Social Work Salary Explorer
Real salary data from thousands of social workers across the 🇺🇸 United States. Sourced from publicly available self-reported compensation data (2021–2026).
Explore salary data1,937
Salary Reports
52
States Covered
$71,582
Average Salary
2021-2026
Date Range
Salary Insights
A preview of the data. Head to the Explore page to filter and dig deeper.
Which credentials pay the most?
Average annual salary by license type, based on self-reported data
How have social work salaries changed over time?
Average reported salary over time, tracked across survey periods from 2021 to 2026
Smaller, lighter dots indicate fewer reports — interpret with caution
Browse salaries by credential
Explore detailed salary data, charts, and FAQs for each social work credential.
LCSW
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
$86,103
LICSW
Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker
$89,081
LISW
Licensed Independent Social Worker
$70,440
LMSW
Licensed Master Social Worker
$66,772
MSW
Master of Social Work
$66,573
BSW
Bachelor of Social Work
$56,222
LSW
Licensed Social Worker
$62,802
ASW
Associate Social Worker
$74,172
DSW
Doctor of Social Work
LMFT
Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist
Browse salaries by state
See how social work salaries compare across the United States.
District of Columbia
$109,430
20 reports
California
$91,958
155 reports
Nevada
$75,083
6 reports
New Jersey
$73,599
42 reports
New York
$72,432
120 reports
Oregon
$72,135
25 reports
Massachusetts
$71,543
42 reports
Colorado
$71,483
22 reports
Washington
$71,353
45 reports
Texas
$71,319
58 reports
Montana
$69,333
3 reports
Utah
$68,593
6 reports
Virginia
$67,889
18 reports
Arizona
$67,709
18 reports
Minnesota
$67,068
27 reports
Hawaii
$66,500
3 reports
Maryland
$65,850
40 reports
Michigan
$65,454
38 reports
Georgia
$64,801
20 reports
Florida
$63,106
36 reports
About this data
This tool aggregates publicly available, self-reported salary data shared by social workers in online professional communities between 2021 and 2026. Contributors voluntarily share their compensation details including salary, credentials, location, and work setting.
The dataset includes responses from holders of credentials such as LCSW, LMSW, MSW, BSW, LSW, LICSW, LISW, ASW, DSW, and LMFT, across 52 US states and a wide range of practice settings — from hospitals and private practice to schools, community mental health, and government agencies. We normalize credential names and work settings to provide meaningful comparisons across the profession.
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