Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021
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 Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers
Industry profile for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers
Geographic profile for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers
National estimates for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 113,810 |
1.5 % |
$ 27.79 |
$ 57,800 |
0.9 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 14.91 |
$ 18.57 |
$ 23.62 |
$ 33.30 |
$ 46.78 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 31,010 |
$ 38,630 |
$ 49,130 |
$ 69,260 |
$ 97,300 |
Industry profile for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Outpatient Care Centers |
24,900 |
2.52 |
$ 27.48 |
$ 57,160 |
| Individual and Family Services |
14,860 |
0.56 |
$ 23.57 |
$ 49,020 |
| Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
13,450 |
0.25 |
$ 30.71 |
$ 63,870 |
| Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Facilities |
11,960 |
1.95 |
$ 21.22 |
$ 44,140 |
| Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals |
10,370 |
4.33 |
$ 32.46 |
$ 67,520 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals |
10,370 |
4.33 |
$ 32.46 |
$ 67,520 |
| Outpatient Care Centers |
24,900 |
2.52 |
$ 27.48 |
$ 57,160 |
| Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Facilities |
11,960 |
1.95 |
$ 21.22 |
$ 44,140 |
| Other Residential Care Facilities |
1,820 |
1.21 |
$ 21.13 |
$ 43,960 |
| Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services |
2,050 |
1.08 |
$ 21.34 |
$ 44,380 |
Top paying industries for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers:
Geographic profile for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
16,560 |
1.00 |
1.24 |
$ 38.20 |
$ 79,450 |
| New York |
11,870 |
1.37 |
1.69 |
$ 36.39 |
$ 75,700 |
| Pennsylvania |
5,830 |
1.04 |
1.29 |
$ 20.99 |
$ 43,650 |
| Massachusetts |
5,790 |
1.71 |
2.11 |
$ 25.85 |
$ 53,760 |
| Ohio |
5,640 |
1.08 |
1.34 |
$ 22.69 |
$ 47,190 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Vermont |
810 |
2.84 |
3.51 |
$ 24.90 |
$ 51,800 |
| South Carolina |
4,160 |
2.01 |
2.49 |
$ 20.63 |
$ 42,900 |
| Massachusetts |
5,790 |
1.71 |
2.11 |
$ 25.85 |
$ 53,760 |
| Maine |
1,000 |
1.68 |
2.08 |
$ 28.29 |
$ 58,830 |
| New York |
11,870 |
1.37 |
1.69 |
$ 36.39 |
$ 75,700 |
Top paying states for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers:
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers:
| 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 |
10,020 |
1.15 |
1.43 |
$ 39.82 |
$ 82,820 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
6,500 |
1.14 |
1.41 |
$ 37.51 |
$ 78,020 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
3,500 |
1.35 |
1.68 |
$ 26.44 |
$ 54,990 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
2,840 |
0.97 |
1.20 |
$ 32.09 |
$ 66,750 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
2,350 |
0.89 |
1.10 |
$ 24.96 |
$ 51,920 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ |
2,200 |
1.04 |
1.29 |
$ 21.11 |
$ 43,910 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI |
2,070 |
1.13 |
1.40 |
$ 29.84 |
$ 62,060 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
1,900 |
0.85 |
1.05 |
$ 41.46 |
$ 86,240 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI |
1,500 |
0.83 |
1.03 |
$ 24.40 |
$ 50,760 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD |
1,470 |
1.17 |
1.45 |
$ 24.04 |
$ 50,000 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Napa, CA |
370 |
5.32 |
6.58 |
$ 54.31 |
$ 112,950 |
| Bay City, MI |
110 |
3.46 |
4.28 |
$ 25.68 |
$ 53,410 |
| Florence, SC |
290 |
3.41 |
4.22 |
$ 19.79 |
$ 41,170 |
| Columbia, SC |
1,220 |
3.36 |
4.16 |
$ 21.41 |
$ 44,530 |
| Worcester, MA-CT |
880 |
3.28 |
4.07 |
$ 23.80 |
$ 49,510 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA |
350 |
3.12 |
3.87 |
$ 47.09 |
$ 97,950 |
| Burlington-South Burlington, VT |
340 |
2.95 |
3.65 |
$ 24.80 |
$ 51,590 |
| Leominster-Gardner, MA |
140 |
2.92 |
3.61 |
$ 24.27 |
$ 50,480 |
| Bangor, ME |
170 |
2.75 |
3.40 |
$ 27.93 |
$ 58,100 |
| Charleston-North Charleston, SC |
910 |
2.67 |
3.31 |
$ 19.71 |
$ 41,000 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Napa, CA |
370 |
5.32 |
6.58 |
$ 54.31 |
$ 112,950 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA |
350 |
3.12 |
3.87 |
$ 47.09 |
$ 97,950 |
| Vallejo-Fairfield, CA |
180 |
1.41 |
1.74 |
$ 45.22 |
$ 94,060 |
| Hanford-Corcoran, CA |
70 |
1.66 |
2.06 |
$ 43.10 |
$ 89,650 |
| Santa Rosa, CA |
190 |
0.98 |
1.22 |
$ 42.72 |
$ 88,870 |
| Madera, CA |
70 |
1.45 |
1.80 |
$ 42.70 |
$ 88,810 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
650 |
0.61 |
0.76 |
$ 42.39 |
$ 88,170 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
1,900 |
0.85 |
1.05 |
$ 41.46 |
$ 86,240 |
| Fresno, CA |
570 |
1.52 |
1.89 |
$ 41.34 |
$ 85,980 |
| Visalia-Porterville, CA |
270 |
1.78 |
2.20 |
$ 40.56 |
$ 84,370 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers:
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers:
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers:
About May 2021 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.
(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 OEWS estimates and related information:
May 2021 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: March 31, 2022
United States Department of Labor
