Social workers

Detailed Occupation

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2017 Workforce

826k

Average Age

42.5

Average Salary

$45,425

Average Male Salary

$47,281

Average Female Salary

$44,991

About

Social workers are most often employed by the Individual & family services industry. The average yearly wage for Social workers was $45,425 in 2017.

The locations that employ the most Social workers are Canarsie & Flatlands PUMA, NY, Jamaica, Hollis & St. Albans PUMA, NY, and Queens Village, Cambria Heights & Rosedale PUMA, NY. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Social workers are Philadelphia City (West) PUMA, PA, Canarsie & Flatlands PUMA, NY, and East Flatbush, Farragut & Rugby PUMA, NY.

Management, business, science, & arts occupations Community & Social Service Occupations Education, legal, community service, arts, & media occupations

Employment and salary information for the Social workers workforce. Social workers workforce in 2017 was 825,888 people, of which 81.1% were women and 18.9% were men. Social workers are paid most in Forest Hills & Rego Park PUMA, NY but are relatively concentrated in Philadelphia City (West) PUMA, PA.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

156,441

Male Workforce

± 9.71k

669,447

Female Workforce

± 20k

The Social workers workforce in 2017 was 825,888 people (81.1% women and 18.9% men). This implies an average annual growth of 6.02% between 2014 (778,990) and 2017 (825,888).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

This map shows the states in the United States shaded by average wage for Social workers.

During 2017, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were District of Columbia ($55,993), Alaska ($55,616), and Maryland ($54,915).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$45,425

AVERAGE WAGE

#244 in the ranking (2017)

$59,596

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2017, Social workers earned an average of $45,425, $14,171 less than the average national salary of $59,596

The graph shows the ranking of Social workers in relation to all Detailed Occupation in 2017.

Wage Distribution

Gender

0.269

WAGE GINI

In 2017, Social workers had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.269, which is lower than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Social workers (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

The graphic shows the distribution of average salaries by buckets for Social workers compared to the entire workforce in the country.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Social workers and on wages for those in the field. Individual & family services is the industry that employs the most Social workers, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Social workers, by average wage, is Drugs, sundries, & chemical & allied products merchant wholesalers ($83,997).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

826k

2017 Workforce

± 22,247

2.5%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 3.74%

This graphic shows the share of Social workers employed by various industries. Individual & family services employs the largest share of Social workers at 62.3%, followed by Administration of human resource programs with 20.7% and Hospitals with 17%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Social workers in the US. The workforce of Social workers in 2017 was 825,888 people, with 81.1% woman, and 18.9% men. The average age of male Social workers in the workforce is 43.5 and of female Social workers is 42.2, and the most common race/ethnicity for Social workers is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Social workers in 2017 was 825,888 people, with 81.1% woman, and 18.9% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 25 to 29 years (113,463 people), 30 to 34 years (112,753 people), and 35 to 39 years (108,895 people). Among them they concentrated 40.6% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2017, 13.5% of Social workers workers were Hispanic and 86.5% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (72.4%), Puerto Rican (20.9)%, and Dominican (6.63)%

You can review this information by gender using the selectors above.

Races

In 2017, 67.9% of the Social workers workforce were White, of which 81.8% were women and 18.2% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Black (22%) and Other (3.22%).

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices for Social workers from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Social workers is Public Administration and Social Service but the most specialized major according to RCA in 2017 were Public Administration and Social Service.

Among the necessary skills for Social workers, Active Listening stands, but the revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Social workers need more than the average amount of Operations Analysis.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

Type of Majors

Degree

The most common majors achieved by Social workers in 2017 (counting all academic degrees) were Public Administration and Social Service (179,547 people), Psychology (123,705 people), and Social Sciences (75,149 people).

You can review this information for different academic grades by modifying the option selected in the selector above.

Education Levels

Metric

The main educational levels achieved by the Social workers workers were Bachelors Degree (345,039 people), Graduate Degree (297,092 people), and Some college (77,869 people).

The graphic shows the Social workers workforce by gender and educational level.

Skills

Chart

Value

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Social workers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Social workers need many skills, but most especially Active Listening, Social Perceptiveness, Speaking.