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.
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
The median pay for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers is $60,280 a year ($28.98/hr), according to BLS OEWS, May 2025. Employment is projected to grow 9.7% through 2034, with about 13,500 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: Master's degree.
SOC 21-1023Community and Social ServiceLast updated August 15, 2026
- Median pay
- $60,280
- Projected growth
- +9.7%
- Openings a year
- 13,500
- Typical education
- Master's
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: Case Manager, Clinical Social Worker, Clinical Therapist, Clinician, Counselor, Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW).
How much do Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers make?
10th percentile$39,740
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$47,070
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$60,280
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$79,730
Upper quartile
90th percentile$104,170
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $60,280 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | $28.98/hr |
| Mean annual wage | $68,030 |
| People employed | 132,810 |
Versus all US occupations
At $60,280, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers earn 18% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $9,300 a year.
Versus community and social service occupations
The median is typical for the Community and Social Service group, where the middle occupation pays $60,320.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $104,170 or more while the bottom 10% earn $39,740, a gap of 2.6×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 42% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
New York posts the highest raw median ($79,380), but once local prices are taken into account Minnesota leads at $76,069 in national-average dollars.
Which states pay Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | $79,380 | $73,554 | 14,820 |
| California | $79,000 | $71,351 | 19,860 |
| Connecticut | $78,640 | $75,900 | 1,540 |
| Minnesota | $75,020 | $76,069 | 3,590 |
| Maryland | $73,580 | $70,104 | 2,250 |
| District of Columbia | $73,310 | $66,705 | 510 |
| Vermont | $73,210 | $74,736 | 320 |
| Washington | $70,460 | $65,842 | 3,490 |
| Oregon | $68,210 | $65,992 | 2,230 |
| New Jersey | $66,590 | $61,201 | 2,420 |
Is Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker a growing career?
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers9.7%
All US occupations3.1%
+9.7% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
Much faster than average
BLS projects employment of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers to change 9.7% over 2024–2034, roughly 3.1× the 3.1% projected for all occupations. That is 13,300 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 13,500 openings are projected each year, 9.9% of the 136,800 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 Mental Health and Substance Abuse 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 mental health and substance abuse social workers.
- Master's Degree77.2%
- Bachelor's Degree18.8%
- Post-Master's Certificate4.0%
What does a Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker do?
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.
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
- Collaborate with counselors, physicians, or nurses to plan or coordinate treatment, drawing on social work experience and patient needs.
- Monitor, evaluate, and record client progress with respect to treatment goals.
- Increase social work knowledge by reviewing current literature, conducting social research, or attending seminars, training workshops, or classes.
- Assist clients in adhering to treatment plans, such as setting up appointments, arranging for transportation to appointments, or providing support.
- Modify treatment plans according to changes in client status.
- Educate clients or community members about mental or physical illness, abuse, medication, or available community resources.
- Counsel clients in individual or group sessions to assist them in dealing with substance abuse, mental or physical illness, poverty, unemployment, or physical abuse.
- Counsel or aid family members to assist them in understanding, dealing with, or supporting the client or patient.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Core skills
- Active Listening4.1/5
- Speaking4.1/5
- Reading Comprehension4.0/5
- Critical Thinking4.0/5
- Monitoring4.0/5
- Writing3.8/5
- Learning Strategies3.8/5
- Active Learning3.3/5
Transferable skills
- Social Perceptiveness4.3/5
- Coordination3.9/5
- Service Orientation3.9/5
- Complex Problem Solving3.9/5
- Persuasion3.8/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.5/5
- Negotiation3.4/5
- Instructing3.3/5
Tools and software
- Document management software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Calendar and scheduling software
- Data base user interface and query software
- Desktop publishing software
- Internet browser software
- Medical 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 Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realistic1.7
Investigativeprimary4.1
Artistic2.8
Socialprimary7.0
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.
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker: frequently asked questions
How much do Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers make?
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers earn a median of $60,280 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 18% above the $50,980 US median across all occupations. That works out at $28.98/hr. The middle half earn between $47,070 and $79,730. The top 10% earn $104,170 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker?
Yes. BLS reports a master's degree as the typical entry-level education for Mental Health and Substance Abuse 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, 77.2% hold master's degree.
Is Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker a growing career?
Yes, strongly. Employment is projected to grow 9.7% over 2024–2034, more than double the 3.1% projected for all occupations (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 13,500 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker do?
Social workers help individuals, groups, and families prevent and cope with problems in their everyday lives. A core O*NET task: collaborate with counselors, physicians, or nurses to plan or coordinate treatment, drawing on social work experience and patient needs. Employers most often ask for Document management software, Electronic mail software, Office suite software.
Which states pay Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers the most?
The highest state medians for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers are New York ($79,380), California ($79,000), Connecticut ($78,640) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, Minnesota moves to the top at $76,069.
What personality type suits a Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker?
O*NET scores Mental Health and Substance Abuse 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 that lines up most closely with ENFJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 923 occupations in the bank.