radar Distribution

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Bar Chart

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