Community & Social Service
Healthcare Social Workers
SOC 21-1022
Help patients and families navigate illness, care, and what comes after.
The job
Median pay
$68k
$57k to $82k typical range
Outlook, 2025 to 2035
Growing fast
+8.5% projected
Openings a year
17k
BLS projection
Typical education
Master's
Our model
AI displacement risk
Low
How much of this job AI may do instead of the person
Works with AI
25/100
AI alongside the person rather than instead of them
AI exposure
47th pct
More exposed than 47% of occupations · modeled estimate · 66th pct in Microsoft's data
Future-proof
65/100
Key skills
- Speaking
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Writing
- Active Learning
Pay and jobs by state
BLS OEWS May 2025, 51 states. Sorted by jobs; per 1,000 is jobs per thousand workers in the state; vs national compares that rate with the country's.
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 20,440 | 2.1 | 1.8× | $73k |
| California | 17,690 | 1.0 | 0.8× | $90k |
| Texas | 10,880 | 0.8 | 0.6× | $70k |
| Florida | 10,520 | 1.1 | 0.9× | $65k |
| Pennsylvania | 9,630 | 1.6 | 1.3× | $62k |
| Ohio | 8,930 | 1.6 | 1.3× | $64k |
| Massachusetts | 7,220 | 2.0 | 1.6× | $76k |
| Georgia | 6,970 | 1.4 | 1.2× | $62k |
| Tennessee | 5,970 | 1.8 | 1.5× | $61k |
| Washington | 5,180 | 1.5 | 1.2× | $79k |
All 51 states
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | 5,120 | 1.0 | 0.9× | $63k |
| Illinois | 4,910 | 0.8 | 0.7× | $64k |
| Michigan | 4,860 | 1.1 | 0.9× | $68k |
| Maryland | 4,750 | 1.7 | 1.4× | $76k |
| Missouri | 4,430 | 1.5 | 1.3× | $60k |
| New Jersey | 4,310 | 1.0 | 0.8× | $83k |
| Indiana | 3,890 | 1.2 | 1.0× | $65k |
| Wisconsin | 3,770 | 1.3 | 1.1× | $67k |
| Colorado | 3,670 | 1.3 | 1.1× | $63k |
| Arizona | 3,100 | 1.0 | 0.8× | $64k |
| South Carolina | 3,100 | 1.3 | 1.1× | $61k |
| Virginia | 3,070 | 0.7 | 0.6× | $67k |
| Alabama | 2,850 | 1.3 | 1.1× | $60k |
| Minnesota | 2,430 | 0.8 | 0.7× | $74k |
| Oregon | 2,320 | 1.2 | 1.0× | $84k |
| Oklahoma | 2,310 | 1.4 | 1.1× | $56k |
| Kentucky | 1,980 | 1.0 | 0.8× | $64k |
| Louisiana | 1,970 | 1.0 | 0.8× | $61k |
| Mississippi | 1,890 | 1.6 | 1.4× | $62k |
| Utah | 1,750 | 1.0 | 0.8× | $78k |
| Connecticut | 1,650 | 1.0 | 0.8× | $80k |
| Iowa | 1,550 | 1.0 | 0.8× | $63k |
| Kansas | 1,360 | 0.9 | 0.8× | $64k |
| Arkansas | 1,250 | 1.0 | 0.8× | $56k |
| New Mexico | 1,200 | 1.4 | 1.1× | $66k |
| Nevada | 1,160 | 0.7 | 0.6× | $78k |
| West Virginia | 1,100 | 1.6 | 1.3× | $60k |
| Nebraska | 980 | 1.0 | 0.8× | $62k |
| Montana | 840 | 1.6 | 1.4× | $57k |
| Maine | 790 | 1.2 | 1.0× | $72k |
| South Dakota | 790 | 1.7 | 1.4× | $58k |
| Delaware | 780 | 1.6 | 1.3× | $65k |
| Idaho | 750 | 0.9 | 0.7× | $75k |
| Hawaii | 660 | 1.1 | 0.9× | $85k |
| Rhode Island | 630 | 1.3 | 1.0× | $75k |
| New Hampshire | 590 | 0.9 | 0.7× | $78k |
| Alaska | 480 | 1.5 | 1.2× | $62k |
| Washington DC | 420 | 0.6 | 0.5× | $94k |
| North Dakota | 330 | 0.8 | 0.6× | $63k |
| Vermont | 250 | 0.8 | 0.7× | $81k |
| Wyoming | 180 | 0.6 | 0.5× | $62k |
Top metro areas
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ17,250 jobs · $79k median
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA6,340 jobs · $80k median
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH4,950 jobs · $78k median
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD4,190 jobs · $66k median
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA4,130 jobs · $65k median
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN3,770 jobs · $71k median
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL3,440 jobs · $65k median
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA3,060 jobs · $84k median
Explore the rankings
Explore Healthcare Social Workers interactively →Pay and outlook from BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.