Pay by state · 54 states
School Social Worker Salary by State (2026)
Child, Family, and School Social Workers earn the most in Connecticut at $78,970 a year and the least in Arkansas at $43,330 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $59,550. All 54 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $78,970Connecticut
- National median
- $59,550BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $43,330Arkansas
- States reporting
- 54of 54 OEWS areas
All states
School Social Worker salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of child, family, and school social workers OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CTConnecticut | $78,970 | $62,030 | $100,510 | 5,230 | $76,219 |
| 2 | MDMaryland | $76,390 | $56,920 | $93,940 | 4,710 | $72,781 |
| 3 | NJNew Jersey | $76,280 | $59,530 | $97,500 | 7,360 | $70,107 |
| 4 | MAMassachusetts | $75,570 | $61,150 | $94,650 | 10,900 | $71,456 |
| 5 | WAWashington | $74,480 | $58,920 | $86,700 | 10,720 | $69,599 |
| 6 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $73,550 | $59,730 | $99,500 | 2,430 | $66,924 |
| 7 | NHNew Hampshire | $71,010 | $50,680 | $80,810 | 1,700 | $68,171 |
| 8 | RIRhode Island | $69,870 | $50,760 | $85,770 | 2,450 | $68,312 |
| 9 | HIHawaii | $68,270 | $58,290 | $79,860 | 1,170 | $62,091 |
| 10 | MNMinnesota | $67,450 | $56,510 | $81,720 | 6,540 | $68,393 |
| 11 | VTVermont | $67,340 | $58,570 | $74,940 | 640 | $68,744 |
| 12 | CACalifornia | $65,200 | $52,270 | $82,080 | 60,310 | $58,887 |
| 13 | NYNew York | $65,100 | $56,230 | $79,510 | 30,170 | $60,322 |
| 14 | NDNorth Dakota | $64,560 | $57,070 | $74,520 | 870 | $72,573 |
| 15 | OROregon | $64,130 | $54,420 | $80,130 | 6,630 | $62,045 |
| 16 | COColorado | $63,720 | $51,540 | $82,820 | 8,200 | $61,833 |
| 17 | MEMaine | $63,290 | $56,720 | $76,630 | 2,000 | $65,214 |
| 18 | ILIllinois | $63,220 | $52,320 | $81,650 | 19,860 | $63,247 |
| 19 | AKAlaska | $62,630 | $50,590 | $76,290 | 1,260 | $61,187 |
| 20 | VAVirginia | $61,330 | $49,600 | $78,530 | 9,410 | $60,660 |
| 21 | NVNevada | $61,080 | $49,960 | $76,630 | 4,030 | $61,093 |
| 22 | IDIdaho | $59,840 | $47,860 | $74,190 | 810 | $62,664 |
| 23 | NCNorth Carolina | $59,610 | $49,010 | $68,120 | 13,010 | $63,196 |
| 24 | WIWisconsin | $59,280 | $47,980 | $70,010 | 5,710 | $63,000 |
| 25 | MIMichigan | $59,270 | $47,740 | $75,380 | 15,760 | $61,600 |
| 26 | KYKentucky | $59,100 | $46,230 | $67,260 | 8,470 | $65,551 |
| 27 | LALouisiana | $56,800 | $41,640 | $63,310 | 1,110 | $64,394 |
| 28 | MTMontana | $56,780 | $45,380 | $59,520 | 1,250 | $59,993 |
| 29 | FLFlorida | $56,550 | $47,130 | $64,940 | 14,000 | $54,683 |
| 30 | WYWyoming | $56,420 | $36,680 | $61,490 | 710 | $60,869 |
| 31 | TNTennessee | $56,310 | $46,660 | $68,720 | 7,870 | $61,293 |
| 32 | NMNew Mexico | $56,160 | $45,470 | $78,090 | 2,990 | $60,903 |
| 33 | TXTexas | $55,680 | $46,330 | $63,870 | 21,670 | $57,368 |
| 34 | GUGuam | $54,910 | $37,920 | $59,160 | 80 | N/A |
| 35 | KSKansas | $54,300 | $48,050 | $61,470 | 3,190 | $60,288 |
| 36 | IAIowa | $52,250 | $45,460 | $65,040 | 3,410 | $59,536 |
| 37 | WVWest Virginia | $52,220 | $45,510 | $58,720 | 2,380 | $58,348 |
| 38 | UTUtah | $52,000 | $43,410 | $73,230 | 1,930 | $52,598 |
| 39 | SCSouth Carolina | $51,800 | $44,810 | $57,550 | 5,520 | $55,254 |
| 40 | OHOhio | $51,520 | $47,310 | $61,160 | 16,050 | $55,533 |
| 41 | SDSouth Dakota | $51,100 | $46,010 | $59,100 | 2,050 | $57,684 |
| 42 | PAPennsylvania | $50,820 | $44,700 | $63,480 | 16,200 | $52,085 |
| 43 | VIU.S. Virgin Islands | $50,810 | $47,180 | $59,990 | 30 | N/A |
| 44 | INIndiana | $50,470 | $46,780 | $59,610 | 6,690 | $54,078 |
| 45 | AZArizona | $50,150 | $45,870 | $57,540 | 7,560 | $49,813 |
| 46 | DEDelaware | $48,520 | $47,440 | $58,670 | 910 | $48,613 |
| 47 | MOMissouri | $48,520 | $44,300 | $55,740 | 9,620 | $53,426 |
| 48 | NENebraska | $47,770 | $44,180 | $55,980 | 4,830 | $53,017 |
| 49 | GAGeorgia | $47,510 | $41,600 | $60,250 | 7,110 | $49,339 |
| 50 | ALAlabama | $46,660 | $41,890 | $59,560 | 4,220 | $52,531 |
| 51 | MSMississippi | $46,530 | $40,190 | $53,730 | 3,310 | $53,512 |
| 52 | OKOklahoma | $43,950 | $40,250 | $52,210 | 6,500 | $50,032 |
| 53 | PRPuerto Rico | $43,620 | $36,300 | $53,440 | 3,370 | N/A |
| 54 | ARArkansas | $43,330 | $37,350 | $52,130 | 1,150 | $49,841 |
Method
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 Child, Family, and School Social Workers, that changes the ranking: Connecticut leads on raw pay at $78,970, while Connecticut leads once prices are taken into account at $76,219.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
School Social Worker pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays Child, Family, and School Social Workers the most?
Connecticut reports the highest median wage for Child, Family, and School Social Workers at $78,970 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Maryland ($76,390) and New Jersey ($76,280).
Which state pays Child, Family, and School Social Workers the least?
Arkansas reports the lowest median for Child, Family, and School Social Workers at $43,330 a year, $35,640 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Child, Family, and School Social Workers earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts Connecticut first at $76,219 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $78,970. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.