occupation · 21-1023 · detailed
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers — wages and employment
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers earned a median annual wage of $60,060 in the United States in May 2024, with 125,910 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
What stands out
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers earned a median annual wage of $60,060 in the United States in May 2024, with 125,910 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The lowest-paid tenth earned $39,620 or less, the best-paid tenth $104,130 or more. Since May 2023 the median moved from $55,960 to $60,060, +7.3 %. The best-paying state is New York at $80,230; the lowest Puerto Rico at $26,350. Among metropolitan areas, San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA pays the highest median, $116,630. Wages are as published by BLS for May of each year; '≥ $239,200' is BLS's top code. Every value links to its fact record.
United States, year by year
Annual wages at the median, mean and four percentiles; employment is the May estimate.
| Reference | Employment | Median | Mean | 10th | 25th | 75th | 90th | Median hourly | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2024 | 125,910 | $60,060 | $68,290 | $39,620 | $46,550 | $78,980 | $104,130 | $28.88 | evidence → |
| May 2023 | 114,680 | $55,960 | $63,870 | $37,150 | $43,750 | $74,810 | $100,090 | $26.90 | evidence → |
By state
Median annual wage, May 2024, highest first. Each state has its own record with the full series.
| State | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| New York | $80,230 | 14,180 |
| Connecticut | $78,820 | 1,350 |
| Minnesota | $77,100 | 3,430 |
| California | $75,320 | 18,020 |
| District of Columbia | $72,720 | 640 |
| Oregon | $71,830 | 2,160 |
| New Jersey | $70,420 | 3,140 |
| Hawaii | $70,340 | 410 |
| Vermont | $69,540 | 370 |
| Washington | $69,060 | 3,490 |
| Maine | $67,820 | 1,120 |
| New Mexico | $65,600 | 620 |
| Colorado | $65,080 | 1,980 |
| Massachusetts | $64,960 | 6,790 |
| New Hampshire | $63,810 | 460 |
| Virginia | $63,530 | 3,130 |
| North Dakota | $61,660 | 230 |
| Maryland | $61,100 | 1,950 |
| Rhode Island | $60,490 | 620 |
| Michigan | $60,000 | 5,130 |
| Illinois | $58,090 | 1,730 |
| Alaska | $57,650 | 340 |
| Delaware | $57,620 | 410 |
| Wisconsin | $57,590 | 1,950 |
| North Carolina | $56,730 | 2,700 |
| Kansas | $56,110 | 1,360 |
| Indiana | $54,410 | 2,060 |
| Idaho | $50,900 | 390 |
| Florida | $50,860 | 6,260 |
| Georgia | $50,810 | 1,450 |
| Iowa | $50,340 | 1,260 |
| Nevada | $49,850 | 1,140 |
| Arkansas | $49,820 | 930 |
| Pennsylvania | $49,590 | 4,150 |
| South Dakota | $49,560 | 240 |
| Mississippi | $48,830 | 890 |
| Tennessee | $48,760 | 2,130 |
| West Virginia | $47,840 | 390 |
| Arizona | $46,650 | 3,610 |
| Ohio | $46,330 | 6,870 |
| Missouri | $46,250 | 2,530 |
| Kentucky | $45,450 | 1,040 |
| Nebraska | $45,120 | 800 |
| Texas | $44,790 | 5,810 |
| Louisiana | $44,050 | 980 |
| Montana | $43,880 | 630 |
| Oklahoma | $43,190 | 1,470 |
| Wyoming | $42,220 | 140 |
| Alabama | $42,100 | 670 |
| South Carolina | $41,750 | 650 |
| Puerto Rico | $26,350 | 390 |
Highest-paying metropolitan areas
Top 20 by median annual wage.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | $116,630 | 120 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $102,760 | 900 |
| Vallejo, CA | $98,680 | 100 |
| Las Cruces, NM | $97,490 | 80 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $93,390 | 150 |
| Hanford-Corcoran, CA | $89,500 | 70 |
| Elmira, NY | $87,530 | 70 |
| Waterbury-Shelton, CT | $84,150 | 160 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $83,710 | 1,490 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $83,490 | 12,050 |
| Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT | $82,440 | 130 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | $80,490 | 230 |
| Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY | $79,170 | 370 |
| Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | $78,820 | 470 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $78,660 | 1,630 |
| Rochester, MN | $78,660 | 120 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $77,830 | 160 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $77,600 | 2,310 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $77,540 | 2,420 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $77,360 | 2,020 |
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