Pay for social workers is unusually consistent across the country: $35,260 at the bottom of the range, $87,600 at the top, a spread of only 2.48×. Where you work matters less for this role than it does for most — which usually points to pay being set by structure (scales, licensure, collective agreements) rather than local bidding.
Ten per cent of social workers earn below $42,280 and ten per cent above $95,530 — a 2.26× band. The upside from median to 90th percentile is 60%, which is a normal amount of room for experience and specialisation to matter. An offer below the 25th percentile is worth questioning; one above the 75th is worth taking seriously.
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (CA) leads and Alexandria (LA) trails, but the gap is modest. For a role like this the more useful comparison is not between cities but between the 10th and 90th percentile within one — see the band above.
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA | $87,600 | $42.12 | 0.74 | 2,120 |
| Norwich-New London-Willimantic CT | $81,830 | $39.34 | 1.4 | 450 |
| Salisbury MD | $81,520 | $39.19 | 0.87 | 120 |
| Longview-Kelso WA | $80,450 | $38.68 | 1.21 | 130 |
| Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater WA | $80,430 | $38.67 | 1.75 | 580 |
| Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford CT | $79,920 | $38.42 | 1.45 | 2,200 |
| Maryland nonmetropolitan area | $79,730 | $38.33 | 0.97 | 280 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury CT | $78,970 | $37.97 | 1.12 | 1,140 |
| New Haven CT | $78,970 | $37.97 | 1.15 | 810 |
| Connecticut nonmetropolitan area | $78,800 | $37.89 | 1.11 | 190 |
| Greeley CO | $78,530 | $37.75 | 0.93 | 280 |
| Hanford-Corcoran CA | $78,270 | $37.63 | 1.04 | 130 |
| Springfield MA | $78,250 | $37.62 | 2.34 | 1,190 |
| Waterbury-Shelton CT | $77,710 | $37.36 | 1.06 | 430 |
| Vallejo CA | $77,490 | $37.25 | 0.76 | 280 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $77,420 | $37.22 | 1.04 | 7,070 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard WA | $77,300 | $37.17 | 1.03 | 240 |
| Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh NY | $77,260 | $37.15 | 1.27 | 870 |
| Pittsfield MA | $76,440 | $36.75 | 1.42 | 200 |
| Springfield IL | $76,330 | $36.70 | 3.28 | 830 |
| Mount Vernon-Anacortes WA | $76,270 | $36.67 | 1.31 | 170 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura CA | $75,580 | $36.34 | 1.01 | 830 |
| Barnstable Town MA | $75,570 | $36.33 | 0.98 | 230 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $75,550 | $36.32 | 0.82 | 6,490 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $75,280 | $36.19 | 1.05 | 5,540 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexandria LA | $35,260 | $16.95 | 0.28 | 40 |
| Lafayette LA | $36,340 | $17.47 | 0.09 | 40 |
| South Arkansas nonmetropolitan area | $40,230 | $19.34 | 0.43 | 130 |
| High Desert Utah nonmetropolitan area | $40,400 | $19.42 | 0.96 | 270 |
| San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas PR | $40,580 | $19.51 | 1.49 | 2,600 |
| Brownsville-Harlingen TX | $40,580 | $19.51 | 3.92 | 1,560 |
| West Arkansas nonmetropolitan area | $41,860 | $20.13 | 0.42 | 90 |
| Shreveport-Bossier City LA | $42,160 | $20.27 | 0.18 | 70 |
| Monroe LA | $42,290 | $20.33 | 0.36 | 80 |
| Hot Springs AR | $42,310 | $20.34 | 0.41 | 40 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Kentucky nonmetropolitan area | $53,740 | $25.84 | 4.63 | 1,070 |
| Brownsville-Harlingen TX | $40,580 | $19.51 | 3.92 | 1,560 |
| Springfield IL | $76,330 | $36.70 | 3.28 | 830 |
| Northwest Nebraska nonmetropolitan area | $46,410 | $22.31 | 2.92 | 290 |
| North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $59,390 | $28.55 | 2.85 | 790 |
| Southeast Missouri nonmetropolitan area | $46,960 | $22.58 | 2.6 | 1,080 |
| West South Dakota nonmetropolitan area | $53,370 | $25.66 | 2.54 | 400 |
| Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area | $59,100 | $28.42 | 2.52 | 1,100 |
| South Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area | $56,420 | $27.13 | 2.51 | 1,090 |
| Merced CA | $60,200 | $28.94 | 2.49 | 500 |
| Northeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area | $43,950 | $21.13 | 2.47 | 730 |
| Southeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area | $43,950 | $21.13 | 2.46 | 1,160 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $71,250 | $34.26 | 1.66 | 26,220 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $66,540 | $31.99 | 1.02 | 24,350 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN | $64,790 | $31.15 | 1.19 | 13,550 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $77,420 | $37.22 | 1.04 | 7,070 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD | $55,930 | $26.89 | 0.94 | 6,850 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn MI | $59,270 | $28.49 | 1.36 | 6,540 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $75,550 | $36.32 | 0.82 | 6,490 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $72,020 | $34.62 | 0.97 | 5,840 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario CA | $63,230 | $30.40 | 1.34 | 5,810 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $75,280 | $36.19 | 1.05 | 5,540 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler AZ | $50,150 | $24.11 | 0.84 | 5,060 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | $57,080 | $27.44 | 0.44 | 4,480 |
Figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme, May 2025 release, SOC code 21-1021. OEWS surveys employers, so it reports what is actually paid rather than what job advertisements claim, and it excludes the self-employed. Estimates cover 520 of 528 metropolitan areas — near-complete coverage, which means the ranges above are reliable rather than drawn from a handful of markets. Read the methodology.