Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021
21-1093 Social and Human Service Assistants
Assist other social and human service providers in providing client services in a wide variety of fields, such as psychology, rehabilitation, or social work, including support for families. May assist clients in identifying and obtaining available benefits and social and community services. May assist social workers with developing, organizing, and conducting programs to prevent and resolve problems relevant to substance abuse, human relationships, rehabilitation, or dependent care. Excludes “Rehabilitation Counselors” (21-1015), “Psychiatric Technicians” (29-2053), “Personal Care Aides” (31-1122), and “Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs” (43-4061).
National estimates for Social and Human Service Assistants
Industry profile for Social and Human Service Assistants
Geographic profile for Social and Human Service Assistants
National estimates for Social and Human Service Assistants:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Social and Human Service Assistants:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 398,380 |
1.0 % |
$ 19.45 |
$ 40,460 |
0.5 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Social and Human Service Assistants:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 13.42 |
$ 14.64 |
$ 18.08 |
$ 22.58 |
$ 28.60 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 27,910 |
$ 30,440 |
$ 37,610 |
$ 46,960 |
$ 59,490 |
Industry profile for Social and Human Service Assistants:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Social and Human Service Assistants are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Social and Human Service Assistants, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Social and Human Service Assistants:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Individual and Family Services |
116,000 |
4.37 |
$ 18.95 |
$ 39,420 |
| Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
47,310 |
0.88 |
$ 23.10 |
$ 48,040 |
| State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
38,270 |
1.74 |
$ 20.05 |
$ 41,700 |
| Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Facilities |
31,670 |
5.17 |
$ 16.80 |
$ 34,950 |
| Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services |
28,520 |
15.00 |
$ 17.65 |
$ 36,710 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Social and Human Service Assistants:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services |
28,520 |
15.00 |
$ 17.65 |
$ 36,710 |
| Other Residential Care Facilities |
10,930 |
7.24 |
$ 16.30 |
$ 33,900 |
| Social Advocacy Organizations |
15,530 |
6.94 |
$ 19.33 |
$ 40,200 |
| Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Facilities |
31,670 |
5.17 |
$ 16.80 |
$ 34,950 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
12,160 |
4.55 |
$ 17.15 |
$ 35,670 |
Top paying industries for Social and Human Service Assistants:
Geographic profile for Social and Human Service Assistants:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Social and Human Service Assistants are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Social and Human Service Assistants, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Social and Human Service Assistants:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
51,940 |
3.14 |
1.11 |
$ 23.26 |
$ 48,380 |
| New York |
34,130 |
3.94 |
1.39 |
$ 20.46 |
$ 42,550 |
| New Jersey |
22,990 |
5.97 |
2.11 |
$ 19.91 |
$ 41,410 |
| Texas |
21,770 |
1.78 |
0.63 |
$ 19.05 |
$ 39,630 |
| Florida |
20,150 |
2.34 |
0.83 |
$ 18.85 |
$ 39,220 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Social and Human Service Assistants:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Vermont |
3,520 |
12.38 |
4.38 |
$ 16.94 |
$ 35,240 |
| Rhode Island |
3,180 |
6.95 |
2.46 |
$ 19.26 |
$ 40,070 |
| Maine |
3,980 |
6.73 |
2.38 |
$ 18.94 |
$ 39,400 |
| West Virginia |
4,160 |
6.33 |
2.24 |
$ 18.18 |
$ 37,810 |
| New Jersey |
22,990 |
5.97 |
2.11 |
$ 19.91 |
$ 41,410 |
Top paying states for Social and Human Service Assistants:
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Social and Human Service Assistants:
| 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 |
34,400 |
3.96 |
1.40 |
$ 20.79 |
$ 43,240 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
19,000 |
3.32 |
1.17 |
$ 23.35 |
$ 48,560 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
12,240 |
4.61 |
1.63 |
$ 19.98 |
$ 41,560 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
10,240 |
3.96 |
1.40 |
$ 18.30 |
$ 38,070 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
9,750 |
2.30 |
0.81 |
$ 21.19 |
$ 44,080 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
7,340 |
3.27 |
1.16 |
$ 25.24 |
$ 52,500 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI |
6,130 |
3.36 |
1.19 |
$ 20.80 |
$ 43,260 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
5,810 |
1.98 |
0.70 |
$ 22.07 |
$ 45,900 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL |
5,750 |
2.34 |
0.83 |
$ 19.94 |
$ 41,480 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
5,130 |
1.43 |
0.51 |
$ 20.30 |
$ 42,230 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Social and Human Service Assistants:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Vineland-Bridgeton, NJ |
740 |
12.63 |
4.46 |
$ 17.50 |
$ 36,390 |
| Johnstown, PA |
600 |
12.56 |
4.44 |
$ 17.85 |
$ 37,120 |
| Mankato-North Mankato, MN |
550 |
10.64 |
3.76 |
$ 23.62 |
$ 49,120 |
| Florence, SC |
880 |
10.40 |
3.68 |
$ 17.22 |
$ 35,830 |
| Beckley, WV |
410 |
10.25 |
3.62 |
$ 18.66 |
$ 38,810 |
| Bangor, ME |
620 |
9.93 |
3.51 |
$ 18.69 |
$ 38,880 |
| Trenton, NJ |
2,130 |
9.36 |
3.31 |
$ 21.39 |
$ 44,490 |
| Waterbury, CT |
560 |
8.69 |
3.07 |
$ 19.59 |
$ 40,750 |
| Bismarck, ND |
570 |
8.16 |
2.89 |
$ 24.04 |
$ 50,000 |
| Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ |
910 |
7.83 |
2.77 |
$ 18.31 |
$ 38,090 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Social and Human Service Assistants:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT |
3,100 |
5.70 |
2.02 |
$ 26.99 |
$ 56,140 |
| Danbury, CT |
370 |
5.15 |
1.82 |
$ 26.38 |
$ 54,870 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
1,770 |
1.66 |
0.59 |
$ 26.25 |
$ 54,590 |
| Norwich-New London-Westerly, CT-RI |
650 |
5.61 |
1.98 |
$ 26.02 |
$ 54,120 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
7,340 |
3.27 |
1.16 |
$ 25.24 |
$ 52,500 |
| Janesville-Beloit, WI |
300 |
4.65 |
1.65 |
$ 24.46 |
$ 50,880 |
| Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA |
3,540 |
3.60 |
1.27 |
$ 24.36 |
$ 50,660 |
| Carson City, NV |
150 |
5.00 |
1.77 |
$ 24.35 |
$ 50,650 |
| Yuba City, CA |
240 |
5.04 |
1.78 |
$ 24.34 |
$ 50,620 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA |
400 |
4.34 |
1.53 |
$ 24.25 |
$ 50,430 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Social and Human Service Assistants:
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Social and Human Service Assistants:
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Social and Human Service Assistants:
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
