Social Worker Schools, Salaries, and Job Data

Job Numbers and Growth

There are about 66,000 jobs for social workers in the US. The unemployment ranking for this career was very low, compared to other occupations. About 2% of employees were without employment in 2008.

Area Job Conditions

Social workers are most common in Danville (Illinois), Madera (California), and Springfield (Illinois), and least common in Hartford (Connecticut), Allentown (Pennsylvania), and Charlotte (North Carolina).

Workers are paid the most in Salinas (California), Vallejo (California), and Newark (New Jersey), and the least in Wheeling (West Virginia), Worcester (Massachusetts), and Albany (Georgia).

Training and Education

Most employees have a bachelor's degree. Approximately 77% of social workers have a bachelor's degree. About 16% of workers have been to college without getting a degree. About 7% of employees obtain jobs with only a high-school diploma or GED. Recommended schools are shown in the column to the right; request information from them to help you decide which if any could help you with this career.

Part-Time Work and Self-Employment

Among social workers, 9% work less than full-time. Some 3% of workers work for themselves.

Social Workers Around the Country

In the list below, each metro area is rated for the relative popularity of social workers compared to other locations (that is, jobs per population). Single or double up or down arrows indicate the relative popularity in that location. Within each state listing, metro areas are sorted by the actual number of jobs for social workers.

Alabama

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Birmingham	$48,000	180
Mobile	$36,000	90
Tuscaloosa	$55,000	50
Montgomery	$45,000	50
Gadsden		30

Alaska

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Anchorage	$51,000	260

Arizona

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Phoenix	$56,000	350
Tucson	$46,000	100

Arkansas

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Little Rock	$48,000	290
Fayetteville	$50,000	40
Jonesboro	$31,000	40
Fort Smith	$31,000	30

California

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Sacramento	$52,000	1,450
Santa Ana	$49,000	1,160
San Francisco	$52,000	750
San Diego	$47,000	680
Oakland	$53,000	500
Fresno	$51,000	480
Modesto		240
Vallejo	$60,000	130
Stockton	$42,000	130
Madera	$54,000	100
Bakersfield	$55,000	70
San Luis Obispo	$41,000	70
Visalia	$38,000	60
Santa Barbara		60
Santa Cruz	$48,000	40
Salinas	$67,000	30

Colorado

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Denver	$43,000	730
Colorado Springs	$40,000	260
Fort Collins	$39,000	60
Boulder	$37,000	40
Pueblo	$57,000	40

Connecticut

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
New Haven	$48,000	90
Bridgeport	$59,000	90
Hartford	$61,000	60
Norwich	$53,000	50

Delaware

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Wilmington	$57,000	100

District of Columbia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Washington	$50,000	670

Florida

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Miami	$39,000	280
Orlando	$44,000	270
Tampa	$49,000	260
Jacksonville	$47,000	230
Fort Lauderdale	$44,000	190
Palm Bay	$40,000	140
West Palm Beach	$46,000	110
Pensacola	$45,000	90
Deltona	$43,000	80
Cape Coral	$36,000	70
Sarasota	$43,000	40
Tallahassee	$42,000	30

Georgia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Atlanta	$53,000	420
Savannah	$54,000	90
Columbus	$56,000	50
Albany	$21,000	40

Hawaii

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Honolulu	$63,000	160

Idaho

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Boise	$61,000	60

Illinois

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Chicago	$54,000	3,570
Springfield	$49,000	310
Rockford	$59,000	300
Peoria	$47,000	140
Champaign	$44,000	100
Danville	$50,000	80
Kankakee	$48,000	50
Decatur	$47,000	40

Indiana

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Indianapolis	$50,000	310
Gary	$39,000	200
Evansville	$37,000	110
Fort Wayne	$42,000	60
South Bend	$33,000	60
Terre Haute	$30,000	40

Iowa

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Des Moines	$43,000	210
Davenport	$46,000	100
Iowa City	$50,000	50

