Social workers, sometimes called case workers, help people overcome a variety of life's obstacles. Those that help families and children secure needed government assistance, such as welfare and food assistance money, are called child and family social workers. This job typically requires at least a bachelor's degree in social work.
National Average Pay
The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that child, family and school social workers earned an average of $21.78 an hour and $45,300 a year as of 2012. Half reported annual salaries ranging from $33,030 to $54,420. The lowest-paid 10 percent made $26,720 or less, while the highest-paid 10 percent of child and family social workers reported annual salaries of $71,000 or more.
Pay by Employment Situation
State and local governments employ more child and family social workers than any other entity. As of 2012, those working for local government agencies reported an average salary of $50,600, while child and family social workers employed by state governments averaged $44,270 per year. Those with private agencies offering services to families and individuals earned a relatively low average salary of $38,520 per year. Social workers working at elementary and secondary schools earned the most, an average of $59,620 per year.
Pay by Region
In general, child, family and school case workers earned the most in the West, Northeast and Great Lakes regions. Connecticut social workers reported the highest average salary in the country, $61,930 per year. New Jersey reported the second-highest average salary for this occupation, $61,090 per year. Other high-paying states included Minnesota at $57,770, Rhode Island at $57,380 and New York at $54,480. West Virginia reported the very lowest average salary for this occupation, $30,510 per year.
According to the BLS, the employment outlook for child, family and school social workers is positive. While the BLS expects the American economy to add jobs at an average rate of 14 percent between 2010 and 2020, it predicts that jobs for child and family social workers will grow at a rate of 20 percent, leading to an estimated 58,200 new jobs in the field by the end of the decade.
2016 Salary Information for Social Workers
Social workers earned a median annual salary of $47,460 in 2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. On the low end, social workers earned a 25th percentile salary of $36,790, meaning 75 percent earned more than this amount. The 75th percentile salary is $60,790, meaning 25 percent earn more. In 2016, 682,000 people were employed in the U.S. as social workers.