The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) recently published data indicating that, as of May 2022, there were more than 182,400 healthcare social workers (HSWs) employed in the U.S.  Nearly 17,700 of those HSW jobs were in the four-state Southwest region of the country.  BLS data further reveals the Southwest to be an average one for healthcare social worker pay.  Although Oklahoma ranked among the ten worst states for HSW annual mean wage levels, less than 15% of the region's healthcare social workers worked there.  A significant majority of the region's healthcare social workers were employed in the other three states in the U.S. Southwest, and all three had HSW annual mean wage levels that were on par with, or slightly better than, the profession's national average for that pay metric.  BLS data from May 2022 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	3,270	$63,130	16th
NM	640	$63,180	15th
OK	2,400	$53,020	47th
TX	11,350	$62,500	18th
U.S.	182,420	$62,760	-------

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

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on March 27, 2024