Health Social Worker Schools, Salaries, and Job Data

Job Numbers and Growth

There were about 124,000 jobs for health social workers in the US in 2008. Compared to other occupations, unemployment for workers was ranked very low. The percentage of employees without jobs in 2008 was 2%.

Area Job Conditions

The cities with the most jobs for health social workers are Santa Fe (New Mexico), Detroit (Michigan), and New Bedford (Massachusetts), and cities with the least jobs are Nashua (New Hampshire), Shreveport (Louisiana), and Elkhart (Indiana).

The highest salaries for workers are found in Fresno (California), San Francisco (California), and Madera (California), and the lowest-paying areas are in Tallahassee (Florida), Jefferson City (Missouri), and Albuquerque (New Mexico).

Training and Education

People who want to work as employees should consider getting a bachelor's degree. More than 77% of health social workers have a four year degree. About 16% of workers have attended college, but not earned a bachelor's degree. For 7% of employees a high school diploma was all that was required. Recommended schools are shown in the column to the right; request information from them to help you decide which if any could help you with this career.

Part-Time Work and Self-Employment

About 9% of health social workers work part of the time. About 3% of workers are self-employed.

Health Social Workers: An Introductory Video

Health Social Workers Around the Country

In the list below, each metro area is rated for the relative popularity of health social workers compared to other locations (that is, jobs per population). Single or double up or down arrows indicate the relative popularity in that location. Within each state listing, metro areas are sorted by the actual number of jobs for health social workers.

Alabama

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Birmingham	$45,000	540
Montgomery	$44,000	220
Mobile	$39,000	200
Huntsville	$44,000	140
Dothan	$37,000	120
Tuscaloosa	$40,000	110
Florence	$38,000	80
Anniston	$39,000	50
Decatur	$42,000	50
Auburn	$43,000	40
Gadsden	$43,000	40

Alaska

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Anchorage	$53,000	80

Arizona

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Phoenix	$38,000	1,480
Tucson	$47,000	500
Yuma	$46,000	60
Kingman	$41,000	60
Prescott	$50,000	30

Arkansas

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Little Rock	$49,000	340
Fayetteville	$39,000	140
Fort Smith	$38,000	80
Hot Springs	$42,000	50

California

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Oakland	$61,000	1,410
Santa Ana	$64,000	1,020
Riverside	$57,000	1,000
San Diego	$59,000	890
Sacramento	$64,000	780
San Francisco	$65,000	770
San Jose	$64,000	610
Fresno	$64,000	230
Modesto	$44,000	220
Stockton	$59,000	180
Oxnard	$58,000	170
Santa Rosa	$60,000	140
San Luis Obispo	$64,000	140
Bakersfield	$46,000	110
Napa	$61,000	100
Vallejo	$64,000	90
Salinas	$56,000	90
Santa Cruz	$50,000	90
Visalia	$49,000	90
Madera	$65,000	50
Redding	$45,000	50
Chico	$48,000	50

Colorado

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Denver	$46,000	1,280
Colorado Springs	$41,000	490
Boulder	$43,000	130
Greeley	$44,000	110
Pueblo	$44,000	110
Fort Collins	$37,000	100
Grand Junction	$40,000	50

Connecticut

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Hartford	$56,000	590
Bridgeport	$61,000	340
New Haven	$60,000	270
Waterbury	$58,000	160
Norwich	$55,000	130
Danbury	$62,000	70

Delaware

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Wilmington	$50,000	200
Dover	$45,000	50

District of Columbia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Washington	$59,000	2,000

Florida

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Miami	$49,000	910
Tampa	$41,000	890
Orlando	$40,000	690
Fort Lauderdale	$47,000	520
West Palm Beach	$49,000	510
Jacksonville	$46,000	430
Sarasota	$46,000	210
Deltona	$40,000	170
Palm Bay	$43,000	170
Tallahassee	$30,000	170
Cape Coral	$41,000	150
Pensacola	$40,000	140
Lakeland	$41,000	120
Ocala	$47,000	100
Gainesville	$47,000	90
Port St Lucie	$49,000	70
Naples	$37,000	60
Sebastian	$44,000	60

Georgia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Atlanta	$48,000	1,540
Augusta	$39,000	280
Macon	$39,000	180
Savannah	$52,000	170
Columbus	$39,000	130
Athens	$44,000	90
Valdosta	$42,000	80
Gainesville	$39,000	60

