Social Workers Salary by State 2024

Determining social worker pay can be difficult, as there are many different facets to this vocation. To begin, social workers can specialize in healthcare, family, trauma, substance abuse, and mental health. In addition, because some social work jobs require a Master’s degree while others do not, the pay can be affected by the level of education a person has received.

Social Worker Requirements

Of course, different states will have different requirements to obtain a degree in social work. For states that specialize in this industry, or have many funds and grants allocated to the education of the practitioners, the requirements will be much higher. In general, all states require at least a Bachelor's in Social Work, with few of them needing further graduate studies for entry-level work. You must also pass an exam, have experience in the field (sometimes supervised), and must pass a standard background check.

Best States for Social Worker Pay

In all of the different social work specializations, the highest pay is found in different locations. For those in child and family work, the District of Columbia has the highest average pay at $71,840. Mental health and substance abuse social workers will want to look for jobs in New Jersey where the average salary is $91,070.

Healthcare-based social workers will make the most money in California, where the average salary is $83,000. This is largely because most healthcare institutions and workers live and conduct business within the state of California. There are hundreds of thousands of healthcare and social workers, which usually means that in terms of size and volume, California beats out up to 5-10 spots that are next on the list.

Most states with high social work pay in all categories have large metropolitan areas, especially in the Northeast. These urban centers have more opportunities for finding high-paying jobs.

Worst States for Social Worker Pay

The lowest average salary in any social work specialty is in mental health and substance abuse in the state of Nebraska. Social workers will only make $35,710 in this state. Mississippi’s child and family social workers aren’t far behind with an average salary of $36,800. This is far below the average of $58,412 for this specialty. Montana’s $44,790 average salary for all other social workers outside of these major specialties is also low compared to the average salary of $65,116.

This pay discrepancy doesn’t reflect the need for services in this state. For example, Tennessee is notoriously infamous for providing extremely limited social support to the population. This does not mean that people have fewer mental health, substance abuse, or traumatic issues, but more so that the state does not prioritize funding these initiatives. It is generally accepted that most southern states have a completely different view on certain issues, such as healthcare, social programs, and weapons liberty which can be expressed in the services they choose to fund for their populations.