Social Worker salary: $37.50/hr$1,500/wk$78,000/yr median.
Pay range $32.50$1,300$67,600–$47.50/hr$1,900/wk$98,800/yr across the middle 50% of active Social Work Social Services Professional postings nationwide.
1,387 unique employers · 1,252 cities · 97 states. Pay moved -3.9% over the last 30 days.
How Social Worker pay is distributed.
10% of postings pay under $27.50/hr$1,100/wk$57,200/yr. The top 10% pay above $62.50/hr$2,500/wk$130,000/yr.
How Social Worker pay has moved month over month.
Median pay moved from $47.00 in Nov 2025 to $36.50 in Apr 2026 (-22.3%). Bars show monthly posting volume; the line tracks the posting-weighted median.
| Month | Median /hr/wk/yr | P25–P75 | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 2025 | $47.00$1,880$97,760 | $35.00$1,400$72,800–$62.50$2,500$130,000 | 468 |
| Dec 2025 | $37.50$1,500$78,000 | $32.50$1,300$67,600–$46.75$1,870$97,240 | 807 |
| Jan 2026 | $37.50$1,500$78,000 | $32.00$1,280$66,560–$45.00$1,800$93,600 | 765 |
| Feb 2026 | $38.50$1,540$80,080 | $33.50$1,340$69,680–$46.50$1,860$96,720 | 430 |
| Mar 2026 | $38.00$1,520$79,040 | $31.50$1,260$65,520–$47.50$1,900$98,800 | 973 |
| Apr 2026 | $36.50$1,460$75,920 | $30.50$1,220$63,440–$44.50$1,780$92,560 | 827 |
Social Worker pay across every state with live data.
Showing all 48 states with live data. Bars scale to the highest-paying state.
The metros writing the biggest Social Worker paychecks.
| City | State | Median /hr/wk/yr | P25–P75 | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nj | US · US | $74.00$2,960$153,920 | $73.63$2,945$153,150–$74.00$2,960$153,920 | 12 |
| northridge | CA · CALIFORNIA | $58.50$2,340$121,680 | $58.50$2,340$121,680–$58.50$2,340$121,680 | 22 |
| observation by supervisor | QM · QM | $57.79$2,312$120,203 | $55.27$2,211$114,962–$62.44$2,498$129,875 | 14 |
| manhattan | NY · NEW YORK | $56.00$2,240$116,480 | $50.50$2,020$105,040–$67.50$2,700$140,400 | 13 |
| seattle | WA · WASHINGTON | $54.00$2,160$112,320 | $46.88$1,875$97,510–$54.00$2,160$112,320 | 46 |
Where the top of the market is paying for Social Worker.
| Employer | Median /hr/wk/yr | Range | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|
| $68.25$2,730$141,960 | $51.60$2,064$107,328–$82.50$3,300$171,600 | 6 | |
| care career | $91.11$3,644$189,509 | $63.88$2,555$132,870–$140.30$5,612$291,824 | 15 |
| EGFG Enterprises INC | $70.00$2,800$145,600 | $70.00$2,800$145,600–$70.00$2,800$145,600 | 49 |
| El Camino Health | $63.00$2,520$131,040 | $63.00$2,520$131,040–$71.00$2,840$147,680 | 5 |
| kaiser permanente | $62.84$2,514$130,707 | $41.58$1,663$86,486–$69.13$2,765$143,790 | 67 |
| LYTE | $74.00$2,960$153,920 | $74.00$2,960$153,920–$74.00$2,960$153,920 | 6 |
| Neogen Care | $80.00$3,200$166,400 | $80.00$3,200$166,400–$87.50$3,500$182,000 | 6 |
| Obran Cooperative | $77.50$3,100$161,200 | $70.00$2,800$145,600–$85.00$3,400$176,800 | 10 |
| Rhode Island Counseling Associates | $75.00$3,000$156,000 | $62.50$2,500$130,000–$75.00$3,000$156,000 | 18 |
| The Children's Circle | $70.00$2,800$145,600 | $70.00$2,800$145,600–$70.00$2,800$145,600 | 5 |
Showing all 10 employers with live pay data.
How Social Worker pay shifts by schedule and contract type.
Travel Contract pays the most at $78.65/hr$3,146/wk$163,592/yr median — 125% above PRN at $35.00/hr$1,400/wk$72,800/yr. Fulltime drives the volume with 2,265 active postings.
How to become a Social Worker.
Healthcare social services professionals connect patients to the resources, benefits, and care coordination they need across the continuum: discharge planning, insurance navigation, behavioral health access, social determinants of health, and post-acute placement. The category covers medical social workers (LMSW, LCSW), case managers, patient navigators, community health workers, and resource specialists. Most clinical-level roles require an MSW and state licensure; care coordination and navigation roles span associate's to master's degrees.