Hawaii

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Honolulu	$61,000	360

Idaho

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Boise	$44,000	330
Idaho Falls	$48,000	80
Coeur Dalene	$42,000	50

Illinois

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Chicago	$56,000	2,310
Peoria	$52,000	210
Rockford	$54,000	120
Champaign	$49,000	50
Springfield	$49,000	40
Kankakee		30

Indiana

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Indianapolis	$48,000	680
Fort Wayne	$43,000	260
Gary	$53,000	240
Evansville	$41,000	160
South Bend	$39,000	130
Muncie	$39,000	70
Anderson	$45,000	50
Terre Haute	$42,000	50
Elkhart	$45,000	40

Iowa

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Des Moines	$42,000	320
Iowa City	$50,000	120
Sioux City	$42,000	100
Davenport	$41,000	80
Cedar Rapids	$45,000	70
Waterloo	$41,000	50
Dubuque	$41,000	40

Kansas

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Wichita	$44,000	240
Topeka	$41,000	120

Kentucky

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Louisville	$43,000	460
Lexington	$44,000	210
Elizabethtown	$41,000	50
Bowling Green	$39,000	30

Louisiana

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
New Orleans	$46,000	340
Baton Rouge	$43,000	300
Lafayette	$46,000	150
Lake Charles	$43,000	80
Shreveport	$53,000	60
Alexandria	$36,000	60
Monroe	$45,000	30

Maine

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Portland	$42,000	220
Lewiston	$44,000	80
Bangor	$40,000	50

Maryland

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Baltimore	$55,000	2,030
Bethesda	$57,000	610
Salisbury	$46,000	110
Hagerstown	$39,000	60
Cumberland	$39,000	40

Massachusetts

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Boston	$52,000	3,200
Springfield	$45,000	550
Worcester	$48,000	450
Brockton	$50,000	230
New Bedford	$45,000	220
Barnstable Town	$55,000	220
Lowell	$59,000	120
Framingham	$51,000	110
Haverhill	$48,000	90
Taunton	$47,000	80
Lawrence	$53,000	80
Pittsfield	$43,000	60

Michigan

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Detroit	$46,000	4,430
Warren	$53,000	3,220
Grand Rapids	$48,000	300
Ann Arbor	$50,000	230
Lansing	$45,000	160
Flint	$51,000	160
Saginaw	$51,000	130
Kalamazoo	$51,000	110
Holland	$45,000	90
Jackson	$47,000	80
Muskegon	$46,000	70
Battle Creek	$56,000	50
Niles	$42,000	50
Bay City	$46,000	40

Minnesota

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Minneapolis	$52,000	1,330
Duluth	$45,000	100
St Cloud	$47,000	60

Mississippi

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Jackson	$34,000	560
Gulfport	$46,000	100
Pascagoula	$36,000	80
Hattiesburg	$39,000	60

Missouri

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
St Louis	$44,000	1,650
Kansas City	$41,000	950
Springfield	$31,000	270
Columbia	$41,000	110
Joplin	$43,000	80
Jefferson City	$28,000	70
St Joseph		40

Montana

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Missoula	$33,000	80
Billings	$51,000	70

Nebraska

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Omaha	$42,000	420
Lincoln	$37,000	220

Nevada

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Las Vegas	$62,000	540
Reno	$52,000	220

New Hampshire

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Nashua	$58,000	50
Manchester	$60,000	50
Rochester	$52,000	40
Portsmouth	$49,000	30

New Jersey

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Edison	$53,000	810
Newark	$55,000	610
Camden	$51,000	480
Trenton	$57,000	190
Atlantic City	$49,000	90
Vineland	$56,000	60

New Mexico

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Santa Fe	$31,000	540
Albuquerque	$33,000	340
Las Cruces	$39,000	90

New York

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
New York	$56,000	5,800
Nassau	$57,000	1,210
Buffalo	$44,000	670
Albany	$47,000	590
Rochester	$42,000	540
Syracuse	$42,000	280
Utica	$42,000	190
Poughkeepsie	$51,000	190
Binghamton	$49,000	170
Glens Falls	$42,000	70
Kingston	$51,000	70
Elmira	$51,000	60

