Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2016

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: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
114,040 1.6 % $23.02 $47,880 1.2 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $12.85 $15.98 $20.53 $27.22 $35.89
Annual Wage (2) $26,730 $33,240 $42,700 $56,610 $74,650


Industry profile for this occupation: Top

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 25,770 3.09 $21.35 $44,420
Individual and Family Services 16,620 0.98 $21.01 $43,690
Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Facilities 14,600 2.38 $20.28 $42,190
Local Government (OES Designation) 11,330 0.21 $24.36 $50,680
Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals 9,950 4.23 $25.84 $53,740

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 9,950 4.23 $25.84 $53,740
Outpatient Care Centers 25,770 3.09 $21.35 $44,420
Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Facilities 14,600 2.38 $20.28 $42,190
Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services 2,360 1.46 $18.31 $38,080
Other Residential Care Facilities 1,900 1.18 $18.77 $39,040

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Offices of Other Health Practitioners 6,490 0.78 $33.61 $69,910
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 760 0.03 $28.48 $59,240
Insurance Carriers 140 0.01 $26.53 $55,190
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 5,820 0.11 $25.99 $54,050
Home Health Care Services 500 0.04 $25.85 $53,760


Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

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 12,850 0.80 0.99 $30.92 $64,320
New York 11,040 1.21 1.49 $27.13 $56,430
Pennsylvania 10,170 1.77 2.18 $18.08 $37,600
Massachusetts 5,810 1.68 2.07 $21.62 $44,960
Ohio 4,980 0.93 1.15 $19.80 $41,190




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 980 3.22 3.96 $19.30 $40,150
Maine 1,180 1.97 2.43 $28.54 $59,360
Pennsylvania 10,170 1.77 2.18 $18.08 $37,600
Massachusetts 5,810 1.68 2.07 $21.62 $44,960
Rhode Island 750 1.57 1.94 $22.80 $47,420




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 1,600 0.40 0.50 $34.43 $71,600
California 12,850 0.80 0.99 $30.92 $64,320
Connecticut 2,030 1.22 1.50 $29.06 $60,450
Maine 1,180 1.97 2.43 $28.54 $59,360
Nevada 670 0.52 0.65 $27.62 $57,460





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-Jersey City-White Plains, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 6,690 1.02 1.25 $28.79 $59,880
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 3,540 0.84 1.03 (8) (8)
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA NECTA Division 2,430 1.35 1.66 $22.56 $46,920
Philadelphia, PA Metropolitan Division 2,400 2.70 3.32 $18.68 $38,840
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 2,110 1.11 1.36 $23.71 $49,320
Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights, IL Metropolitan Division 1,860 0.51 0.63 (8) (8)
Montgomery County-Bucks County-Chester County, PA Metropolitan Division 1,830 1.79 2.20 $19.00 $39,530
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 1,790 0.93 1.14 $17.26 $35,900
Pittsburgh, PA 1,650 1.46 1.80 $17.75 $36,920
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division 1,510 0.61 0.75 $27.84 $57,900




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)
Lynn-Saugus-Marblehead, MA NECTA Division 260 5.95 7.33 $23.04 $47,920
Bangor, ME 260 4.02 4.95 $30.54 $63,520
Billings, MT 340 3.99 4.91 $17.91 $37,250
Pueblo, CO 230 3.92 4.83 $21.38 $44,480
Springfield, MO 740 3.67 4.52 $12.20 $25,370
Salem, OR 510 3.18 3.92 $24.31 $50,570
Barnstable Town, MA 300 2.95 3.64 $16.59 $34,500
Leominster-Gardner, MA 150 2.94 3.62 $17.38 $36,150
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA 350 2.70 3.32 $28.61 $59,500
Philadelphia, PA Metropolitan Division 2,400 2.70 3.32 $18.68 $38,840




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)
Macon, GA (8) (8) (8) $45.06 $93,730
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA 70 0.65 0.80 $38.35 $79,780
Jefferson City, MO 60 0.76 0.94 $34.92 $72,630
Trenton, NJ 250 1.11 1.37 $33.84 $70,380
Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine, CA Metropolitan Division 830 0.53 0.65 $33.31 $69,280
Napa, CA 170 2.39 2.94 $33.09 $68,820
San Francisco-Redwood City-South San Francisco, CA Metropolitan Division 760 0.71 0.88 $32.79 $68,210
Danbury, CT 60 0.79 0.97 $32.77 $68,160
Newark, NJ-PA Metropolitan Division 420 0.36 0.44 $32.30 $67,190
Utica-Rome, NY 230 1.94 2.39 $32.05 $66,660

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)
Northern Vermont nonmetropolitan area 530 7.58 9.33 $18.23 $37,920
Western Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area 480 3.10 3.82 $15.40 $32,030
Southwest Maine nonmetropolitan area 440 2.32 2.86 $27.47 $57,140
Mountain North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 430 3.39 4.17 $21.70 $45,140
Southern Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area 400 2.12 2.61 $17.95 $37,340

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)
Northern Vermont nonmetropolitan area 530 7.58 9.33 $18.23 $37,920
Mountain North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 430 3.39 4.17 $21.70 $45,140
Western Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area 480 3.10 3.82 $15.40 $32,030
Southwest Virginia nonmetropolitan area 360 2.90 3.57 $18.54 $38,560
Southern Vermont nonmetropolitan area 310 2.86 3.52 $20.39 $42,400

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)
East Central New York nonmetropolitan area 60 1.85 2.27 $31.62 $65,780
Northwest Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area 120 0.98 1.21 $31.21 $64,910
Connecticut nonmetropolitan area (8) (8) (8) $30.86 $64,180
Eastern Oregon nonmetropolitan area 40 0.58 0.71 $29.67 $61,720
Southeast Minnesota nonmetropolitan area 50 0.29 0.35 $29.49 $61,330


About May 2016 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.

(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 2016 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2016 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2016 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2016 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2016 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 31, 2017