Healthcare social workers

Detailed Occupation

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2020 Workforce

96.8k

Average Age

43.9

Estimated Job Growth

14.4%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$49,475

Average Male Salary

$48,592

Average Female Salary

$49,739

About

Healthcare social workers are most often employed by the Individual & family services industry. The average yearly wage for Healthcare social workers was $49,475 in 2020.

The locations that employ the most Healthcare social workers are Forest Acres City & Dentsville PUMA, SC, Thornton Township PUMA, IL, and Rapides & Vernon Parishes PUMA, LA. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Healthcare social workers are Medford & Central Point Cities PUMA, OR, Thornton Township PUMA, IL, and Rapides & Vernon Parishes PUMA, LA.

Management, business, science, & arts occupations Community & Social Service Occupations Education, legal, community service, arts, & media occupations

Employment and salary information for the Healthcare social workers workforce. Healthcare social workers workforce in 2020 was 96,829 people, of which 77% were women and 23% were men. Healthcare social workers are paid most in Clinton, Fort Washington (South), Rosaryville & Croom PUMA, MD but are relatively concentrated in Medford & Central Point Cities PUMA, OR.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

22,290

Male Workforce

± 3.67k

74,539

Female Workforce

± 6.7k

The Healthcare social workers workforce in 2020 was 96,829 people (77% women and 23% men). This implies an average annual growth of −4.09% between 2018 (100,956) and 2020 (96,829).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

This map shows the states in the United States shaded by average wage for Healthcare social workers.

During 2020, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were Rhode Island ($67,508), Nevada ($65,493), and District of Columbia ($64,300).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$49,475

AVERAGE WAGE

#267 in the ranking (2020)

$55,954

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2020, Healthcare social workers earned an average of $49,475, $6,479 less than the average national salary of $55,954

The graph shows the ranking of Healthcare social workers in relation to all Detailed Occupation in 2020.

Wage Distribution

Gender

0.293

WAGE GINI

In 2020, Healthcare social workers had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.293, which is lower than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Healthcare social workers (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

The graphic shows the distribution of average salaries by buckets for Healthcare social workers compared to the entire workforce in the country.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Healthcare social workers and on wages for those in the field. Individual & family services is the industry that employs the most Healthcare social workers, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Healthcare social workers, by average wage, is Management, scientific & technical consulting services ($92,485).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

96.8k

2020 Workforce

± 7,637

−0.113%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 11.2%

This graphic shows the share of Healthcare social workers employed by various industries. Individual & family services employs the largest share of Healthcare social workers at 59.6%, followed by Residential care facilities, except skilled nursing facilities with 26.8% and General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals with 13.6%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Healthcare social workers in the US. The workforce of Healthcare social workers in 2020 was 96,829 people, with 77% woman, and 23% men. The average age of male Healthcare social workers in the workforce is 44.4 and of female Healthcare social workers is 43.8, and the most common race/ethnicity for Healthcare social workers is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Healthcare social workers in 2020 was 96,829 people, with 77% woman, and 23% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 30 to 34 years (12,913 people), 35 to 39 years (12,874 people), and 40 to 44 years (11,014 people). Among them they concentrated 38.1% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2020, 13.7% of Healthcare social workers workers were Hispanic and 86.3% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (75.5%), Puerto Rican (17.6)%, and Salvadoran (6.95)%

You can review this information by gender using the selectors above.

Races

In 2020, 64.1% of the Healthcare social workers workforce were White, of which 79.2% were women and 20.8% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Black (24%) and Two or More Races (4.37%).

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices for Healthcare social workers from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Healthcare social workers is Public Administration and Social Service but the most specialized major according to RCA in 2020 were Public Administration and Social Service.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

Type of Majors

Degree

The most common majors achieved by Healthcare social workers in 2020 (counting all academic degrees) were Public Administration and Social Service (15,952 people), Psychology (14,097 people), and Social Sciences (6,332 people).

You can review this information for different academic grades by modifying the option selected in the selector above.

Education Levels

Metric

The main educational levels achieved by the Healthcare social workers workers were Graduate Degree (34,894 people), Bachelors Degree (28,841 people), and Some college (12,168 people).

The graphic shows the Healthcare social workers workforce by gender and educational level.

Projections

Projections on job growth for Healthcare Social Workers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.71%, but Healthcare Social Workers are expected to see a growth of 14.4% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow more than the national average.

Job Growth

14.4%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.71%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Healthcare social workers. This profession is expected to grow more than than 3.71%, the average rate of national job growth.