Social and Human Service Assistant Salary (2026), outlook and how to become one

Social and Human Service Assistants earn a median of $45,930 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 10% below the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $22.08/hr. The middle half earn between $38,150 and $54,350. The top 10% earn $63,290 or more.

The median hourly wage for social and human service assistants is $22.08 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). On a full-year basis the $45,930 annual median works out to about $3,830 a month before tax.

BLS does not publish a starting salary. The nearest measure is the low end of the pay range: the lowest-paid 10% of social and human service assistants earn less than $34,200 a year and the bottom quarter less than $38,150 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). New workers often start near that end, but where a particular job starts depends on the employer, the state and the credentials you bring, so read these as the bottom of the range rather than a guaranteed entry wage.

The highest state medians for Social and Human Service Assistants are District of Columbia ($59,460), Washington ($54,770), Oregon ($51,230) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

BLS does not split social and human service assistants' pay by specialty or employer, but its range shows how far the top end runs: the highest-paid 10% earn more than $63,290, against a median of $45,930 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Location moves pay the most in the published data: the best-paying states are District of Columbia ($59,460), Washington ($54,770), Oregon ($51,230). BLS also counts 9 specialty careers inside this occupation (community organizer, crisis counselor, forensic interviewer, long-term care ombudsman), which share its federal pay figures.

No. A bachelor's degree is not the norm: BLS reports a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education for Social and Human Service Assistants. BLS also lists short-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 39.4% hold bachelor's degree.

BLS does not publish a fixed length; it depends on the route. What it does publish: the typical way in for social and human service assistants is a high school diploma or equivalent. Once hired, BLS lists short-term on-the-job training as typical. O*NET classes the work as needing considerable preparation.

Yes, strongly. Employment is projected to grow 7.4% over 2025–2035, more than double the 3.5% projected for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 48,900 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.

Social and human service assistants provide client services, including support for families, in a wide variety of fields, such as psychology, rehabilitation, and social work. A core O*NET task: provide information or refer individuals to public or private agencies or community services for assistance. Employers most often ask for Data base user interface and query software, Electronic mail software, Medical software.

A 40-hour week is the most common pattern, though not a majority. In O*NET's survey of people in the job, 16% of social and human service assistants usually work more than 40 hours a week, 50% work exactly 40 and 34% work fewer. 84% say their schedule is regular and 16% irregular. Source: O*NET 31.0 Database, Work Context.

O*NET scores Social and Human Service Assistants highest on the Social, Conventional and Enterprising 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 that lines up most closely with ESFJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.

Women make up 75.2% of social and human service assistants, against 47.1% of all employed people: a female-dominated occupation. 20.5% are 55 or older, close to the 23.2% across all jobs. The median worker is 41.1 years old (all workers: 42.1). Source: BLS Current Population Survey, 2025 annual averages.