There were approximately 173,900 healthcare social workers employed in the U.S. as of May 2021 according to reports published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Healthcare social workers are employed in a variety of healthcare settings, including hospitals, individual family services providers, home healthcare agencies, skilled nursing facilities, and outpatient care centers. Healthcare social work professionals generally earn slightly higher salaries than workers in most other occupations. As of May 2021, the BLS estimated that the national mean wage for healthcare social workers was $62,310 per year. While healthcare social workers earn slightly better salaries in comparison to most workers, there is considerable variation from region to region in how much healthcare social workers earn. May 2021 data from the BLS shows the following about healthcare social worker pay in the top 20 metro areas in the United States:
Healthcare Social Worker Pay in the Top 20 Metro Areas
| Metropolitan Area | # Employed | Mean Annual Wage | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York-Newark-Jersey City | 17,750 | $65,890 | ||
| 2 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | 4,320 | $81,660 | ||
| 3 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | 3,710 | $62,870 | ||
| 4 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | 3,240 | $67,020 | ||
| 5 | Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land | 2,690 | $65,140 | ||
| 6 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria | 2,010 | $70,730 | ||
| 7 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington | 3,210 | $64,820 | ||
| 8 | Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach | 2,860 | $62,210 | ||
| 9 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta | 2,460 | $58,620 | ||
| 10 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton | 6,150 | $66,440 | ||
| 11 | Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler | 2,640 | $61,950 | ||
| 12 | San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley | 1,920 | $98,340 | ||
| 13 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | 1,260 | $75,270 | ||
| 14 | Detroit-Warren-Dearborn | 2,390 | $58,930 | ||
| 15 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue | 2,360 | $77,660 | ||
| 16 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington | 2,360 | $63,310 | ||
| 17 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | 1,070 | $76,400 | ||
| 18 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater | 1,570 | $56,570 | ||
| 19 | Denver-Aurora-Lakewood | 2,000 | $60,480 | ||
| 20 | Baltimore-Columbia-Towson | 1,880 | $64,060 | ||
| National | 173,860 | $62,310 | |||
Report Period: May 2021
Top 20 U.S. Metro areas from the 2020 Census
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Occupational Statistics
Data extracted on October 3, 2022
