Education & Social
What you can do with Social Work
Prepare to help individuals and communities navigate challenges and access resources.
- Careers
- 7
- Early career
- $43,000
- Mid-career
- $60,000
- Growing fast
- 4 of 7
How these numbers work: A major does not have its own salary. Early and mid-career pay is what people who hold this degree earn at the start of their careers and midway through them. Career pay comes from the 7 careers a Social Work degree commonly leads to, and counts everyone in those jobs, including people who have been doing them for thirty years. The two answer different questions, which is why they do not match.
The New York Fed does not report Social Work on its own. Its early and mid-career figures here are for Social Services, the broader group it places this major in.
54% of people with this degree go on to a graduate degree, so the higher-paying careers below usually mean more school after the bachelor's.
4 of 7 careers this degree leads to are projected to grow faster than average from 2024 to 2034. Of those, Human Services Assistant has the most openings, about 50,600 a year.
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7 careers this degree leads to
Community Services Manager
$80,390Lead the programs and nonprofits that serve communities: plan services, manage staff, and prove impact.
- Middle half of workers
- $64,290 to $103,200
- Growth
- Faster than average
- Openings a year
- 18,600
Work-life59Remote71- Program Management
- Grant Writing
- Staff Leadership
- Community Engagement
Marriage and Family Therapist
$66,940Treat emotional and behavioral challenges within the context of couples and family systems rather than the individual alone.
- Middle half of workers
- $50,070 to $93,840
- Growth
- Much faster than average
- Openings a year
- 7,700
Work-life72Remote59- Family Systems Therapy
- Active Listening
- Assessment
- Empathy
Probation Officer
$66,270Supervise and support people on probation or parole, balancing accountability with rehabilitation.
- Middle half of workers
- $54,250 to $84,780
- Growth
- About average
- Openings a year
- 7,900
Work-life65Remote60- Case Management
- Risk Assessment
- Counseling
- Report Writing
Social Worker
$59,550Help people cope with challenges in their lives and connect them to community resources.
- Middle half of workers
- $48,270 to $76,070
- Growth
- About average
- Openings a year
- 35,100
Work-life45Remote25Satisfaction66- Active Listening
- Case Management
- Crisis Intervention
- Cultural Competency
Mental Health Counselor
$59,350Counsel individuals and groups toward better mental and emotional health, with a strong emphasis on prevention and coping skills.
- Middle half of workers
- $47,100 to $76,530
- Growth
- Much faster than average
- Openings a year
- 48,300
Work-life68Remote12- Active Listening
- Counseling Techniques
- Treatment Planning
- Empathy
Rehabilitation Counselor
$46,850Help people with disabilities or injuries build independent lives and careers through counseling and vocational planning.
- Middle half of workers
- $38,770 to $59,260
- Growth
- Slower than average
- Openings a year
- 10,000
Work-life71Remote56- Vocational Assessment
- Counseling
- Case Management
- Active Listening
Human Services Assistant
$45,930Work directly with clients in social service programs, connecting people to benefits, housing, and support.
- Middle half of workers
- $38,150 to $54,350
- Growth
- Faster than average
- Openings a year
- 50,600
Work-life71Remote11- Case Support
- Client Advocacy
- Active Listening
- Documentation
Related majors
Set on Social Work?
Save it as your major and PlanexAI will shape your dashboard, career matches, and study plan around it.
Where these pay figures come from
Early and mid-career pay is the median annual wage of full-time workers who hold a bachelor's degree in that major, ages 22 to 27 and ages 35 to 45, from 2024 data. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (IPUMS). Published as Outcomes by Major by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Career pay is the annual wage of everyone working in that occupation, not only recent graduates, so it includes people who have done the job for decades. The middle half is the 25th to the 75th percentile. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET OnLine (median and percentile annual wages May 2025; employment projections 2024-2034).
All figures are national. What you earn depends on where you work, who you work for, and how far you take the degree.