The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) recently published data indicating that, as of May 2024, there were more than 185,900 healthcare social workers (HSWs) employed in the U.S.  Nearly 17,400 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 near to, or slightly better than, the profession's national average for that pay metric.  BLS data from May 2024 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	2,830	$70,610	18th
NM	730	$66,150	33rd
OK	2,320	$56,320	51st
TX	11,470	$69,280	20th
U.S.	185,940	$69,904	-------

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

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on September 30, 2025