Social workers

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Total Workforce

871k

Average Age

42.3

Average Salary

$46,285

Average Male Salary

$47,721

Average Female Salary

$45,953

About

Employment

Diversity

Education

Skills

About

Social workers are most often employed by the Individual & family services industry. The average yearly wage for Social workers was $46,285 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Social workers by wage are Eligibility interviewers, government programs, Bus & truck mechanics & diesel engine specialists, and Maintenance & repair workers, general.

Social workers are part of the Community & Social Service Occupations, along with Substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors, Educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors, Marriage and family therapists, Mental health counselors, Rehabilitation counselors, and 11 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Social workers are Philadelphia City (North) PUMA, PA, Philadelphia City (Northwest) PUMA, PA, and Canarsie & Flatlands PUMA, NY. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Social workers are Philadelphia City (North) PUMA, PA, Columbus, Bladen & Robeson (East) Counties PUMA, NC, and Philadelphia City (Northwest) PUMA, PA.

Photo by U.S. Department of Agriculture

Management, business, science, & arts occupations Community & Social Service Occupations Education, legal, community service, arts, & media occupations

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Social workers and on wages and locations for those in the field. Individual & family services is the industry that employs the most Social workers, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Social workers, by average wage, is Pharmaceutical & medicine manufacturing. Social workers are paid most in Battery Park City, Greenwich Village & Soho PUMA, NY but are relatively concentrated in Philadelphia City (North) PUMA, PA.

Wages

Yearly Wage

$46,285

AVERAGE SALARY

± $737

In 2017, Social workers earned an average of $46,285, $7,603 less than than the average national salary of $53,888.

Eligibility interviewers, government programs make somewhat more than Social workers while Maintenance & repair workers, general make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Social workers as measured by average annual salary in the US.

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Wage Distribution

0.273

WAGE GINI

In 2017, Social workers had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.273, which is lower than than the national average of 0.479. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Social workers (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

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Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Social workers.

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Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Social workers

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Social workers.

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Industries

Most Common

The most common industries employing Social workers, by number of employees, are Individual & family services, Administration of human resource programs, and Hospitals.

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Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Social workers, by average wage, are Pharmaceutical & medicine manufacturing, Insurance carriers & related activities, and Elementary & secondary schools.

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Industries by Share

871k

2017 Workforce

± 22,841

2.32%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 3.65%

The number of people employed as Social workers has been growing at a rate of 2.32%, from 850,907 people in 2016 to 870,626 people in 2017.

This graphic shows the share of Social workers employed by various industries. Individual & family services employs the largest share of Social workers at 33.6%, followed by Administration of human resource programs with 11.4% and Hospitals with 9.96%.

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Diversity

Demographic information on Social workers in the US. The average age of male Social workers in the workforce is 43.5 and of female Social workers is 42, and the most common race/ethnicity for Social workers is White (Non-Hispanic).

Gender Composition

164k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 9,926

707k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 20,594

81.2% of Social workers are Female, making them the more common gender in the occupation. This chart shows the gender breakdown of Social workers.

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Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Social workers

White (Non-Hispanic)
Black (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)

58.4% of Social workers are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 20.6% of Social workers, Black (Non-Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Social workers.

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Age by Gender

43.5

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 0.807

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 0.365

The median age of Social workers is 42.3, and Male employees are generally 1.48 years older than than their Female counterparts.

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Education

Data on higher education choices for Social workers from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Social workers is Public Administration and Social Service but a relatively high number of Social workers hold a major in Public Administration and Social Service.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

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Skills

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