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.
School Social Worker Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
The median pay for Child, Family, and School Social Workers is $59,550 a year ($28.63/hr), according to BLS OEWS, May 2025. Employment is projected to grow 3.4% through 2034, with about 35,100 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
SOC 21-1021Community and Social ServiceLast updated August 15, 2026
- Median pay
- $59,550
- Projected growth
- +3.4%
- Openings a year
- 35,100
- Typical education
- Bachelor's
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: Adoption Social Worker, Case Manager, Case Worker, Child Protective Services Social Worker (CPS Social Worker), Family Protection Specialist, Family Resource Coordinator.
How much do Child, Family, and School Social Workers make?
10th percentile$42,280
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$48,270
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$59,550
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$76,070
Upper quartile
90th percentile$95,530
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $59,550 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | $28.63/hr |
| Mean annual wage | $64,000 |
| People employed | 392,550 |
Versus all US occupations
At $59,550, Child, Family, and School Social Workers earn 17% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $8,570 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 $95,530 or more while the bottom 10% earn $42,280, a gap of 2.3×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 41% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
Connecticut pays the most at $78,970, and still leads at $76,219 once local prices are taken into account.
Which states pay Child, Family, and School Social Workers the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connecticut | $78,970 | $76,219 | 5,230 |
| Maryland | $76,390 | $72,781 | 4,710 |
| New Jersey | $76,280 | $70,107 | 7,360 |
| Massachusetts | $75,570 | $71,456 | 10,900 |
| Washington | $74,480 | $69,599 | 10,720 |
| District of Columbia | $73,550 | $66,924 | 2,430 |
| New Hampshire | $71,010 | $68,171 | 1,700 |
| Rhode Island | $69,870 | $68,312 | 2,450 |
| Hawaii | $68,270 | $62,091 | 1,170 |
| Minnesota | $67,450 | $68,393 | 6,540 |
Is School Social Worker a growing career?
Child, Family, and School Social Workers3.4%
All US occupations3.1%
+3.4% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
About as fast as average
BLS projects employment of Child, Family, and School Social Workers to change 3.4% over 2024–2034, against 3.1% projected for all occupations. That is 13,400 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 35,100 openings are projected each year, 8.8% of the 399,900 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 School 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 | Bachelor's degree |
|---|---|
| Preparation needed (O*NET job zone) | Medium preparation |
| Work experience in a related occupation | None |
| Typical on-the-job training | None |
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as child, family, and school social workers.
- Bachelor's Degree68.7%
- Master's Degree25.8%
- Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)5.5%
What does a School Social Worker do?
Provide social services and assistance to improve the social and psychological functioning of children and their families and to maximize the family well-being and the academic functioning of children. May assist parents, arrange adoptions, and find foster homes for abandoned or abused children. In schools, they address such problems as teenage pregnancy, misbehavior, and truancy. May also advise teachers.
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
- Refer clients to community resources for services, such as job placement, debt counseling, legal aid, housing, medical treatment, or financial assistance, and provide concrete information, such as where to go and how to apply.
- Provide, find, or arrange for support services, such as child care, homemaker service, prenatal care, substance abuse treatment, job training, counseling, or parenting classes to prevent more serious problems from developing.
- Maintain case history records and prepare reports.
- Interview clients individually, in families, or in groups, assessing their situations, capabilities, and problems to determine what services are required to meet their needs.
- Consult with parents, teachers, and other school personnel to determine causes of problems, such as truancy and misbehavior, and to implement solutions.
- Develop and review service plans in consultation with clients and perform follow-ups assessing the quantity and quality of services provided.
- Counsel individuals, groups, families, or communities regarding issues including mental health, poverty, unemployment, substance abuse, physical abuse, rehabilitation, social adjustment, child care, or medical care.
- Collect supplementary information needed to assist client, such as employment records, medical records, or school reports.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Core skills
- Active Listening4.9/5
- Speaking4.5/5
- Critical Thinking4.1/5
- Reading Comprehension4.0/5
- Monitoring3.9/5
- Writing3.8/5
- Active Learning3.4/5
- Learning Strategies3.1/5
Transferable skills
- Social Perceptiveness4.1/5
- Service Orientation4.0/5
- Judgment and Decision Making4.0/5
- Complex Problem Solving3.9/5
- Coordination3.8/5
- Persuasion3.8/5
- Negotiation3.8/5
- Time Management3.8/5
Tools and software
- Data base user interface and query 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
- Computer based training 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 School Social Worker?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realistic1.7
Investigativeprimary3.3
Artistic2.9
Socialprimary6.8
Enterprising2.9
Conventionalprimary3.6
Day to day this is work built around teaching, helping and working directly with other people, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with 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.
School Social Worker: frequently asked questions
How much do Child, Family, and School Social Workers make?
Child, Family, and School Social Workers earn a median of $59,550 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 17% above the $50,980 US median across all occupations. That works out at $28.63/hr. The middle half earn between $48,270 and $76,070. The top 10% earn $95,530 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a School Social Worker?
Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Child, Family, and School Social Workers, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as medium preparation. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 68.7% hold bachelor's degree.
Is School Social Worker a growing career?
It is stable rather than fast-growing: employment is projected to change 3.4% over 2024–2034, about the same as the 3.1% projected across all occupations (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 35,100 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a School Social Worker do?
Social workers help individuals, groups, and families prevent and cope with problems in their everyday lives. A core O*NET task: refer clients to community resources for services, such as job placement, debt counseling, legal aid, housing, medical treatment, or financial assistance, and provide concrete information, such as where to go and how to apply. Employers most often ask for Data base user interface and query software, Electronic mail software, Office suite software.
Which states pay Child, Family, and School Social Workers the most?
The highest state medians for Child, Family, and School Social Workers are Connecticut ($78,970), Maryland ($76,390), New Jersey ($76,280) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits a School Social Worker?
O*NET scores Child, Family, and School Social Workers highest on the Social, Conventional and Investigative interest areas, so the work mixes teaching, helping and working directly with other people with organising, following procedures and working precisely with 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.