Child, Family, and School Social Workers: salary, outlook & degrees
Provide social services and assistance to improve the social and psychological functioning of children and their families and to maximize the family well-being and the academic functioning of children. May assist parents, arrange adoptions, and find foster homes for abandoned or abused children. In schools, they address such problems as teenage pregnancy, misbehavior, and truancy. May also advise teachers.
Middle half $48,270–$76,070. 392,550 jobs.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
81% hold a bachelor's or higher. Those with one: $52,793.
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers with at least a high school diploma; EducationGuide calculation
About 33,900 openings a year, including replacements.
BLS Employment Projections 2025-35
Considerable preparation (usually a bachelor's).
BLS; O*NET 31.0 job zone
Degrees that lead to this career
What workers ages 25-34 in this job studied, among those with a bachelor's or higher. This is what people actually did, not a requirement.
| Field of bachelor's degree | Share | Degree pages |
|---|---|---|
| Psychology | 20% | Psychology |
| Social Work | 19% | Social Work |
| Criminal Justice And Fire Protection | 11% | Criminal Justice · Security / Homeland Security |
| Sociology | 6% | Sociology |
| Family And Consumer Sciences | 4% | Human Development and Family Studies · Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services |
| Human Services And Community Organization | 3% | Human Services · Community Organization and Advocacy |
| Communications | 2% | Communications · Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other |
| Biology | 2% | Biology |
| History | 2% | History |
| General Education | 1% | Education |
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata (ages 25-34, employed, bachelor's or higher; top 10 fields); EducationGuide calculation.
Education workers say the job requires
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers (“required level of education”); small samples, so treat shares as approximate.
Pay by state and metro
| State | Median wage |
|---|---|
| Connecticut | $78,970 |
| Maryland | $76,390 |
| New Jersey | $76,280 |
| Massachusetts | $75,570 |
| Washington | $74,480 |
| District of Columbia | $73,550 |
| New Hampshire | $71,010 |
| Rhode Island | $69,870 |
| Hawaii | $68,270 |
| Minnesota | $67,450 |
| Vermont | $67,340 |
| California | $65,200 |
| New York | $65,100 |
| North Dakota | $64,560 |
| Oregon | $64,130 |
| Colorado | $63,720 |
| Maine | $63,290 |
| Illinois | $63,220 |
| Alaska | $62,630 |
| Virginia | $61,330 |
| Nevada | $61,080 |
| Idaho | $59,840 |
| North Carolina | $59,610 |
| Wisconsin | $59,280 |
| Michigan | $59,270 |
| Kentucky | $59,100 |
| Louisiana | $56,800 |
| Montana | $56,780 |
| Florida | $56,550 |
| Wyoming | $56,420 |
| Tennessee | $56,310 |
| New Mexico | $56,160 |
| Texas | $55,680 |
| GU | $54,910 |
| Kansas | $54,300 |
| Iowa | $52,250 |
| West Virginia | $52,220 |
| Utah | $52,000 |
| South Carolina | $51,800 |
| Ohio | $51,520 |
| South Dakota | $51,100 |
| Pennsylvania | $50,820 |
| VI | $50,810 |
| Indiana | $50,470 |
| Arizona | $50,150 |
| Delaware | $48,520 |
| Missouri | $48,520 |
| Nebraska | $47,770 |
| Georgia | $47,510 |
| Alabama | $46,660 |
| Mississippi | $46,530 |
| Oklahoma | $43,950 |
| PR | $43,620 |
| Arkansas | $43,330 |
Florida metro areas
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach$59,710
- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater$58,540
- Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford$56,930
- Jacksonville$55,630
- Cape Coral-Fort Myers$55,650
- Lakeland-Winter Haven$53,800
- North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota$56,070
- Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach$52,220
Virginia metro areas
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria$75,550
- Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk$62,360
- Richmond$60,520
- Roanoke$49,230
- Kingsport-Bristol$53,040
- Lynchburg$53,110
- Charlottesville$59,190
- Winchester$60,820
California metro areas
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim$71,250
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont$72,020
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario$63,230
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad$59,770
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom$63,270
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara$87,600
- Fresno$62,080
- Modesto$60,900
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: median annual wage, all workers in the job. Metro areas: the largest by employment.
What the work takes
Top skills
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Monitoring
Knowledge used
- Customer and Personal Service
- Psychology
- Therapy and Counseling
- English Language
- Administrative
Work styles
- Cooperation
- Empathy
- Sincerity
- Dependability
- Integrity
People in this job tend to have Social (helping) interests.
O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0): skills and knowledge by importance; work styles; interest high points.
Child, Family, and School Social Workers: questions
How much do child, Family, and School Social Workers make?
Child, Family, and School Social Workers earn a U.S. median $59,550 a year; the middle half earn $48,270 to $76,070 (BLS, May 2025). Workers ages 25-34 in this job earn a median $50,375 (Census ACS 2020-2024).
Is child, Family, and School Social Workers a growing field?
BLS projects growth of 4.4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 33,900 openings a year, including replacements.
What degree do you need to be a child, Family, and School Social Worker?
BLS lists the typical entry education as bachelor's degree. In O*NET's survey, 95% of workers say a bachelor's or higher is required. Among workers ages 25-34 with a bachelor's, the most common field of degree is psychology (20%).
How much do child, Family, and School Social Workers make in Florida?
The median in Florida is $56,550 a year (BLS, May 2025), compared with $59,550 nationally.
Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35); O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0); U.S. Census Bureau ACS microdata. SOC 21-1021. Method
Data: JSON · Markdown · all careers
Cite this: “Child, Family, and School Social Workers: salary, outlook and degrees,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/careers/child-family-and-school-social-workers.