What Are the Highest Paying Social Work Jobs?

Social work professionals use their training to help people overcome the challenges they face in their daily lives. They work with schools, hospitals, nonprofit organizations, and private practices to ensure the social well-being of individuals and communities. Becoming a social worker can be rewarding if you enjoy helping people in vulnerable, oppressive, or disadvantaged positions improve their lives. 

Explore some of the highest-paying social work jobs and the qualifications for each role below. 

What is social work?

Social work is a field dedicated to helping people, particularly vulnerable or impoverished people, get what they need to live and succeed. With training in psychology, health education, and criminal justice, social workers help their clients in various ways. As a social worker, you may connect people to community or government programs that assist, run individual or group therapy sessions or work with community organizations to implement programs with wide-ranging social benefits. 

Social work aims to help clients feel better and overcome their difficulties. Through counseling, intervention programs, and other tools, social workers help clients adjust to new challenges, fight for justice, and connect with resources to improve their lives.

Read more: What Does a Social Worker Do (and How Do I Become One)?

What is a typical social work salary?

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median pay for all social workers in 2023 was $58,380 per year or $28.07 per hour [1]. However, with so many kinds of social workers available, pay varies greatly by each profession and the state you work in. Because social workers can work in both the public and private sectors, their salaries vary depending on several factors. Data from BLS reports that, on average, the lowest-paid social workers in the US earned less than $38,400 as of May 2023, while the highest 10 percent earned over $94,910 [2].

High-paying social work jobs

Social work is a fast-growing field that BLS anticipates will rise 7 percent from 2023 to 2033. [1]. 

With many specialties to choose from within the field and different factors affecting wages in the US, social work jobs vary regarding salary in each role. For example, wages may vary based on location, including your city and state. According to Indeed, the cities  with the highest-paid social workers include [3]:

• Washington DC: $79,948

• Atlanta, GA: $69.376

• New York, NY: $68,897

• Bronx, NY: $65,552

• Philadelphia, PA: $65.434

• Brooklyn, NY: $64,557

Discover the highest-paying social worker positions and the responsibilities of each role:

Health services and medical manager

Average  annual US salary: $88,954 [4]

Job outlook (projected growth from 2023 to 2033): 29 percent [5]

Health services managers, also called medical managers, have similar responsibilities to healthcare administrators. As a health services manager, you will implement, oversee, and coordinate specific services for a hospital or health care organization, such as a nursing home or medical office. 

If you’re interested in applying the principles and ideas of social work, this role may be a good fit for you. Health services managers use their field knowledge to inform business decisions, supervise staff, and adjust or design programs. 

To qualify for this position, you must have a social work and administrative experience background. The job can require managing budgets, recruiting workers, and developing departmental goals, all of which fall outside the purview of some other social work positions. 

Executive director 

Average  annual US salary): $109,986 [6]

Job outlook (projected growth from 2023 to 2033): 6 percent [7]

Executive directors of nonprofit organizations, sometimes known as directors of social work, run health care or nonprofit institutions. In this role, you oversee daily organizational operations, help coordinate services for clientele, and often work to create and implement policies or plans that improve social welfare. 

While some executive directors continue to work with individuals or groups, it is not always part of the job. Instead, executive directors often act as champions for their institutions by explaining to key stakeholders the work their institutions are doing and helping with fundraising efforts. 

Social and Community Service Manager

Average  annual US salary: $70,411 [8]

Job outlook (projected growth from 2023 to 2033): 8 percent [9]

Social and community service managers create and implement programs or organizations designed to benefit groups of people or communities. These groups can include any underserved or at-risk community, such as veterans, children, the unhoused, or the hungry. Social and community service managers often work one-on-one with members of the community while collecting data to improve programs or organizations designed to benefit the affected group. 

To become a social and community service manager, you must earn a bachelor’s degree, although many employers prefer to hire candidates with a master’s in social work. 

Professor of Social Work

Average annual US salary: $94,563  [10]

Job outlook (projected growth from 2023 to 2033): 8 percent [11]

If you enjoy research and teaching, you could choose to pursue the career path of a professor of social work. As a professor of social work, you’ll develop the curriculum, teach students at the postsecondary level, research trends and ideas within social work, and serve on various committees related to teaching, research, and service.  

Becoming a professor of social work allows you to focus your work on specific areas. For example, if you are particularly interested in environmental justice, trauma-informed care, or anti-poverty programs, becoming a professor of social work is a great way to delve deeply into the subject. This career also allows you to interact with others who are equally as invested in your area. Professors of social work typically have degrees in the field, usually a PhD in social work. In addition to academic qualifications, many have spent time as professional social workers. 

Clinical social worker

Average  annual US salary: $82,926  [12]

Job outlook (projected growth from 2023 to 2033): 7 percent [13]

Clinical social workers operate similarly to therapists, providing mental health services to individuals or groups. If you enjoy working one-on-one with patients to improve their lives, becoming a clinical social worker will allow you to get direct experience with disadvantaged members of the community who may be suffering from trauma, dysfunctional home life, mental and physical illnesses, and more. 

Clinical social workers rely on extensive education and training to diagnose individuals and create treatment plans to improve their welfare. Unlike therapists, however, clinical social workers often work alongside others, such as teachers and family members, to fully understand and help their clients. 

Given the serious and sensitive nature of the work, clinical social workers must have a master’s degree and get licensed in their states to practice. To get a license, you must earn a master’s degree in social work, complete clinical experience requirements, and pass an exam from the Association of Social Work Boards. Exact requirements vary from state to state. 

Read more: What Degree Do You Need to Become a Social Worker?

Next steps in social work

When you work in the social work field, your average annual earnings vary based on your location and specific job. To maximize your earnings, consider choosing a social work specialty with a higher-than-average salary or continuing your education to qualify for higher-earning roles.

If you think social work may be the right career, an online course or certificate may help you prepare and expand your knowledge. Consider the University of Michigan’s Social Work Practice: Advocating Social Justice and Change course on Coursera to further your understanding of different social work roles.