Clinical social work: BSW or other bachelor's → 2-year MSW → state LMSW licensure → 2-3 years of supervised clinical hours → LCSW exam → independent license. Case management: bachelor's (in social work, nursing, or human services) → 2+ years of relevant experience → optional CCM certification. Patient navigation / CHW: high school + state CHW training, or bachelor's plus on-the-job training.
| Degree | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor of Social WorkBSW | 4 years | Qualifies for non-clinical case management, community health worker, and navigator roles. In some states, eligible for LBSW or LSW licensure for entry-level practice. |
| Master of Social WorkMSW | 2 years (1 year if you have a BSW) | Required for clinical practice. Includes ~900 hours of supervised internship. Standard route into medical social work, hospital discharge planning, and behavioral health. |
| Bachelor's in public health / human services / nursingBS / BA / BSN | 4 years | Qualifies for case management roles — particularly when paired with RN licensure (nurse case manager track) or CCM certification. |
| Community Health Worker trainingCHW Cert | 100-200 hours | Short certificate programs prepare community health workers for outreach, navigation, and SDOH-focused roles. Increasingly funded by state Medicaid programs. |
Entry-level master's license in most states. Required to call yourself a social worker in clinical settings.
Independent clinical license. Required to provide therapy without supervision. Eligibility is the MSW + 2-3 years of supervised hours + the ASWB Clinical exam.
Required in inpatient and ED-facing roles. Standard at hire for hospital social workers and case managers.
| Credential | Issued by | Pay impact |
|---|---|---|
| CCM Certified Case Manager The cross-discipline gold standard for case managers (RN, MSW, or other licensed). Required by many payer and hospital roles. | Commission for Case Manager Certification | +5-15% |
| ACM Accredited Case Manager Hospital-focused case management credential. Common for RN and SW case managers in acute-care settings. | American Case Management Association | +5-10% |
| C-SWHC Certified Social Worker in Health Care Specialty credential for clinical social workers in health-care settings. | NASW | +5-10% |
| CHW state certification Community Health Worker certification State-specific CHW credentialing — increasingly required for Medicaid reimbursement of CHW services. | State Department of Health | +3-8% |
- 0-3 yearsPatient navigator / CHW / case management assistant
Bachelor's or certificate-level entry role. Outreach, scheduling, SDOH screening, and resource coordination under licensed clinician supervision.
- 0-3 years post-MSWSocial work intern / LMSW
Licensed at the master's level. Provides psychosocial assessment, discharge planning, and care coordination in a hospital, clinic, or community setting.
- 3-7 yearsClinical social worker / Case manager
LCSW for therapy or CCM/ACM for case management. Independent caseload across discharge planning, ED utilization, or outpatient navigation.
- 7-12 yearsSenior social worker / Lead case manager
Mentor and supervisor for junior staff. Manages complex cases, dual-eligible patients, or specialty populations (transplant, oncology, NICU).
- 12+ yearsDirector of Care Management / Social Work
Owns care management strategy, throughput, and length-of-stay performance for a hospital or system. MSW + MBA/MHA common at this level.
Schedule. Most hospital and outpatient roles run business hours (M-F). Hospitals add weekend rotations for discharge coverage. ED social workers and crisis teams work shifts including nights. Home-based work involves travel between patients.
Physical demands. Mostly cognitive and emotional, with a meaningful field component for home health and community-based roles (driving, climbing stairs, working in patient homes).
Healthcare social workers and case managers are projected to grow well above the cross-occupation average. Driving forces include value-based care, ED throughput pressure, the social-determinants-of-health movement, and an aging US population that needs more discharge support and post-acute coordination.
What clinicians ask about Social Worker pay.
What is the average Social Worker salary in 2026?
The median Social Worker salary is $37.50/hr (approximately $78,000/yr) based on 4,270 active job postings.
What is the pay range for Social Worker?
Hourly pay ranges from $32.50 at the 25th percentile to $47.50 at the 75th percentile, with the top 10% earning above $62.50/hr.
Which state pays Social Worker roles the most?
Alabama currently leads with a median of $30.00/hr across 11 postings.
How many employers are hiring Social Workers?
Our dataset shows 1,387 unique employers posting Social Worker roles across 97 states.
Where does TrueRounds get Social Worker salary data?
All salary figures are computed from active US healthcare job postings with listed pay ranges, collected over a rolling 180-day window and weighted by posting volume.
Explore other Social Services Professional tracks.
Social Worker sits inside the Social Work track. Here are sibling tracks across Social Services Professional — same category, different clinical focus and pay envelope.
Active US healthcare postings. Weighted by volume. Refreshed daily.
Pay benchmarks are computed from active job postings with listed pay ranges, collected on a rolling 180-day window. Each role's percentiles are weighted by posting volume so a metro with two postings doesn't outweigh a metro with two hundred. Outliers (postings priced more than 4× the role median) are dropped to avoid contract-line distortion.
Use the data, then push back.
Bring these numbers into your next contract conversation. Recruiters know what the market pays — now you do too.