Historically, social work has not been thought of a profitable subject. However there are lots of positions throughout the broader scope of social work which might be comparatively high-paying, with salaries that stretch into the six figures. Median hourly pay for social employees was a tad greater than $28 per hour in 2023, in accordance with the latest obtainable knowledge from the Bureau of Labor Statistics—that was truly increased than the median hourly wage for all positions, which was $23.11.
Whereas that will sound engaging to potential social employees, these within the subject say that discovering a high-paying place could take a very long time, and loads of schooling, to nail down. “If you want to get rich quickly, social work is not the field for you,” says Jillian Amodio, a licensed masters social employee (LMSW) at Maryland-based Waypoint Wellness Middle. “Clinical practice, research, policy—those fields tend to have higher salaries, to begin with, and typically require higher licensure,” she says of among the typically higher-paying social work jobs, “but a lot depends on your level of education.”
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Social employee’s salaries can also be decided by location and particular inhabitants wants or demand in a given space. “Similar to other professions, the compensation for social work jobs may vary based on specialty and location,” says Alisha Simpson-Watt, the chief medical director and founding father of Connecticut-based Collaborative ABA Companies. “When looking at the differences from area to area, differences in compensation may be due to the availability of funding for the positions (e.g., grants), cost of living as some states may offer higher salaries/wages to compensate for higher expenses, and salaries/wages may be adjusted based on market conditions and competition.”
With that in thoughts, listed below are ten social employee jobs that are likely to pay the best, with broad wage knowledge, and data on among the top-paying employers and localities.
10. Psychiatric Social Employee
- High-paying corporations: State of Washington, Phaxis, SouthSwell
- Description: Psychiatric social employees work with people who find themselves battling psychological well being points or psychiatric issues, comparable to anxiousness, despair, and even substance abuse issues. These social employees could assist with counseling, discovering sources to assist sufferers take care of their psychiatric issues, and extra.
- Wage: $72,192, in accordance with ZipRecruiter.
- High-paying localities: Soledad, CA ($111,420), San Francisco, CA ($90,636), San Jose, CA ($87,432), in accordance with ZipRecruiter.
9. Medical Social Employee
- High-paying corporations: Headway, Seattle Youngsters’s Hospital, Delta Bay Healthcare
- Description: Medical social employees work with sufferers in several aspects, which can embody serving to them discover or monitor down monetary sources to deal with sicknesses or therapies and even emotional and social wants or points that will outcome from an sickness or harm.
- Wage: $80,462, in accordance with ZipRecruiter.
- High-paying localities: San Mateo County, CA ($107,663), Redwood Metropolis, CA ($104,824), Santa Clara County, CA ($101,441), in accordance with ZipRecruiter.
8. Social Science Researcher
- High-paying corporations: American Institutes for Analysis, UC San Francisco, U.S. Veterans Well being Administration
- Description: Social science researchers work on analysis tasks—their roles could also be to design or handle these tasks, and to dig into social points or issues associated to human habits or well being. These roles are usually pretty analytical, and employers are typically authorities companies or universities.
- Wage: $81,332, in accordance with Certainly.
- High-paying localities: New York Metropolis, NY ($141,627), Arlington, VA ($138,814), Washington D.C. ($101,898), in accordance with Certainly.
7. Coverage Analyst
- High-paying corporations: B. Braun Medical, Centene, Vertex, Metropolis of Portland
- Description: Coverage analysts work in lots of aspects of the economic system, and that features social work. They could work with legislators or assume tanks to develop and critique insurance policies that may affect social employees and communities, and at various ranges of presidency.
- Wage: $81,838, in accordance with Certainly.
- High-paying localities: San Francisco, CA ($131,766), Washington D.C. ($86,538), Richmond, VA ($77,322), in accordance with Certainly.
6. Licensed Medical Social Employee
- High-paying corporations: Mountain Valleys Well being Facilities, Northern California Behavioral Well being System, Washington Healthcare
- Description: Medical social employees work inside a selected specialty space, on a extra “micro” degree than, say, a licensed grasp social employee. A majority of these social employees can also work in quite a lot of fields, comparable to personal practices, hospitals, and even in coverage positions.
