The average salary for a social worker depends on several factors, including where they work, the state in which they practice, how long they have practiced, and chosen specialization.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics provides average salary estimates for three different types of social workers:*
- Child, family, and school social workers earn an annual average salary of $54,880 per year ($26.39 per hour)
- Healthcare social workers earn an annual average salary of $62,310 per year ($29.96 per hour)
- Mental health and substance abuse social workers earn an annual average salary of $57,800 per year ($27.79 per hour).
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* Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook 2021. BLS estimates do not represent entry-level wages and/or salaries. Multiple factors, including prior experience, age, geography market in which you want to work and degree field, will affect career outcomes and earnings. Herzing neither represents that its graduates will earn the average salaries calculated by BLS for a particular job nor guarantees that graduation from its program will result in a job, promotion, salary increase or other career growth.