Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2011

21-1022 Healthcare Social Workers

Provide individuals, families, and groups with the psychosocial support needed to cope with chronic, acute, or terminal illnesses. Services include advising family care givers, providing patient education and counseling, and making referrals for other services. May also provide care and case management or interventions designed to promote health, prevent disease, and address barriers to access to healthcare.


National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
133,890 1.0 % $24.28 $50,500 0.4 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $14.98 $18.56 $23.37 $28.98 $35.11
Annual Wage (2) $31,160 $38,610 $48,620 $60,280 $73,040


Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 37,400 0.72 $26.95 $56,060
Individual and Family Services 15,800 1.26 $20.22 $42,050
Nursing Care Facilities 15,420 0.92 $21.74 $45,230
Home Health Care Services 15,050 1.34 $26.45 $55,020
Local Government (OES Designation) 8,990 0.16 $23.06 $47,960

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Home Health Care Services 15,050 1.34 $26.45 $55,020
Individual and Family Services 15,800 1.26 $20.22 $42,050
Outpatient Care Centers 7,480 1.22 $24.60 $51,180
Grantmaking and Giving Services 1,340 1.05 $23.31 $48,490
Nursing Care Facilities 15,420 0.92 $21.74 $45,230

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 60 0.01 $32.68 $67,970
Scientific Research and Development Services 200 0.03 $28.99 $60,300
Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals 1,900 0.86 $28.55 $59,380
Employment Services 1,270 0.04 $27.16 $56,490
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 37,400 0.72 $26.95 $56,060


Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 12,300 0.88 0.84 $29.08 $60,490
New York 10,230 1.21 1.16 $26.19 $54,480
Massachusetts 9,970 3.16 3.02 $25.53 $53,100
Texas 7,580 0.74 0.70 $25.57 $53,180
Pennsylvania 7,570 1.36 1.31 $22.67 $47,150




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Massachusetts 9,970 3.16 3.02 $25.53 $53,100
Delaware 820 2.02 1.94 $21.94 $45,630
Missouri 4,580 1.77 1.69 $20.08 $41,770
Mississippi 1,670 1.56 1.49 $18.99 $39,490
Connecticut 2,300 1.43 1.37 $29.06 $60,440




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
District of Columbia 320 0.50 0.48 $34.20 $71,130
Nevada 710 0.64 0.61 $32.18 $66,930
California 12,300 0.88 0.84 $29.08 $60,490
Connecticut 2,300 1.43 1.37 $29.06 $60,440
Maryland 2,820 1.14 1.09 $28.76 $59,830





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 6,880 1.36 1.30 $27.36 $56,910
Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA NECTA Division 3,800 2.27 2.18 $25.78 $53,620
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 3,140 0.82 0.79 $27.63 $57,480
Philadelphia, PA Metropolitan Division 2,970 1.63 1.57 $26.05 $54,190
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL Metropolitan Division 2,840 0.79 0.76 $25.24 $52,490
St. Louis, MO-IL 2,290 1.81 1.73 $21.22 $44,130
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA 2,070 0.93 0.89 $23.57 $49,020
Baltimore-Towson, MD 1,830 1.46 1.40 $28.78 $59,860
Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, AZ 1,600 0.94 0.90 $24.28 $50,500
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX 1,600 0.63 0.60 $28.12 $58,490




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Lawrence-Methuen-Salem, MA-NH NECTA Division 470 7.82 7.50 $24.43 $50,810
Pittsfield, MA 210 6.30 6.03 $25.41 $52,840
Leominster-Fitchburg-Gardner, MA 290 6.18 5.92 $21.25 $44,210
New Bedford, MA 310 4.95 4.75 $26.78 $55,700
Peabody, MA NECTA Division 460 4.61 4.42 $26.88 $55,910
Worcester, MA-CT 1,020 4.23 4.05 $26.04 $54,170
Brockton-Bridgewater-Easton, MA NECTA Division 340 3.91 3.75 $25.81 $53,690
Springfield, MA-CT 1,090 3.80 3.65 $26.88 $55,900
Hattiesburg, MS 210 3.75 3.60 $15.90 $33,070
La Crosse, WI-MN 270 3.74 3.58 $23.78 $49,470




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Burlington-South Burlington, VT 70 0.62 0.60 $41.15 $85,590
Sherman-Denison, TX 40 1.02 0.97 $37.55 $78,090
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA 90 0.77 0.74 $35.76 $74,370
Las Vegas-Paradise, NV 450 0.55 0.53 $34.36 $71,460
San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, CA Metropolitan Division 820 0.85 0.82 $32.58 $67,760
Visalia-Porterville, CA 90 0.66 0.63 $32.55 $67,700
Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA 120 0.72 0.69 $31.91 $66,360
Waterbury, CT 110 1.75 1.68 $31.65 $65,840
Oakland-Fremont-Hayward, CA Metropolitan Division 1,090 1.14 1.09 $31.64 $65,820
Stockton, CA 140 0.72 0.69 $31.58 $65,680

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southeast Missouri nonmetropolitan area 540 3.44 3.29 $13.46 $27,990
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 390 1.02 0.98 $19.29 $40,120
East Central Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area 360 1.54 1.48 $17.65 $36,710
Western North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 310 1.69 1.62 $20.81 $43,280
Southeast Iowa nonmetropolitan area 310 1.39 1.33 $21.31 $44,320

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Nantucket Island and Martha's Vineyard nonmetropolitan area 50 3.47 3.33 $24.10 $50,130
Southeast Missouri nonmetropolitan area 540 3.44 3.29 $13.46 $27,990
Eastern Washington nonmetropolitan area 160 2.71 2.59 $24.88 $51,760
Sussex County, Delaware nonmetropolitan area 180 2.57 2.46 $20.93 $43,530
Northern Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area 150 2.17 2.08 $23.75 $49,390

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northwestern Connecticut nonmetropolitan area 40 1.02 0.97 $30.71 $63,870
Coastal Oregon nonmetropolitan area 40 0.66 0.63 $29.25 $60,850
Western New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area 60 0.96 0.92 $28.48 $59,230
North Central Texas nonmetropolitan area 60 0.77 0.73 $28.33 $58,930
Southeast Alaska nonmetropolitan area 50 1.32 1.27 $27.67 $57,550


About May 2011 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate--50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2011 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2011 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped XLS files

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 27, 2012