- Wage: $85,285, in accordance with Certainly
- High-paying localities: New York Metropolis, NY ($90,895), Los Angeles, CA ($86,796), Riverside, CA ($85,061), in accordance with Certainly.
5. Licensed Grasp Social Employee
- High-paying corporations: PAX Well being, College of Washington Drugs, Excessive Desert Psychological Companies
- Description: Licensed Grasp Social Employees can work in a lot of fields, comparable to coverage or case administration, and customarily require excessive licensure and schooling ranges. These social employees additionally are likely to concentrate on “macro” slightly than “micro” points throughout the broader subject of social work.
- Wage: $88,723, in accordance with ZipRecruiter.
- High-paying localities: Santa Cruz, CA ($111,079), Union Metropolis, CA ($109,407), Sunnyvale, CA ($109,212), in accordance with ZipRecruiter.
4. Well being Companies Administrator
- High-paying corporations: Coordinated Care Companies, Balfour Senior Care, California State College San Francisco
- Description: A well being companies administrator may match in one among a number of administration roles inside a hospital or clinic. They have a tendency to work on large-scale points or issues, make choices that information the general group, and will cope with coverage, finance, and handle employees members.
- Wage: $90,764, in accordance with Certainly.
- High-paying localities: Buena Park, CA ($122,266), Portland, OR ($112,411), Denver, CO ($101,031), in accordance with Certainly.
3. Speech Pathologist
- High-paying corporations: Solace Pediatric Healthcare, Aya Schooling, Tilly
- Description: Speech pathologists are a sort of specialist who work with individuals affected by varied kinds of communication issues. That will embody individuals of all ages—together with younger kids studying to talk—who could expertise difficulties associated to speech, and even features with their mouths, comparable to swallowing.
- Wage: $91,452, in accordance with Certainly.
- High-paying localities: Santa Clara, CA ($160,655), New York Metropolis, NY ($141,236), Los Angeles, CA ($101,851), in accordance with Certainly.
2. Director of Social Work
- High-paying corporations: Dignity Well being, Davita Inc., Kipp NYC
- Description: A director of social work does kind of what it feels like: They oversee the day-to-day operations of a social work operation, be it a group clinic, or personal remedy workplace. The specifics rely upon the person function when it comes to what the job would possibly entail, however generally, a director of social work will mix administrative duties with managerial ones.
- Wage: $93,028, in accordance with ZipRecruiter.
- High-paying localities: Santa Clara, CA ($112,231), Federal Approach, WA ($110,530), Washington D.C. ($110,332), in accordance with ZipRecruiter.
1. Director of Rehabilitation
- High-paying corporations: Common Well being Company, State of New Jersey, REFORM Alliance
- Description: A director of rehabilitation would possible oversee or handle a group of therapists or different specialists in a medical setting, usually working with sufferers who require varied types of remedy. They’d work with their group and the group, practice new employees, and will run a clinic, or work below a director or different overseer.
- Wage: $99,587, in accordance with Certainly.
- High-paying localities: Los Angeles, CA ($125,754), Denver, CO ($113,064), Rochester, NY ($100,758), in accordance with Certainly.
The takeaway
Social work doesn’t essentially imply being paid much less as there are positions that may pay pretty profitable salaries. Nonetheless, aspiring social employees would do effectively to maintain the upper mission of their work in thoughts, which is essential to serving to and serving communities and populations in want.
“Social work is a helping profession,” says Simpson-Watt. “Our role in society is to promote the well-being of others, advocate for social justice, and alleviate barriers,” she says, and that’s a task that may tackle many varieties in lots of locations.
Amodio says that pay is essential, however for a lot of social employees, realizing that they’re making a distinction could also be much more essential on the finish of the day. “Salary is something you want to think about, but do not let monetary compensation be the main indicator for the work you choose,” she says.
“If you’re not satisfied and fulfilled by the work you’re doing, you’ll never be happy.”
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