Social workers

Detailed Occupation

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2017 Workforce

826k

Average Age

42.5

Average Salary

$45,425

Average Male Salary

$47,281

Average Female Salary

$44,991

About

Social workers are most often employed by the Individual & family services industry. The average yearly wage for Social workers was $45,425 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Social workers by wage are Flight attendants, Electronic equipment installers & repairers, motor vehicles, and New accounts clerks.

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 Canarsie & Flatlands PUMA, NY, Jamaica, Hollis & St. Albans PUMA, NY, and Queens Village, Cambria Heights & Rosedale PUMA, NY. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Social workers are Philadelphia City (West) PUMA, PA, Canarsie & Flatlands PUMA, NY, and East Flatbush, Farragut & Rugby PUMA, NY.

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 Drugs, sundries, & chemical & allied products merchant wholesalers . Social workers are paid most in Forest Hills & Rego Park PUMA, NY but are relatively concentrated in Philadelphia City (West) PUMA, PA.

Wages

Yearly Wage

$45,425

AVERAGE SALARY

± $705

In 2017, Social workers earned an average of $45,425, $10,529 less than than the average national salary of $55,954.

Flight attendants make somewhat more than Social workers while New accounts clerks make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Social workers as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.267

WAGE GINI

In 2015, Social workers had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.267, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Social workers (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

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.

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.

Industries

Most Common

The most common industries employing Social workers, by number of employees, are Individual & family services, Administration of human resource programs, Hospitals, Outpatient care centers, Residential care facilities, except skilled nursing facilities, Elementary & secondary schools, Justice, public order, & safety activities , Nursing Care Facilities, Civic, social, advocacy organizations, & grantmaking & giving services, Insurance carriers & related activities, and Community food & housing, & emergency services .

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Social workers, by average wage, are Drugs, sundries, & chemical & allied products merchant wholesalers , Pharmaceutical & medicine manufacturing, and Architectural, engineering & related services.

Industries by Share

826k

2017 Workforce

± 22,247

2.5%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 3.74%

The number of people employed as Social workers has been growing at a rate of 2.5%, from 805,774 people in 2016 to 825,888 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 34.8%, followed by Administration of human resource programs with 11.6% and Hospitals with 9.52%.

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 42.2, and the most common race/ethnicity for Social workers is White (Non-Hispanic).

Composition by Sex

156k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 9,705

669k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 20,041

81.1% of Social workers are Female, making them the more common sex in the occupation. This chart shows the sex breakdown of Social workers.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Social workers

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

59% of Social workers are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 21.4% 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.

Age by Sex

43.5

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 0.815

42.2

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 0.374

The median age of Social workers is 42.5, and Male employees are generally 1.27 years older than than their Female counterparts.

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

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, Science, and Negotiation.