Healthcare Social Worker Pay in the Southwest

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) recently published data indicating that, as of May 2020, there were more than 176,000 healthcare social workers (HSWs) employed in the U.S.  Nearly 18,000 of those HSW jobs were in the four-state Southwest region of the country.  BLS data further reveals the Southwest to be a modestly below average one for healthcare social worker pay.  Although three states in the region rank in the upper half nationally for HSW annual mean wages, only in Arizona do healthcare social workers typically earn more than the national average HSW annual mean wage.  BLS data from May 2020 tells us the following about healthcare social worker pay in the Southwest:

Healthcare Social Worker Pay in the Southwest

State	# Employed	Annual Mean Wages	Wage Rank*
AZ	3,470	$60,860	16th
NM	1,220	$58,650	19th
OK	2,120	$51,870	44th
TX	11,150	$59,790	18th
U.S.	176,110	$60,470	-------

(*) annual mean wage ranking among the 50 states and the District of Columbia

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on May 17, 2021