Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers Salaries by State
Mean and median pay, wage percentiles, employment, and top-paying metro areas for mental health and substance abuse social workerss across the U.S. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 (data.bls.gov OEWS tool /OESServices/combo/table, all-occupation crawl by area).
Job Outlook, 2024–2034
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034.
Salary Map
Brighter tiles = higher average pay; dashed tiles have no data. Click a state for details.
💰 Top 5 Highest-Paying States
- California$91,050
- New York$86,110
- District of Columbia$83,340
- Connecticut$78,250
- Rhode Island$76,970
📉 5 Lowest-Paying States
- Oklahoma$43,230
- South Carolina$43,820
- Kentucky$45,280
- Alabama$45,480
- Nebraska$45,760
State Rankings
| # | State | Mean | Median | Hourly | vs. U.S. | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $91,050 | $79,000 | $44 | +33.8% | 19,860 |
| 2 | New York | $86,110 | $79,380 | $41 | +26.6% | 14,820 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $83,340 | $73,310 | $40 | +22.5% | 510 |
| 4 | Connecticut | $78,250 | $78,640 | $38 | +15% | 1,540 |
| 5 | Rhode Island | $76,970 | $60,990 | $37 | +13.1% | 800 |
| 6 | Vermont | $76,580 | $73,210 | $37 | +12.6% | 320 |
| 7 | New Hampshire | $75,280 | $63,900 | $36 | +10.7% | 320 |
| 8 | Minnesota | $74,420 | $75,020 | $36 | +9.4% | 3,590 |
| 9 | Oregon | $73,050 | $68,210 | $35 | +7.4% | 2,230 |
| 10 | Maryland | $72,980 | $73,580 | $35 | +7.3% | 2,250 |
| 11 | Virginia | $72,020 | $64,240 | $35 | +5.9% | 3,670 |
| 12 | Washington | $71,710 | $70,460 | $34 | +5.4% | 3,490 |
| 13 | New Jersey | $70,930 | $66,590 | $34 | +4.3% | 2,420 |
| 14 | New Mexico | $69,720 | $65,640 | $34 | +2.5% | 800 |
| 15 | Massachusetts | $69,710 | $62,500 | $34 | +2.5% | 7,440 |
| 16 | Colorado | $69,200 | $65,620 | $33 | +1.7% | 1,640 |
| 17 | Wyoming | $65,400 | $59,310 | $31 | -3.9% | 200 |
| 18 | Wisconsin | $64,960 | $61,860 | $31 | -4.5% | 1,880 |
| 19 | Maine | $64,330 | $57,050 | $31 | -5.4% | 1,860 |
| 20 | Nevada | $63,790 | $62,900 | $31 | -6.2% | 1,100 |
| 21 | Utah | $63,570 | $50,770 | $31 | -6.6% | 1,240 |
| 22 | Arkansas | $63,300 | $58,590 | $30 | -7% | 1,040 |
| 23 | Michigan | $62,940 | $60,830 | $30 | -7.5% | 4,620 |
| 24 | North Dakota | $62,610 | $60,980 | $30 | -8% | 240 |
| 25 | Hawaii | $62,340 | $54,390 | $30 | -8.4% | — |
| 26 | Delaware | $62,090 | $60,060 | $30 | -8.7% | 510 |
| 27 | Idaho | $60,720 | $52,520 | $29 | -10.7% | 510 |
| 28 | Alaska | $60,380 | $56,710 | $29 | -11.2% | 250 |
| 29 | Kansas | $60,380 | $56,330 | $29 | -11.2% | 1,620 |
| 30 | North Carolina | $59,880 | $58,210 | $29 | -12% | 3,690 |
| 31 | Illinois | $58,130 | $49,960 | $28 | -14.6% | 3,460 |
| 32 | Georgia | $57,470 | $52,030 | $28 | -15.5% | 1,330 |
| 33 | Iowa | $57,330 | $48,530 | $28 | -15.7% | 1,200 |
| 34 | Florida | $55,310 | $51,590 | $27 | -18.7% | 5,150 |
| 35 | Indiana | $53,990 | $48,300 | $26 | -20.6% | 2,490 |
| 36 | Missouri | $53,470 | $49,560 | $26 | -21.4% | 1,640 |
| 37 | Texas | $53,450 | $46,630 | $26 | -21.4% | 8,220 |
| 38 | South Dakota | $53,400 | $48,920 | $26 | -21.5% | 230 |
| 39 | Pennsylvania | $52,850 | $48,290 | $25 | -22.3% | 3,500 |
| 40 | Montana | $52,180 | $45,160 | $25 | -23.3% | 740 |
| 41 | West Virginia | $52,000 | $50,070 | $25 | -23.6% | 420 |
| 42 | Ohio | $51,110 | $46,080 | $25 | -24.9% | 6,050 |
| 43 | Louisiana | $51,070 | $47,100 | $25 | -24.9% | 970 |
| 44 | Mississippi | $50,750 | $48,970 | $24 | -25.4% | 920 |
| 45 | Arizona | $50,630 | $46,380 | $24 | -25.6% | 3,690 |
| 46 | Tennessee | $50,000 | $46,500 | $24 | -26.5% | 2,220 |
