State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
Healthcare Social Worker Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
Healthcare Social Workers earn a median of $67,880 per year ($32.63/hr) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to grow 7.7% through 2034, with about 18,400 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: Master's degree.
SOC 21-1022Community and Social ServiceLast updated August 15, 2026
- Median pay
- $67,880
- Projected growth
- +7.7%
- Openings a year
- 18,400
- Typical education
- Master's
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: Clinical Social Worker, Hospice Social Worker, LMSW (Licensed Master Social Worker), Medical Social Worker, Nephrology Social Worker, Oncology Social Worker.
How much do Healthcare Social Workers make?
10th percentile$46,220
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$56,710
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$67,880
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$82,240
Upper quartile
90th percentile$100,360
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $67,880 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | $32.63/hr |
| Mean annual wage | $71,790 |
| People employed | 187,630 |
Versus all US occupations
At $67,880, Healthcare Social Workers earn 33% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $16,900 a year.
Versus community and social service occupations
Inside the Community and Social Service group, where the middle occupation pays $60,320, this is 13% above the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $100,360 or more while the bottom 10% earn $46,220, a gap of 2.2×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 53% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
District of Columbia pays the most at $94,100, and still leads at $85,623 once local prices are taken into account.
Which states pay Healthcare Social Workers the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $94,100 | $85,623 | 420 |
| California | $89,660 | $80,979 | 17,690 |
| Hawaii | $85,420 | $77,689 | 660 |
| Oregon | $84,350 | $81,607 | 2,320 |
| New Jersey | $82,690 | $75,998 | 4,310 |
| Vermont | $81,140 | $82,831 | 250 |
| Connecticut | $79,900 | $77,116 | 1,650 |
| Washington | $78,570 | $73,421 | 5,180 |
| Nevada | $78,470 | $78,486 | 1,160 |
| New Hampshire | $78,260 | $75,131 | 590 |
Is Healthcare Social Worker a growing career?
Healthcare Social Workers7.7%
All US occupations3.1%
+7.7% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
Much faster than average
BLS projects employment of Healthcare Social Workers to change 7.7% over 2024–2034, roughly 2.5× the 3.1% projected for all occupations. That is 14,800 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 18,400 openings are projected each year, 9.5% of the 193,200 jobs that existed in 2024. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Overall employment of social workers is projected to grow 6 percent from 2024 to 2034, faster than the average for all occupations.
Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Projected employment of social workers varies by occupation (see table).
Child, family, and school social workers will be needed to help strengthen parenting skills, prevent child abuse, and identify alternative homes for children who are unable to live with their biological families. However, employment growth for these social workers may be limited by state and local budget constraints.
How to become a Healthcare Social Worker
Social workers typically need a bachelor’s or master’s degree in social work. They also may need a license; specific requirements vary by state.
Clinical social workers need a master’s degree, supervised clinical experience, and a license from the state in which they practice.
| Typical entry-level education | Master's degree |
|---|---|
| Preparation needed (O*NET job zone) | Considerable preparation |
| Work experience in a related occupation | None |
| Typical on-the-job training | Internship/residency |
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as healthcare social workers.
- Master's Degree70.4%
- Bachelor's Degree14.8%
- Post-Master's Certificate11.1%
- First Professional Degree3.7%
What does a Healthcare Social Worker do?
Provide individuals, families, and groups with the psychosocial support needed to cope with chronic, acute, or terminal illnesses. Services include advising family caregivers. Provide patients with information and counseling, and make referrals for other services. May also provide case and care management or interventions designed to promote health, prevent disease, and address barriers to access to healthcare.
Social workers help individuals, groups, and families prevent and cope with problems in their everyday lives. Clinical social workers diagnose and treat mental, behavioral, and emotional problems.
Day-to-day tasks
- Advocate for clients or patients to resolve crises.
- Educate clients about end-of-life symptoms and options to assist them in making informed decisions.
- Collaborate with other professionals to evaluate patients' medical or physical condition and to assess client needs.
- Utilize consultation data and social work experience to plan and coordinate client or patient care and rehabilitation, following through to ensure service efficacy.
- Identify environmental impediments to client or patient progress through interviews and review of patient records.
- Refer patient, client, or family to community resources to assist in recovery from mental or physical illness and to provide access to services such as financial assistance, legal aid, housing, job placement or education.
- Modify treatment plans to comply with changes in clients' status.
- Monitor, evaluate, and record client progress according to measurable goals described in treatment and care plan.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Core skills
- Speaking4.1/5
- Reading Comprehension4.0/5
- Active Listening4.0/5
- Critical Thinking4.0/5
- Writing3.9/5
- Active Learning3.8/5
- Monitoring3.3/5
- Learning Strategies3.1/5
Transferable skills
- Social Perceptiveness4.3/5
- Service Orientation4.1/5
- Coordination4.0/5
- Complex Problem Solving3.9/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.6/5
- Persuasion3.3/5
- Negotiation3.1/5
- Systems Evaluation3.1/5
Tools and software
- Medical software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Project management software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Video conferencing software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Calendar and scheduling software
- Data base user interface and query software
- Desktop publishing software
- Electronic mail software
- Internet browser software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
What personality type suits a Healthcare Social Worker?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realistic2.0
Investigativeprimary4.2
Artistic2.3
Socialprimary6.9
Enterprising2.5
Conventionalprimary3.1
Day to day this is work built around teaching, helping and working directly with other people, combined with investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data.
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Healthcare Social Worker: frequently asked questions
How much do Healthcare Social Workers make?
Healthcare Social Workers earn a median of $67,880 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 33% above the $50,980 US median across all occupations. That works out at $32.63/hr. The middle half earn between $56,710 and $82,240. The top 10% earn $100,360 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Healthcare Social Worker?
Yes. BLS reports a master's degree as the typical entry-level education for Healthcare Social Workers, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as considerable preparation. BLS also lists internship/residency as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 70.4% hold master's degree.
Is Healthcare Social Worker a growing career?
Yes, strongly. Employment is projected to grow 7.7% over 2024–2034, more than double the 3.1% projected for all occupations (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 18,400 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Healthcare Social Worker do?
Social workers help individuals, groups, and families prevent and cope with problems in their everyday lives. A core O*NET task: advocate for clients or patients to resolve crises. Employers most often ask for Medical software, Office suite software, Presentation software.
Which states pay Healthcare Social Workers the most?
The highest state medians for Healthcare Social Workers are District of Columbia ($94,100), California ($89,660), Hawaii ($85,420) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits a Healthcare Social Worker?
O*NET scores Healthcare Social Workers highest on the Social, Investigative and Conventional interest areas, so the work mixes teaching, helping and working directly with other people with investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ENFJ, ESFJ, ESFP. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 923 occupations in the bank.