Kansas

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Topeka	$51,000	80

Kentucky

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Louisville	$39,000	170
Lexington	$55,000	50

Louisiana

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
New Orleans	$44,000	310
Baton Rouge	$46,000	290
Shreveport	$55,000	70
Lafayette	$45,000	40

Maine

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Portland	$51,000	70

Maryland

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Baltimore	$55,000	410
Bethesda	$46,000	160
Salisbury	$36,000	50
Hagerstown	$62,000	50

Massachusetts

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Boston	$55,000	350
Worcester	$30,000	70
Brockton	$62,000	50
Springfield		40
Lowell	$47,000	30
Haverhill	$47,000	30

Michigan

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Detroit	$56,000	310
Ann Arbor	$50,000	150
Warren	$51,000	130
Grand Rapids	$47,000	100

Minnesota

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Minneapolis	$48,000	320

Missouri

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
St Louis	$52,000	350
Kansas City	$52,000	250

Montana

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Great Falls	$35,000	70

Nebraska

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Omaha	$48,000	130

Nevada

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Las Vegas	$43,000	230

New Hampshire

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Manchester	$57,000	50

New Jersey

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Newark	$78,000	430
Camden	$48,000	350
Edison	$59,000	330
Trenton	$68,000	120

New Mexico

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Albuquerque	$40,000	140

New York

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
New York	$53,000	6,430
Nassau	$52,000	1,770
Rochester	$49,000	1,020
Buffalo	$47,000	930
Syracuse	$45,000	660
Albany	$48,000	630
Poughkeepsie	$52,000	490
Utica	$52,000	310
Kingston	$47,000	150
Glens Falls	$42,000	90
Ithaca	$44,000	80
Elmira	$42,000	40

North Carolina

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Fayetteville	$41,000	200
Durham	$52,000	80
Wilmington	$43,000	40
Charlotte	$47,000	30

North Dakota

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Grand Forks	$30,000	50

Ohio

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Cleveland	$58,000	1,850
Columbus	$42,000	840
Cincinnati	$44,000	510
Toledo	$35,000	490
Akron	$46,000	290
Dayton	$45,000	280
Youngstown	$38,000	250
Mansfield	$47,000	140

Oklahoma

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Oklahoma City	$40,000	330
Tulsa	$38,000	110
Lawton	$55,000	60

Oregon

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Portland	$44,000	950
Eugene	$37,000	140
Salem	$42,000	100
Medford	$50,000	70

Pennsylvania

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Philadelphia	$55,000	250
Pittsburgh	$53,000	240
Lebanon	$58,000	30
Allentown	$53,000	30

Rhode Island

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Providence	$55,000	120

South Carolina

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Charleston	$39,000	490
Greenville	$36,000	450
Columbia	$43,000	290
Florence	$34,000	210
Anderson	$32,000	140

Tennessee

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Nashville	$53,000	150
Memphis	$53,000	110
Knoxville	$37,000	50
Johnson City	$58,000	50

Texas

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Dallas	$40,000	480
Houston	$41,000	430
Austin	$47,000	380
San Antonio	$46,000	290
Fort Worth	$36,000	160
Killeen	$54,000	150
El Paso	$51,000	130
Beaumont	$32,000	80
Mcallen	$30,000	50
Waco	$53,000	40
Brownsville	$36,000	40

Virginia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Virginia Beach	$51,000	190
Richmond	$57,000	160
Roanoke	$57,000	60
Lynchburg	$49,000	50

Washington

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Seattle	$48,000	430
Tacoma	$58,000	150
Spokane	$55,000	70

West Virginia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Huntington	$52,000	50
Wheeling	$34,000	30

Wisconsin

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Madison	$59,000	150
Milwaukee	$54,000	130

Wyoming

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Cheyenne	$53,000	30

Our social worker career and school information is provided by CTI Career Search.