Child, Family, and School Social Workers earn an average annual salary of $75,138, making it one of the higher-paying occupations. The field has seen strong growth, with employment increasing by 14.6% over recent years. Professionals in this field are primarily employed in industries such as Cross-industry and Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S.

Key Statistics

55,220
2023 Workforce
None
Average Age
$75,138
Average Salary

Employment

Employment and salary information for the Child, Family, and School Social Workers workforce.

Employment Over Time

55,220 Workforce in 2023

The Child, Family, and School Social Workers workforce has been growing over time.

Historical employment trends for Child, Family, and School Social Workers.

Yearly Wage Ranking

$75,138 Average Wage

In 2023, Child, Family, and School Social Workers earned an average of $75,138.

Wage ranking compared to other occupations.

Wage Distribution

This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Child, Family, and School Social Workers.

Salary distribution for Child, Family, and School Social Workers.

Employment Growth Projections

6.1% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)

293,875 Projected Employment (5 years)

Projected growth: 34.4%

394,964 Projected Employment (10 years)

Projected growth: 80.6%

This occupation is projected to grow at 6.1% annually, indicating strong future demand.

Historical employment trends and future projections for Child, Family, and School Social Workers.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Child, Family, and School Social Workers and on wages for those in the field.

Occupations by Industries

This graphic shows the share of Child, Family, and School Social Workers employed by various industries.

Industry distribution for Child, Family, and School Social Workers.

Wage Trends by Industry

3.5% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate

Historical wage growth trends by industry for Child, Family, and School Social Workers.

Geographic Distribution

Employment and wage information by geographic location for Child, Family, and School Social Workers.

Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).

Top States by Employment

Top States by Employment:

  • CA: 51,620 employees, $75,564 avg wage

Top 10 states by employment for Child, Family, and School Social Workers.

Top Metropolitan Areas

Top Metropolitan Areas:

  • Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 19,490 employees, $79,816 avg wage
  • Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 5,270 employees, $68,328 avg wage
  • San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 4,330 employees, $70,197 avg wage
  • Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 3,600 employees, $70,675 avg wage
  • Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 3,310 employees, $70,177 avg wage
  • San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 2,800 employees, $81,888 avg wage
  • Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 2,640 employees, $82,114 avg wage
  • San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 2,090 employees, $87,824 avg wage
  • Fresno MSA: 1,850 employees, $69,694 avg wage
  • Bakersfield-Delano MSA: 910 employees, $69,766 avg wage

Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Child, Family, and School Social Workers.

Diversity

Demographic information on Child, Family, and School Social Workers in the US.

Gender and Age

The workforce of Child, Family, and School Social Workers in 2023 was 55,220 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.

Gender and age distribution for Child, Family, and School Social Workers.

Races

Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.

Race and ethnicity distribution for Child, Family, and School Social Workers.

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices and required skills for Child, Family, and School Social Workers.

Majors

The most common majors achieved by Child, Family, and School Social Workers in 2023 were Business Administration, Psychology, Education.

Common majors for Child, Family, and School Social Workers.

Education Levels

The main educational levels achieved by Child, Family, and School Social Workers workers.

Education level distribution for Child, Family, and School Social Workers.

Skills

Child, Family, and School Social Workers need many skills, but most especially Active Listening, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Social Perceptiveness, Service Orientation.

Required skills for Child, Family, and School Social Workers.

Knowledge & Abilities

Knowledge areas and abilities required for Child, Family, and School Social Workers.

Knowledge Areas

The most important knowledge areas for Child, Family, and School Social Workers include Customer and Personal Service, Therapy and Counseling, Psychology, English Language, Administrative.

Knowledge areas required for Child, Family, and School Social Workers.

Abilities

Key abilities needed for Child, Family, and School Social Workers include Oral Expression, Oral Comprehension, Problem Sensitivity, Written Expression, Written Comprehension.

Required abilities for Child, Family, and School Social Workers.

Work Activities

Common work activities performed by Child, Family, and School Social Workers.

Daily Activities

Child, Family, and School Social Workers spend their time on activities such as Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Getting Information, Documenting/Recording Information, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events.

Most important work activities for Child, Family, and School Social Workers.

About

Child, Family, and School Social Workers

The average yearly wage for Child, Family, and School Social Workers was $75,138 in 2023.

SOC Code

21-1021 - Child, Family, and School Social Workers

Insights and Analysis

Compensation snapshot: Child, Family, and School Social Workers reports an average salary of $75,138.

Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 55,220 workers, indicating sustained demand.

Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 6.1%, which should inform long-term career planning.

Data Sources

This page uses data from the following sources:

  • College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
    • Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
    • Data years: 2015-2024
    • Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
  • Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
    • Employment and wage data by occupation
    • Latest data: May 2024
    • Source: bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
    • Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
    • Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
    • Source: onetcenter.org
  • IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
    • Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
    • Data years: 2015-2024
    • Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
  • Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
    • Demographic and workforce data
    • Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
    • Source: census.gov/acs

Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.

Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.

Methodology

Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.

All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.