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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2019

21-1022 Healthcare Social Workers

Provide individuals, families, and groups with the psychosocial support needed to cope with chronic, acute, or terminal illnesses. Services include advising family caregivers. Provide patients with information and counseling, and make referrals for other services. May also provide case and care management or interventions designed to promote health, prevent disease, and address barriers to access to healthcare.


National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
174,890 1.5 % $28.51 $59,300 0.7 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $16.83 $21.25 $27.29 $34.14 $41.41
Annual Wage (2) $35,000 $44,200 $56,750 $71,000 $86,130


Industry profile for this occupation:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 46,230 0.83 $31.72 $65,980
Individual and Family Services 25,190 0.99 $25.22 $52,460
Home Health Care Services 21,250 1.42 $29.76 $61,900
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) 14,590 0.91 $26.75 $55,630
Outpatient Care Centers 12,470 1.31 $29.53 $61,420

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Home Health Care Services 21,250 1.42 $29.76 $61,900
Outpatient Care Centers 12,470 1.31 $29.53 $61,420
Individual and Family Services 25,190 0.99 $25.22 $52,460
Grantmaking and Giving Services 1,310 0.91 $27.72 $57,660
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) 14,590 0.91 $26.75 $55,630

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Computer Systems Design and Related Services 30 (7) $35.52 $73,880
Religious Organizations 110 0.06 $34.97 $72,730
Junior Colleges 80 0.01 $33.46 $69,600
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 46,230 0.83 $31.72 $65,980
Other Ambulatory Health Care Services 1,090 0.35 $31.29 $65,080


Geographic profile for this occupation:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 19,020 1.09 0.92 $38.28 $79,620
New York 15,720 1.65 1.39 $29.55 $61,470
Florida 10,690 1.22 1.02 $25.34 $52,700
Massachusetts 10,280 2.84 2.38 $29.64 $61,650
Texas 10,250 0.82 0.69 $28.09 $58,430




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Massachusetts 10,280 2.84 2.38 $29.64 $61,650
Missouri 6,230 2.21 1.86 $22.78 $47,380
Indiana 5,430 1.77 1.48 $25.04 $52,090
New Mexico 1,420 1.72 1.44 $28.23 $58,720
Tennessee 4,980 1.66 1.39 $23.21 $48,280




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 19,020 1.09 0.92 $38.28 $79,620
District of Columbia 440 0.61 0.51 $35.65 $74,160
Oregon 1,810 0.95 0.80 $35.60 $74,050
Connecticut 2,210 1.32 1.11 $35.09 $72,980
Nevada 800 0.57 0.48 $34.93 $72,640





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 14,180 1.47 1.23 $30.76 $63,980
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 7,600 1.22 1.02 $40.11 $83,430
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 5,350 1.91 1.61 $31.05 $64,580
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 5,020 1.90 1.60 $24.50 $50,950
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 4,250 0.91 0.76 $27.32 $56,830
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 3,880 1.35 1.13 $27.24 $56,650
St. Louis, MO-IL 3,030 2.21 1.86 $23.14 $48,130
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 3,000 1.52 1.28 $28.43 $59,130
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 2,870 0.78 0.66 $28.89 $60,100
Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN 2,570 2.43 2.04 $25.43 $52,890




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New Bedford, MA 900 13.54 11.37 $32.64 $67,890
Springfield, MA-CT 1,810 5.40 4.53 $24.13 $50,180
Pittsfield, MA 190 4.75 3.99 $24.08 $50,090
Leominster-Gardner, MA 220 4.16 3.49 $28.57 $59,420
Jackson, TN 260 3.87 3.25 $21.94 $45,640
Jefferson City, MO 270 3.72 3.12 $18.73 $38,960
Worcester, MA-CT 1,040 3.62 3.04 $30.16 $62,740
Fort Wayne, IN 730 3.36 2.82 $21.71 $45,160
Lewiston-Auburn, ME 160 3.11 2.61 $24.42 $50,800
Rochester, MN 360 3.04 2.55 $26.14 $54,370




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA 130 0.88 0.74 $43.33 $90,120
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 900 0.79 0.67 $43.09 $89,620
Salinas, CA 130 0.69 0.58 $43.03 $89,500
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 2,520 1.02 0.86 $41.62 $86,560
Napa, CA (8) (8) (8) $40.56 $84,370
Fresno, CA 390 1.00 0.84 $40.17 $83,550
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 7,600 1.22 1.02 $40.11 $83,430
Springfield, OH 60 1.16 0.97 $39.91 $83,000
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT 450 1.08 0.90 $39.87 $82,930
Laredo, TX 60 0.55 0.46 $39.24 $81,610

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southeast Missouri nonmetropolitan area 480 2.91 2.44 $20.85 $43,370
North Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 360 1.29 1.08 $28.86 $60,030
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 340 0.86 0.72 $24.09 $50,110
North Central Tennessee nonmetropolitan area 310 2.83 2.38 $18.43 $38,320
South Central Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area 310 1.47 1.24 $24.04 $49,990

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southeast Missouri nonmetropolitan area 480 2.91 2.44 $20.85 $43,370
North Central Tennessee nonmetropolitan area 310 2.83 2.38 $18.43 $38,320
Massachusetts nonmetropolitan area 170 2.72 2.28 $40.22 $83,650
Maryland nonmetropolitan area 160 2.62 2.20 $28.58 $59,450
Northwest Mississippi nonmetropolitan area 200 2.17 1.82 $19.57 $40,700

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Massachusetts nonmetropolitan area 170 2.72 2.28 $40.22 $83,650
West Central-Southwest New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area 90 0.90 0.76 $35.17 $73,160
Northeast Louisiana nonmetropolitan area 50 0.83 0.70 $31.62 $65,770
Eastern Oregon nonmetropolitan area 50 0.66 0.56 $31.60 $65,740
North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area 100 0.97 0.81 $31.58 $65,690


About May 2019 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate--50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2019 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: July 6, 2020