Social workers

Detailed Occupation

Add Comparison

2017 Workforce

835k

Average Age

42.5

Average Salary

$45,206

Average Male Salary

$47,143

Average Female Salary

$44,756

About

Social workers are most often employed by the Individual & family services industry. The average yearly wage for Social workers was $45,206 in 2017.

The locations that employ the most Social workers are NYC-Brooklyn Community District 18--Canarsie & Flatlands PUMA, NY, NYC-Queens Community District 12--Jamaica, St. Albans, & Hollis PUMA, NY, and NYC-Queens Community District 13--Queens Village, Bellerose, & Rosedale PUMA, NY. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Social workers are Philadelphia City (West and West Park) PUMA, PA, NYC-Brooklyn Community District 18--Canarsie & Flatlands PUMA, NY, and NYC-Brooklyn Community District 17--East Flatbush PUMA, NY.

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

Employment and salary information for the Social workers workforce. Social workers workforce in 2017 was 835,069 people, of which 81.1% were women and 18.9% were men. Social workers are paid most in NYC-Queens Community District 6--Forest Hills & Rego Park PUMA, NY but are relatively concentrated in Philadelphia City (West and West Park) PUMA, PA.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

157,519

Male Workforce

± 9.74k

677,550

Female Workforce

± 20.2k

The Social workers workforce in 2017 was 835,069 people (81.1% women and 18.9% men). This implies an average annual growth of 6.01% between 2014 (787,737) and 2017 (835,069).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

This map shows the states in the United States shaded by average wage for Social workers.

During 2017, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were District of Columbia ($55,993), Alaska ($55,616), and Maryland ($54,915).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$45,206

AVERAGE WAGE

#N/A in the ranking (N/A)

$67,727

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2017, Social workers earned an average of $45,206, $22,521 less than the average national salary of $67,727

Wage Distribution

Gender

0.271

WAGE GINI

In 2017, Social workers had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.271, which is lower than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Social workers (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

The graphic shows the distribution of average salaries by buckets for Social workers compared to the entire workforce in the country.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Social workers and on wages 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 Drugs, sundries, & chemical & allied products merchant wholesalers ($83,997).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

835k

2017 Workforce

± 22,370

2.48%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 3.72%

This graphic shows the share of Social workers employed by various industries. Individual & family services employs the largest share of Social workers at 54.7%, followed by Administration of human resource programs with 18.5% and Hospitals with 15%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Social workers in the US. The workforce of Social workers in 2017 was 835,069 people, with 81.1% woman, and 18.9% men. The average age of male Social workers in the workforce is 43.5 and of female Social workers is 42.3, and the most common race/ethnicity for Social workers is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Social workers in 2017 was 835,069 people, with 81.1% woman, and 18.9% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 25 to 29 years (114,372 people), 30 to 34 years (113,996 people), and 35 to 39 years (110,554 people). Among them they concentrated 40.6% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2017, 14.4% of Social workers workers were Hispanic and 85.6% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (50.5%), Puerto Rican (21.9)%, and Dominican (4.67)%

You can review this information by gender using the selectors above.

Races

In 2017, 68% of the Social workers workforce were White, of which 81.9% were women and 18.1% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Black (21.9%) and Other (3.35%).

Education & Skills

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 the most specialized major according to RCA in 2017 were Public Administration and Social Service.

Among the necessary skills for Social workers, Social Perceptiveness stands, but the revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Social workers need more than the average amount of Social Perceptiveness.

Majors

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

Type of Majors

Degree

The most common majors achieved by Social workers in 2017 (counting all academic degrees) were Public Administration and Social Service (184,138 people), Psychology (124,109 people), and Social Sciences (75,785 people).

You can review this information for different academic grades by modifying the option selected in the selector above.

Education Levels

Metric

The main educational levels achieved by the Social workers workers were Bachelors Degree (350,296 people), Graduate Degree (300,601 people), and Some college (78,066 people).

The graphic shows the Social workers workforce by gender and educational level.

Skills

Chart

Value

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 Social Perceptiveness, Active Listening, Service Orientation.