Social Workers, All Other Salary: $83,694 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 64,940 social workers, all other nationally earn a mean of $83,694. Employment in the series shown fell about 23% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 3.0% annual decline.
Key Statistics
Social Workers, All Other: what the data shows
Common questions about social workers, all other careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a social workers, all other?
Social Workers, All Other is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 21-1029.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 64,940 workers.
How much does a social workers, all other make?
BLS national median annual wage: $69,480 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $83,694 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $46,377 |
| 25th percentile | $56,721 |
| Median (50th) | $72,354 |
| 75th percentile | $108,357 |
| 90th percentile | $137,611 |
What education do you need?
For Social Workers, All Other, 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.
Is social workers, all other in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 3.0% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -14.0%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -26.1%.
Current U.S. headcount: 64,940.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do social workers, all others work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 64,940 | 17.2% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 44,900 | 11.9% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 43,460 | 11.5% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 43,460 | 11.5% |
| Federal Government, including the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 20,840 | 5.5% |
| Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) | 20,840 | 5.5% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Social Workers, All Other 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Genetic Counselors | 3,510 | $98,910 |
| Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors | — | — |
| Mental Health Counselors | — | — |
| Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors | 342,350 | $65,140 |
| Credit Counselors | 28,110 | $50,480 |
| Child, Family, and School Social Workers | 382,960 | $58,570 |
| Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other | 36,970 | $100,340 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Social Workers, All Other workforce.
Employment Over Time
64,940 Workforce in 2023
The Social Workers, All Other workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Social Workers, All Other.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$83,694 Average Wage
In 2023, Social Workers, All Other earned an average of $83,694.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Social Workers, All Other.
Salary distribution for Social Workers, All Other.
Employment Growth Projections
-3.0% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
19,106 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -14.0%
16,429 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -26.1%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Social Workers, All Other.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Social Workers, All Other and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Social Workers, All Other employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Social Workers, All Other.
Wage Trends by Industry
15.7% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Social Workers, All Other.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Social Workers, All Other.
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: 5,130 employees, $83,848 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Social Workers, All Other.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 1,420 employees, $81,901 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 600 employees, $89,529 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 480 employees, $85,040 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 420 employees, $92,929 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 400 employees, $91,536 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 380 employees, $95,385 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 240 employees, $91,059 avg wage
- Bakersfield-Delano MSA: 170 employees, $73,186 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 170 employees, $76,453 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 140 employees, $65,947 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Social Workers, All Other.
Diversity
Demographic information on Social Workers, All Other in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Social Workers, All Other in 2023 was 64,940 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Social Workers, All Other.
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 Social Workers, All Other.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Social Workers, All Other.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Social Workers, All Other in 2023 were Social Work, Psychology, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Social Workers, All Other.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Social Workers, All Other workers.
Education level distribution for Social Workers, All Other.
Skills
Social Workers, All Other need many skills, but most especially .
Required skills for Social Workers, All Other.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Social Workers, All Other.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Social Workers, All Other include .
Knowledge areas required for Social Workers, All Other.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Social Workers, All Other include .
Required abilities for Social Workers, All Other.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Social Workers, All Other.
Daily Activities
Social Workers, All Other spend their time on activities such as .
Most important work activities for Social Workers, All Other.
About
Social Workers, All Other
The average yearly wage for Social Workers, All Other was $83,694 in 2023.
SOC Code
21-1029 - Social Workers, All Other
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Social Workers, All Other reports an average salary of $83,694.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 64,940 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -3.0%, 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.