North Carolina

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Charlotte	$43,000	530
Raleigh	$43,000	420
Asheville	$43,000	290
Durham	$48,000	290
Greensboro	$43,000	240
Winston Salem	$44,000	210
Greenville	$52,000	120
Fayetteville	$39,000	100
Wilmington	$41,000	100
Hickory	$44,000	100
Rocky Mount	$43,000	50
Burlington	$45,000	40

North Dakota

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Fargo	$41,000	90
Bismarck	$37,000	80
Grand Forks	$38,000	80

Ohio

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Cleveland	$47,000	1,570
Cincinnati	$46,000	880
Dayton	$44,000	760
Columbus	$46,000	740
Youngstown	$31,000	670
Toledo	$44,000	300
Akron	$48,000	290
Canton	$45,000	130
Lima	$44,000	80
Springfield	$41,000	60
Mansfield	$45,000	50
Sandusky	$47,000	30

Oklahoma

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Oklahoma City	$38,000	600
Tulsa	$39,000	210
Lawton	$33,000	40

Oregon

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Portland	$55,000	760
Eugene	$46,000	220
Salem	$55,000	70
Bend	$56,000	50
Medford	$52,000	40

Pennsylvania

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Philadelphia	$45,000	4,500
Pittsburgh	$41,000	1,520
Harrisburg	$46,000	460
Lancaster	$42,000	430
Allentown	$43,000	360
Scranton	$40,000	320
Reading	$39,000	180
York	$44,000	170
Erie	$41,000	130
Johnstown	$35,000	110
Williamsport	$39,000	90
Altoona	$43,000	90
State College	$46,000	30
Lebanon	$39,000	30

Rhode Island

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Providence	$50,000	660

South Carolina

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Greenville	$37,000	510
Columbia	$43,000	410
Charleston	$43,000	320
Florence	$35,000	140
Anderson	$34,000	70
Myrtle Beach	$40,000	60
Spartanburg	$52,000	50

South Dakota

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Sioux Falls	$45,000	170
Rapid City	$44,000	30

Tennessee

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Memphis	$52,000	740
Nashville	$52,000	580
Chattanooga	$45,000	320
Knoxville	$40,000	250
Kingsport	$42,000	100
Jackson	$34,000	70
Clarksville	$31,000	60

Texas

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Houston	$48,000	1,520
Dallas	$47,000	1,290
San Antonio	$43,000	840
Fort Worth	$48,000	630
Austin	$46,000	520
El Paso	$43,000	220
Lubbock	$39,000	160
Mcallen	$54,000	140
Corpus Christi	$44,000	110
Amarillo	$40,000	100
Longview	$40,000	100
Beaumont	$47,000	100
Waco	$46,000	80
Abilene	$44,000	80
Midland	$44,000	70
Texarkana	$42,000	60
San Angelo	$45,000	60
Sherman		40
College Station	$51,000	40
Victoria	$49,000	30

Utah

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Salt Lake City	$49,000	560
Ogden	$52,000	150
Provo	$44,000	90
St George	$51,000	50
Logan	$44,000	30

Vermont

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Burlington	$49,000	90

Virginia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Virginia Beach	$43,000	360
Richmond	$49,000	350
Blacksburg	$53,000	160
Charlottesville	$48,000	110
Roanoke	$47,000	90
Winchester	$51,000	80
Lynchburg	$41,000	60

Washington

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Seattle	$55,000	1,140
Tacoma	$52,000	250
Spokane	$47,000	190
Bremerton	$49,000	120
Olympia	$50,000	80
Yakima	$47,000	60
Bellingham	$42,000	60
Kennewick	$40,000	50
Wenatchee	$56,000	40

West Virginia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Charleston	$39,000	130
Parkersburg	$44,000	120
Huntington	$41,000	120
Morgantown	$42,000	80
Weirton	$41,000	70
Wheeling	$37,000	50

Wisconsin

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Milwaukee	$46,000	900
Madison	$41,000	250
Green Bay	$43,000	240
La Crosse	$47,000	190
Eau Claire	$42,000	180
Janesville	$46,000	60
Appleton	$46,000	60
Wausau	$50,000	50
Racine	$44,000	50
Fond	$43,000	50
Sheboygan	$49,000	30

Wyoming

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Casper	$39,000	40

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