| 47 | Nebraska | $45,760 | $43,240 | $22 | -32.7% | 900 |
| 48 | Alabama | $45,480 | $41,500 | $22 | -33.1% | 740 |
| 49 | Kentucky | $45,280 | $42,570 | $22 | -33.4% | 1,360 |
| 50 | South Carolina | $43,820 | $39,930 | $21 | -35.6% | 720 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | $43,230 | $43,120 | $21 | -36.5% | 1,780 |
Top-Paying Metro Areas
Highest median pay among 402 metro areas.
| # | Metro area | Median | Mean | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vallejo, CA | $122,930 | $108,430 | 120 |
| 2 | Cheyenne, WY | $118,900 | $94,020 | 30 |
| 3 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $109,050 | $117,050 | 1,010 |
| 4 | San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | $98,800 | $109,030 | 140 |
| 5 | Salinas, CA | $97,200 | $93,880 | 100 |
| 6 | Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR | $96,420 | $88,450 | 130 |
| 7 | Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $93,920 | $94,570 | 40 |
| 8 | Hanford-Corcoran, CA | $91,730 | $92,740 | 80 |
| 9 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $87,550 | $109,530 | 1,990 |
| 10 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $87,370 | $94,450 | 1,310 |
Pay by Industry
Highest-paying industries employing mental health and substance abuse social workerss (BLS OEWS, by median).
| # | Industry | Median | Mean | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | General Medical and Surgical Hospitals, State Government Owned | $113,030 | $112,820 | 440 |
| 2 | Home Health Care Services | $103,900 | $109,910 | 660 |
| 3 | Direct Health and Medical Insurance Carriers | $94,720 | $92,750 | 500 |
| 4 | Insurance Carriers | $94,610 | $92,710 | 510 |
| 5 | Insurance Carriers and Related Activities | $94,250 | $90,850 | 550 |
| 6 | Sector 52 - Finance and Insurance | $94,250 | $90,790 | 550 |
| 7 | Educational Support Services, Privately Owned | $87,540 | $85,300 | — |
| 8 | Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations | $85,080 | $74,090 | 280 |
| 9 | General Medical and Surgical Hospitals, Local Government Owned | $83,250 | $88,280 | 1,320 |
| 10 | Hospitals, Local Government Owned | $82,590 | $84,890 | 1,480 |
| 11 | Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) | $82,450 | $84,710 | 660 |
| 12 | Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools, Privately Owned | $82,160 | $81,640 | 220 |
Workforce Deep-Dive
Distribution and demographics from Census ACS (2023, self-reported). Wage figures here are ACS averages and run lower than the authoritative BLS wages above; use them for shape, not exact pay.
Annual wage distribution
Pay by age band
Education level
Full-time vs part-time
Race / ethnicity
Top fields of study
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do mental health and substance abuse social workers make in the U.S.?
The median mental health and substance abuse social workers salary in the United States is $60,280 per year (mean $68,030), and about 80% earn between $39,740 and $104,170.
How much do mental health and substance abuse social workers make per hour?
Roughly $33 per hour, based on a mean annual wage of $68,030 and 2,080 work hours per year.
Which state pays mental health and substance abuse social workers the most?
California has the highest average pay for mental health and substance abuse social workers at $91,050 per year (median $79,000).
What is the job outlook for mental health and substance abuse social workers?
Employment is projected to change +9.7% from 2024 to 2034 (Much faster than average), with about 13,500 openings per year.
What People Search
Common U.S. search queries related to this occupation.