Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers Salary: $85,369 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 125,910 mental health and substance abuse social workers nationally earn a mean of $85,369. Projections imply about 2.4% annual growth; CA accounts for about 16,770 jobs in our geographic extract.
Key Statistics
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers: what the data shows
Common questions about mental health and substance abuse social workers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a mental health and substance abuse social workers?
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 21-1023.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 125,910 workers.
What does a mental health and substance abuse social workers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Documenting/Recording Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Assisting and Caring for Others, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Getting Information, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a mental health and substance abuse social workers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $60,060 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $85,369 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $44,528 |
| 25th percentile | $56,947 |
| Median (50th) | $77,367 |
| 75th percentile | $107,874 |
| 90th percentile | $140,015 |
What education do you need?
For Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Social Perceptiveness, Speaking, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Monitoring, and knowledge areas including Therapy and Counseling, Psychology, English Language, Customer and Personal Service. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is mental health and substance abuse social workers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 2.4% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 12.6%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 26.8%.
Current U.S. headcount: 125,910.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do mental health and substance abuse social workerss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 125,910 | 16.8% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 100,760 | 13.5% |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 99,310 | 13.3% |
| Ambulatory Health Care Services | 48,350 | 6.5% |
| Hospitals | 33,480 | 4.5% |
| Outpatient Care Centers | 26,320 | 3.5% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Mental Health and Substance Abuse 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Registered Nurses | 3,282,010 | $93,600 |
| Mental Health Counselors | — | — |
| Psychiatric Aides | 34,900 | $41,590 |
| Home Health Aides | — | — |
| Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health | 84,930 | $80,060 |
| Child, Family, and School Social Workers | 382,960 | $58,570 |
| Social Workers, All Other | 64,940 | $69,480 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers workforce.
Employment Over Time
125,910 Workforce in 2023
The Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$85,369 Average Wage
In 2023, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers earned an average of $85,369.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers.
Salary distribution for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers.
Employment Growth Projections
2.4% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
79,783 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 12.6%
89,830 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 26.8%
This occupation is projected to grow at 2.4% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers.
Wage Trends by Industry
8.0% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Mental Health and Substance Abuse 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: 16,770 employees, $86,490 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 6,970 employees, $83,228 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 1,490 employees, $91,655 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 1,450 employees, $77,736 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 1,210 employees, $87,012 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 1,010 employees, $96,778 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 900 employees, $106,734 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 850 employees, $79,236 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 570 employees, $82,256 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 540 employees, $93,700 avg wage
- Bakersfield-Delano MSA: 250 employees, $84,619 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers in 2023 was 125,910 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Mental Health and Substance Abuse 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 Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers in 2023 were Business Administration, Psychology, Social Work.
Common majors for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers workers.
Education level distribution for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers.
Skills
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers need many skills, but most especially Social Perceptiveness, Speaking, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension.
Required skills for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers include Therapy and Counseling, Psychology, English Language, Customer and Personal Service, Education and Training.
Knowledge areas required for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers include Oral Comprehension, Oral Expression, Written Expression, Written Comprehension, Problem Sensitivity.
Required abilities for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers.
Daily Activities
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers spend their time on activities such as Documenting/Recording Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Assisting and Caring for Others, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships.
Most important work activities for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers.
About
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers
The average yearly wage for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers was $85,369 in 2023.
SOC Code
21-1023 - Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers reports an average salary of $85,369.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 125,910 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 2.4%, 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.