Social Work degree: salary, jobs & colleges
Bachelor's graduates in social work earn a median $51,748 four years after finishing, across 419 U.S. colleges. At ages 25-34, people whose degree is in social work earn $45,343, $16,706 less than all bachelor's holders. The most common job is social workers, all other (21%).
Median across 419 colleges; middle half $48,344–$56,243.
College Scorecard field of study (graduates who received federal aid)
Middle half $32,488–$60,915. 2,605 survey respondents.
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata; field "Social Work"; EducationGuide calculation
- All bachelor's, 25-34$62,049
- High school, 25-34$35,638
- This degree vs high school+$9,705/yr
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers not in school
Median across colleges reporting.
College Scorecard field of study
Jobs social work graduates hold
What employed 25-34-year-olds whose bachelor's is in social work actually do, with U.S. wages and the outlook for each job. The first column comes from the Census survey; wages and growth from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
| Job | Share of graduates | U.S. median wage | Jobs growth 2025-35 | Typical entry | Interests |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Workers, All Other | 21% | $71,900 | +2.3% | Bachelor's degree | — |
| Social And Community Service Managers | 4% | $80,390 | +7.2% | Bachelor's degree | ESC |
| Social And Human Service Assistants | 4% | $45,930 | +7.4% | High school diploma or equivalent | SCE |
| Other Managers | 3% | — | — | — | — |
| Customer Service Representatives | 2% | $44,770 | -5.3% | High school diploma or equivalent | CES |
| Elementary And Middle School Teachers | 2% | $64,170 | -0.4% | — | — |
| Child, Family, And School Social Workers | 2% | $59,550 | +4.4% | Bachelor's degree | S |
| Registered Nurses | 2% | $97,550 | +5.6% | Bachelor's degree | SCI |
These 8 jobs account for 39% of employed graduates: people with this degree spread across many kinds of work.
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata (ages 25-34, bachelor's as highest degree, employed); BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35; O*NET 31.0 interest codes (R realistic, I investigative, A artistic, S social, E enterprising, C conventional).
Social Work earnings by state
Two views of pay: recent graduates of the state's colleges four years out (College Scorecard), and everyone ages 25-34 living in the state with this field of degree (Census). States show a figure only with at least 3 colleges or 100 survey respondents.
| State | Graduates, 4 yrs (colleges) | Ages 25-34 (respondents) |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $46,274 (10) | — |
| Arkansas | $47,449 (7) | — |
| California | $59,545 (15) | $50,762 (207) |
| Colorado | $55,318 (4) | — |
| Connecticut | $59,374 (6) | — |
| Florida | $50,966 (13) | — |
| Georgia | $48,747 (9) | — |
| Idaho | $49,429 (5) | — |
| Illinois | $53,782 (16) | $48,207 (101) |
| Indiana | $50,246 (17) | — |
| Iowa | $50,315 (7) | — |
| Kansas | $52,014 (6) | — |
| Kentucky | $47,738 (10) | — |
| Louisiana | $47,296 (7) | — |
| Maryland | $57,224 (7) | — |
| Massachusetts | $60,026 (9) | — |
| Michigan | $52,765 (22) | $44,911 (124) |
| Minnesota | $54,448 (13) | $55,839 (137) |
| Mississippi | $42,980 (8) | — |
| Missouri | $51,349 (9) | — |
| Nebraska | $51,686 (4) | — |
| New Jersey | $57,584 (10) | — |
| New York | $59,593 (27) | $50,116 (122) |
| North Carolina | $47,587 (17) | — |
| Ohio | $49,690 (29) | $48,732 (149) |
| Oklahoma | $54,943 (3) | — |
| Oregon | $62,201 (3) | — |
| Pennsylvania | $49,794 (17) | $45,805 (114) |
| South Carolina | $46,548 (3) | — |
| Tennessee | $46,390 (14) | — |
| Texas | $50,754 (27) | $48,804 (177) |
| Utah | $55,757 (4) | — |
| Virginia | $48,218 (10) | — |
| Washington | $59,408 (8) | — |
| West Virginia | $46,562 (6) | — |
| Wisconsin | $52,888 (13) | — |
College Scorecard field of study (median of each college's graduates); Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata; EducationGuide calculations.
Colleges where social work graduates earn the most
In the states we cover so far (Florida, Virginia, California): 14 in Florida, 15 in Virginia, 25 in California offer this major. Open a college to see cost to finish and payback for your income.
| # | College | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | La Sierra UniversityCA | $69,244 | $35,500 |
| 2 | California State University-San BernardinoCA | $69,201 | $13,018 |
| 3 | San Francisco State UniversityCA | $68,524 | $17,259 |
| 4 | California State University-Long BeachCA | $68,448 | $11,276 |
| 5 | University of California-BerkeleyCA | $67,393 | $13,719 |
| 6 | Fresno Pacific UniversityCA | $61,951 | $25,000 |
| 7 | Barry UniversityFL | $61,820 | $30,675 |
| 8 | Pacific Union CollegeCA | $61,514 | — |
| 9 | California State University-Los AngelesCA | $59,545 | $11,000 |
| 10 | California State University-SacramentoCA | $58,280 | $18,000 |
| 11 | California State Polytechnic University-HumboldtCA | $57,953 | $23,286 |
| 12 | California State University-ChicoCA | $57,146 | $17,000 |
College Scorecard field of study. Colleges meeting our core-data standard; online campuses left out.
Related degrees
Social Work degree questions
How much do Social Work graduates make?
Social Work graduates earn a median $51,748 four years after finishing, across 419 U.S. colleges that report it (the middle half of colleges: $48,344 to $56,243; College Scorecard, graduates who received federal aid). Among all workers ages 25-34 whose bachelor's degree is in social work, the median is $45,343 (Census ACS 2020-2024).
Is a Social Work degree worth it?
At ages 25-34, people with a bachelor's in social work earn a median $45,343: $16,706 less than all bachelor's degree holders ($62,049) and $9,705 more than high school graduates ($35,638). EducationGuide calculation from Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers not in school.
What jobs do Social Work graduates get?
Among employed 25-34-year-olds whose bachelor's is in social work, the most common jobs are social workers, all other (21%), social and community service managers (4%), social and human service assistants (4%). Social Workers, All Other earn a U.S. median $71,900.
How much do Social Work graduates earn in Florida?
Across 13 Florida colleges reporting, Social Work graduates earn a median $50,966 four years after graduating.
Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey microdata; Bureau of Labor Statistics; O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0). Method
Data: JSON · Markdown · all degrees
Cite this: “Social Work degree: salary, jobs and colleges,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/degrees/social-work.