Healthcare Social Workers Salary: $68,090 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 185,940 healthcare social workers work nationally, and $68,090 is the BLS national median annual wage. Projections imply about 3.3% annual growth; much hiring sits in health care and social assistance.
Healthcare Social Workers: what the data shows
Common questions about healthcare social workers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a healthcare social workers?
Healthcare Social Workers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 21-1022.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 185,940 workers.
What does a healthcare social workers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Assisting and Caring for Others, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Getting Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Documenting/Recording Information, Communicating with People Outside the Organization, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a healthcare social workers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $68,090 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $99,729 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $53,126 |
| 25th percentile | $69,725 |
| Median (50th) | $95,497 |
| 75th percentile | $125,521 |
| 90th percentile | $145,356 |
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Social Perceptiveness, Speaking, Service Orientation, Active Listening, Coordination, Critical Thinking, and knowledge areas including Psychology, Therapy and Counseling, Sociology and Anthropology, English Language. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is healthcare social workers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 3.3% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 17.4%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 37.9%.
Current U.S. headcount: 185,940.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do healthcare social workerss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 185,940 | 17.0% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 162,590 | 14.9% |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 156,060 | 14.3% |
| Hospitals | 108,550 | 9.9% |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 95,460 | 8.7% |
| Ambulatory Health Care Services | 51,350 | 4.7% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Healthcare Social Workers in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Child, Family, and School Social Workers | 382,960 | $58,570 |
| Social Workers, All Other | 64,940 | $69,480 |
| Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other | 36,970 | $100,340 |
| Social Work Teachers, Postsecondary | 13,350 | $76,210 |
| Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers | 125,910 | $60,060 |
| Registered Nurses | 3,282,010 | $93,600 |
| Healthcare Support Workers, All Other | 103,650 | $46,050 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Healthcare Social Workers workforce.
Employment Over Time
185,940 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Healthcare Social Workers grew from 46,580 in 2009 to 77,920 in 2025 (67.3%).
Historical employment for Healthcare Social Workers from the California OEWS series, 2009–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$68,090 Median pay (BLS national)
Healthcare Social Workers earn $68,090 as the BLS national median annual wage.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Healthcare Social Workers.
Salary distribution for Healthcare Social Workers.
Employment Growth Projections
3.3% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
91,511 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 17.4%
107,474 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 37.9%
This occupation is projected to grow at 3.3% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Healthcare Social Workers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Healthcare Social Workers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Healthcare Social Workers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Healthcare Social Workers.
Wage Trends by Industry
9.9% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Healthcare Social Workers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Healthcare Social Workers.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- NY: 22,880 employees, $72,480 avg wage
- CA: 19,680 employees, $97,090 avg wage
- TX: 11,470 employees, $69,280 avg wage
- FL: 8,950 employees, $67,600 avg wage
- OH: 8,700 employees, $66,380 avg wage
- MA: 7,540 employees, $74,510 avg wage
- GA: 6,780 employees, $65,040 avg wage
- PA: 6,560 employees, $65,940 avg wage
- TN: 5,780 employees, $64,280 avg wage
- MD: 5,430 employees, $66,910 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Healthcare Social Workers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 18,860 employees, $79,160 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 7,960 employees, $95,490 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 5,270 employees, $76,590 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 3,950 employees, $71,590 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 3,860 employees, $67,940 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 3,270 employees, $71,480 avg wage
- Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD: 3,190 employees, $65,460 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 3,120 employees, $70,800 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 2,860 employees, $67,880 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 2,730 employees, $107,590 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Healthcare Social Workers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Healthcare Social Workers in the US.
Gender and Age
The U.S. workforce for Healthcare Social Workers is about 185,940 people in our OEWS extract.
Gender and age distribution for Healthcare 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 Healthcare Social Workers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Healthcare Social Workers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Healthcare Social Workers in 2023 were Business Administration, Social Work, Psychology.
Common majors for Healthcare Social Workers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Healthcare Social Workers workers.
Education level distribution for Healthcare Social Workers.
Skills
Healthcare Social Workers need many skills, but most especially Social Perceptiveness, Speaking, Service Orientation, Active Listening, Coordination.
Required skills for Healthcare Social Workers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Healthcare Social Workers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Healthcare Social Workers include Psychology, Therapy and Counseling, Sociology and Anthropology, English Language, Customer and Personal Service.
Knowledge areas required for Healthcare Social Workers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Healthcare Social Workers include Oral Expression, Written Comprehension, Deductive Reasoning, Oral Comprehension, Speech Recognition.
Required abilities for Healthcare Social Workers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Healthcare Social Workers.
Daily Activities
Healthcare Social Workers spend their time on activities such as Assisting and Caring for Others, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Getting Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Documenting/Recording Information.
Most important work activities for Healthcare Social Workers.
About
Healthcare Social Workers
Healthcare Social Workers earn $68,090 as the BLS national median annual wage.
SOC Code
21-1022 - Healthcare Social Workers
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Healthcare Social Workers reports an average salary of $99,729.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 185,940 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 3.3%, 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.