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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2019

21-1023 Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers

Assess and treat individuals with mental, emotional, or substance abuse problems, including abuse of alcohol, tobacco, and/or other drugs. Activities may include individual and group therapy, crisis intervention, case management, client advocacy, prevention, and education.

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)
117,770 1.6 % $24.84 $51,670 0.9 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $14.20 $17.21 $22.43 $29.78 $38.89
Annual Wage (2) $29,540 $35,790 $46,650 $61,930 $80,900

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)
Outpatient Care Centers 26,950 2.82 $23.98 $49,890
Individual and Family Services 16,370 0.64 $23.33 $48,520
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) 14,500 0.26 $27.43 $57,050
Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Facilities 12,470 1.96 $19.28 $40,100
Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals 10,160 4.11 $26.23 $54,560

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals 10,160 4.11 $26.23 $54,560
Outpatient Care Centers 26,950 2.82 $23.98 $49,890
Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Facilities 12,470 1.96 $19.28 $40,100
Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services 2,710 1.49 $20.52 $42,680
Other Residential Care Facilities 2,270 1.39 $21.31 $44,320

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Insurance Carriers 330 0.03 $33.00 $68,650
Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals (8) (8) $30.88 $64,230
Other Ambulatory Health Care Services 130 0.04 $30.81 $64,080
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 490 0.02 $30.72 $63,890
Offices of Other Health Practitioners 7,630 0.80 $29.45 $61,250

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 14,970 0.86 1.07 $31.26 $65,020
New York 11,540 1.21 1.51 $30.54 $63,520
Pennsylvania 7,610 1.29 1.61 $18.61 $38,710
Massachusetts 6,870 1.90 2.37 $22.55 $46,900
Ohio 6,650 1.22 1.52 $22.57 $46,950




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)
Vermont 830 2.70 3.37 $21.76 $45,260
Maine 1,290 2.11 2.64 $28.53 $59,340
Massachusetts 6,870 1.90 2.37 $22.55 $46,900
Pennsylvania 7,610 1.29 1.61 $18.61 $38,710
Ohio 6,650 1.22 1.52 $22.57 $46,950




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New Jersey 1,670 0.41 0.51 $39.93 $83,050
District of Columbia 630 0.87 1.08 $31.77 $66,080
California 14,970 0.86 1.07 $31.26 $65,020
Connecticut 1,920 1.16 1.44 $31.05 $64,590
New York 11,540 1.21 1.51 $30.54 $63,520





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 9,040 0.94 1.17 $32.84 $68,300
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 6,570 1.05 1.31 $30.91 $64,290
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 4,750 1.70 2.12 $22.60 $47,010
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 3,410 1.18 1.48 $21.55 $44,820
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 2,980 0.94 1.17 $29.83 $62,050
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 2,530 0.54 0.67 $28.30 $58,870
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 2,390 1.13 1.41 $19.40 $40,350
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 1,610 0.82 1.02 $29.50 $61,360
Pittsburgh, PA 1,560 1.35 1.69 $17.60 $36,600
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI 1,530 0.77 0.97 $24.84 $51,670