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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2020

21-1022 Healthcare Social Workers

Provide individuals, families, and groups with the psychosocial support needed to cope with chronic, acute, or terminal illnesses. Services include advising family caregivers. Provide patients with information and counseling, and make referrals for other services. May also provide case and care management or interventions designed to promote health, prevent disease, and address barriers to access to healthcare.


National estimates for Healthcare Social Workers
Industry profile for Healthcare Social Workers
Geographic profile for Healthcare Social Workers

National estimates for Healthcare Social Workers:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Healthcare Social Workers:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
176,110 1.5 % $ 29.07 $ 60,470 0.5 %

Percentile wage estimates for Healthcare Social Workers:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 17.36 $ 21.77 $ 27.71 $ 34.67 $ 41.90
Annual Wage (2) $ 36,110 $ 45,280 $ 57,630 $ 72,120 $ 87,150


Industry profile for Healthcare Social Workers:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Healthcare Social Workers are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Healthcare Social Workers, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Healthcare Social Workers:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 47,590 0.85 $ 32.03 $ 66,630
Individual and Family Services 23,060 0.90 $ 24.26 $ 50,460
Home Health Care Services 20,740 1.39 $ 30.57 $ 63,590
Outpatient Care Centers 13,730 1.43 $ 30.12 $ 62,660
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) 13,680 0.89 $ 27.23 $ 56,640

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Healthcare Social Workers:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Outpatient Care Centers 13,730 1.43 $ 30.12 $ 62,660
Home Health Care Services 20,740 1.39 $ 30.57 $ 63,590
Other Residential Care Facilities 1,630 1.02 $ 24.93 $ 51,850
Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals 2,210 0.91 $ 28.24 $ 58,740
Individual and Family Services 23,060 0.90 $ 24.26 $ 50,460

Top paying industries for Healthcare Social Workers:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Computer Systems Design and Related Services 30 (7) $ 36.23 $ 75,370
Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations 260 0.06 $ 34.29 $ 71,330
Junior Colleges 80 0.01 $ 33.21 $ 69,080
Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals 2,250 0.84 $ 32.47 $ 67,530
Scientific Research and Development Services 130 0.02 $ 32.17 $ 66,900


Geographic profile for Healthcare Social Workers:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Healthcare Social Workers are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Healthcare Social Workers, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in Healthcare Social Workers:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York 18,290 2.10 1.66 $ 29.57 $ 61,510
California 17,140 1.04 0.82 $ 39.91 $ 83,000
Texas 11,150 0.92 0.73 $ 28.75 $ 59,790
Massachusetts 10,540 3.15 2.49 $ 30.12 $ 62,640
Florida 10,200 1.21 0.95 $ 26.08 $ 54,250




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Healthcare Social Workers:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Massachusetts 10,540 3.15 2.49 $ 30.12 $ 62,640
Missouri 6,090 2.26 1.79 $ 23.58 $ 49,050
Tennessee 6,160 2.12 1.68 $ 24.04 $ 49,990
New York 18,290 2.10 1.66 $ 29.57 $ 61,510
Vermont 490 1.74 1.37 $ 27.28 $ 56,750




Top paying states for Healthcare Social Workers:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 17,140 1.04 0.82 $ 39.91 $ 83,000
District of Columbia 400 0.59 0.46 $ 36.59 $ 76,100
Oregon 1,800 1.00 0.79 $ 36.41 $ 75,730
Hawaii 630 1.10 0.87 $ 35.29 $ 73,410
Connecticut 2,080 1.35 1.07 $ 34.54 $ 71,850





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Healthcare Social Workers:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 15,860 1.80 1.42 $ 31.03 $ 64,540
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 5,840 1.00 0.79 $ 40.12 $ 83,460
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 5,630 2.16 1.71 $ 31.67 $ 65,880
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 3,900 1.55 1.23 $ 25.25 $ 52,510
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 3,670 0.84 0.66 $ 27.76 $ 57,740
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 3,420 0.95 0.75 $ 29.71 $ 61,810
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 3,230 1.20 0.95 $ 27.84 $ 57,910
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 2,980 1.61 1.27 $ 28.22 $ 58,700
St. Louis, MO-IL 2,960 2.28 1.80 $ 24.05 $ 50,030
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 2,730 1.17 0.93 $ 48.27 $ 100,410




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Healthcare Social Workers:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New Bedford, MA 900 15.08 11.91 $ 30.74 $ 63,930
Springfield, MA-CT 1,820 5.97 4.72 $ 25.44 $ 52,910
Leominster-Gardner, MA 260 5.35 4.22 $ 25.74 $ 53,540
Pittsfield, MA 170 4.73 3.74 $ 24.30 $ 50,550
Worcester, MA-CT 1,060 3.97 3.14 $ 31.19 $ 64,880
Flint, MI 480 3.95 3.12 $ 28.05 $ 58,340
Jackson, TN 250 3.88 3.06 $ 21.68 $ 45,090
Rochester, MN 380 3.28 2.59 $ 26.62 $ 55,380
Watertown-Fort Drum, NY 120 3.28 2.59 $ 24.31 $ 50,560
Punta Gorda, FL 150 3.19 2.52 $ 33.88 $ 70,470




Top paying metropolitan areas for Healthcare Social Workers:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 2,730 1.17 0.93 $ 48.27 $ 100,410
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 910 0.82 0.65 $ 47.59 $ 98,980
Salinas, CA 90 0.55 0.43 $ 46.01 $ 95,690
Fresno, CA 290 0.77 0.61 $ 43.57 $ 90,620
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA 120 0.94 0.74 $ 42.93 $ 89,300
Modesto, CA 180 1.01 0.80 $ 41.17 $ 85,630
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 5,840 1.00 0.79 $ 40.12 $ 83,460
Salem, OR 180 1.10 0.87 $ 39.18 $ 81,480
Visalia-Porterville, CA (8) (8) (8) $ 38.68 $ 80,450
Laredo, TX 60 0.61 0.48 $ 38.65 $ 80,390

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Healthcare Social Workers:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southeast Missouri nonmetropolitan area 430 2.68 2.11 $ 22.53 $ 46,850
East Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 390 4.12 3.26 $ 25.59 $ 53,230
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 390 1.02 0.80 $ 24.68 $ 51,320
South Central Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area 340 1.75 1.38 $ 25.18 $ 52,380
Central East New York nonmetropolitan area 330 2.19 1.73 $ 25.99 $ 54,050

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Healthcare Social Workers:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Massachusetts nonmetropolitan area 250 4.46 3.52 $ 37.76 $ 78,540
East Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 390 4.12 3.26 $ 25.59 $ 53,230
Maryland nonmetropolitan area 180 3.16 2.50 $ 27.02 $ 56,210
North Central Tennessee nonmetropolitan area 300 2.87 2.27 $ 19.65 $ 40,880
Southeast Missouri nonmetropolitan area 430 2.68 2.11 $ 22.53 $ 46,850

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Healthcare Social Workers:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Massachusetts nonmetropolitan area 250 4.46 3.52 $ 37.76 $ 78,540
West Central-Southwest New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area 110 1.14 0.90 $ 34.35 $ 71,450
Hawaii / Kauai nonmetropolitan area 70 0.72 0.57 $ 34.00 $ 70,720
Connecticut nonmetropolitan area (8) (8) (8) $ 33.97 $ 70,670
Central Oregon nonmetropolitan area 70 1.15 0.91 $ 33.21 $ 69,080


About May 2020 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OEWS estimates and related information:

May 2020 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 31, 2021