Sort by any column. Employment is the number of mental health and substance abuse social workers OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker Salary by State (2026)
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers earn the most in New York at $79,380 a year and the least in Puerto Rico at $26,500 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $60,280. All 52 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $79,380
- National median
- $60,280
- Lowest median
- $26,500
- States reporting
- 52
New York
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Puerto Rico
of 54 OEWS areas
Top 5 states for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers
- 1. New York$79,380 median · $73,554 adjusted · 14,820 employed
- 2. California$79,000 median · $71,351 adjusted · 19,860 employed
- 3. Connecticut$78,640 median · $75,900 adjusted · 1,540 employed
- 4. Minnesota$75,020 median · $76,069 adjusted · 3,590 employed
- 5. Maryland$73,580 median · $70,104 adjusted · 2,250 employed
Lowest-paying states for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers
- 52. Puerto Rico$26,500 median · no price parity · 350 employed
- 51. South Carolina$39,930 median · $42,592 adjusted · 720 employed
- 50. Alabama$41,500 median · $46,722 adjusted · 740 employed
- 49. Kentucky$42,570 median · $47,217 adjusted · 1,360 employed
- 48. Oklahoma$43,120 median · $49,088 adjusted · 1,780 employed
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker salary in every state
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $79,380 | $64,430 | $95,520 | 14,820 | $73,554 |
| 2 | California | $79,000 | $57,800 | $118,860 | 19,860 | $71,351 |
| 3 | Connecticut | $78,640 | $62,300 | $92,430 | 1,540 | $75,900 |
| 4 | Minnesota | $75,020 | $60,080 | $85,990 | 3,590 | $76,069 |
| 5 | Maryland | $73,580 | $49,440 | $94,690 | 2,250 | $70,104 |
| 6 | District of Columbia | $73,310 | $65,360 | $104,170 | 510 | $66,705 |
| 7 | Vermont | $73,210 | $65,050 | $81,890 | 320 | $74,736 |
| 8 | Washington | $70,460 | $56,050 | $84,500 | 3,490 | $65,842 |
| 9 | Oregon | $68,210 | $58,250 | $83,740 | 2,230 | $65,992 |
| 10 | New Jersey | $66,590 | $47,610 | $84,700 | 2,420 | $61,201 |
| 11 | New Mexico | $65,640 | $44,860 | $86,150 | 800 | $71,184 |
| 12 | Colorado | $65,620 | $55,770 | $80,990 | 1,640 | $63,677 |
| 13 | Virginia | $64,240 | $53,620 | $80,390 | 3,670 | $63,539 |
| 14 | New Hampshire | $63,900 | $58,820 | $77,410 | 320 | $61,345 |
| 15 | Nevada | $62,900 | $47,250 | $75,940 | 1,100 | $62,913 |
| 16 | Massachusetts | $62,500 | $53,970 | $78,750 | 7,440 | $59,098 |
| 17 | Wisconsin | $61,860 | $49,720 | $75,360 | 1,880 | $65,742 |
| 18 | Rhode Island | $60,990 | $49,340 | $110,210 | 800 | $59,630 |
| 19 | North Dakota | $60,980 | $58,790 | $65,110 | 240 | $68,548 |
| 20 | Michigan | $60,830 | $50,140 | $74,350 | 4,620 | $63,222 |
| 21 | Delaware | $60,060 | $51,230 | $68,090 | 510 | $60,176 |
| 22 | Wyoming | $59,310 | $49,770 | $83,340 | 200 | $63,987 |
| 23 | Arkansas | $58,590 | $42,620 | $73,290 | 1,040 | $67,394 |
| 24 | North Carolina | $58,210 | $48,150 | $67,460 | 3,690 | $61,712 |
| 25 | Maine | $57,050 | $47,740 | $77,650 | 1,860 | $58,784 |
| 26 | Alaska | $56,710 | $49,430 | $68,690 | 250 | $55,403 |
| 27 | Kansas | $56,330 | $48,990 | $66,290 | 1,620 | $62,542 |
| 28 | Hawaii | $54,390 | $47,210 | $77,680 | N/A | $49,467 |
| 29 | Idaho | $52,520 | $45,760 | $75,920 | 510 | $54,998 |
| 30 | Georgia | $52,030 | $45,090 | $72,490 | 1,330 | $54,033 |
| 31 | Florida | $51,590 | $44,450 | $62,050 | 5,150 | $49,887 |
| 32 | Utah | $50,770 | $42,040 | $79,540 | 1,240 | $51,353 |
| 33 | West Virginia | $50,070 | $47,270 | $57,830 | 420 | $55,946 |
| 34 | Illinois | $49,960 | $46,290 | $69,210 | 3,460 | $49,981 |
| 35 | Missouri | $49,560 | $43,350 | $59,200 | 1,640 | $54,571 |
| 36 | Mississippi | $48,970 | $33,700 | $62,520 | 920 | $56,318 |
| 37 | South Dakota | $48,920 | $44,250 | $61,900 | 230 | $55,223 |
| 38 | Iowa | $48,530 | $44,630 | $66,180 | 1,200 | $55,297 |
| 39 | Indiana | $48,300 | $42,580 | $64,610 | 2,490 | $51,752 |
| 40 | Pennsylvania | $48,290 | $43,810 | $58,860 | 3,500 | $49,492 |
| 41 | Louisiana | $47,100 | $36,380 | $62,170 | 970 | $53,397 |
| 42 | Texas | $46,630 | $41,080 | $57,320 | 8,220 | $48,044 |
| 43 | Tennessee | $46,500 | $42,780 | $55,310 | 2,220 | $50,615 |
| 44 | Arizona | $46,380 | $45,010 | $54,480 | 3,690 | $46,068 |
| 45 | Ohio | $46,080 | $38,170 | $57,960 | 6,050 | $49,669 |
| 46 | Montana | $45,160 | $39,760 | $59,850 | 740 | $47,715 |
| 47 | Nebraska | $43,240 | $37,230 | $51,890 | 900 | $47,990 |
| 48 | Oklahoma | $43,120 | $37,820 | $45,410 | 1,780 | $49,088 |
| 49 | Kentucky | $42,570 | $37,230 | $48,780 | 1,360 | $47,217 |
| 50 | Alabama | $41,500 | $35,740 | $55,640 | 740 | $46,722 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $39,930 | $34,770 | $49,720 | 720 | $42,592 |
| 52 | Puerto Rico | $26,500 | $22,020 | $33,500 | 350 | N/A |
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers, that changes the ranking: New York leads on raw pay at $79,380, while Minnesota leads once prices are taken into account at $76,069.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers the most?
New York reports the highest median wage for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers at $79,380 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by California ($79,000) and Connecticut ($78,640).
Which state pays Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers the least?
Puerto Rico reports the lowest median for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers at $26,500 a year, $52,880 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts Minnesota first at $76,069 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $75,020. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
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