Social and Human Service Assistants Salaries by State

Mean and median pay, wage percentiles, employment, and top-paying metro areas for social and human service assistantss across the U.S. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 (data.bls.gov OEWS tool /OESServices/combo/table, all-occupation crawl by area).

National mean salary $47,690 ≈ $23/hr
National median salary $45,930
Total employment 437,860 nationwide

Job Outlook, 2024–2034

Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034.

Projected growth +6.4% Faster than average
Annual openings 50,600 per year (avg)
Employment 2024→2034 449,600 → 478,500 (+28,900)
Typical entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Salary Map

Brighter tiles = higher average pay; dashed tiles have no data. Click a state for details.

💰 Top 5 Highest-Paying States

  1. District of Columbia$60,770
  2. Washington$55,900
  3. California$55,100
  4. Oregon$52,980
  5. Alaska$52,420

📉 5 Lowest-Paying States

  1. Mississippi$32,850
  2. Alabama$37,240
  3. Louisiana$37,300
  4. Arkansas$37,560
  5. Oklahoma$38,910
#StateMeanMedian Hourlyvs. U.S.Employment
1 District of Columbia $60,770 $59,460 $29 +27.4% 2,080
2 Washington $55,900 $54,770 $27 +17.2% 7,590
3 California $55,100 $51,090 $26 +15.5% 58,730
4 Oregon $52,980 $51,230 $25 +11.1% 11,260
5 Alaska $52,420 $47,360 $25 +9.9% 1,370
6 Minnesota $52,370 $49,940 $25 +9.8% 11,110
7 New Jersey $51,770 $48,420 $25 +8.6% 17,270
8 Maryland $51,200 $47,210 $25 +7.4% 7,280
9 Rhode Island $50,870 $47,720 $24 +6.7% 2,290
10 Illinois $50,460 $46,950 $24 +5.8% 22,220
11 Massachusetts $50,430 $47,130 $24 +5.7% 9,180
12 Colorado $50,370 $47,690 $24 +5.6% 5,410
13 Wisconsin $50,360 $47,500 $24 +5.6% 7,750
14 Maine $49,470 $47,710 $24 +3.7% 4,580
15 New York $49,080 $47,190 $24 +2.9% 40,970

Top-Paying Metro Areas

Highest median pay among 519 metro areas.

#Metro areaMedianMeanEmployment
1 Eau Claire, WI $63,870 $55,290 390
2 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $60,650 $63,980 1,930
3 Fond du Lac, WI $58,940 $54,510 180
4 Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA $58,580 $62,010 790
5 Napa, CA $58,470 $57,950 230
6 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA $58,090 $59,590 3,910
7 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $57,580 $60,490 7,970
8 Salem, OR $57,560 $57,020 1,200
9 Western Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area $56,810 $55,310 430
10 South Central Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area $56,200 $54,410 430

Pay by Industry

Highest-paying industries employing social and human service assistantss (BLS OEWS, by median).

#IndustryMedianMeanEmployment
1 Insurance Agencies and Brokerages $63,720 $70,340 310
2 Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools, Local Government Owned $62,240 $64,410 80
3 Credit Intermediation and Related Activities $60,980 $59,300
4 Nondepository Credit Intermediation $60,980 $59,300
5 Other Nondepository Credit Intermediation $60,980 $59,300
6 Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) $60,360 $60,310 1,320
7 Federal Government, including the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) $60,360 $60,310 1,320
8 Insurance Carriers $60,150 $67,980 3,360
9 Direct Health and Medical Insurance Carriers $59,580 $67,230 3,090
10 Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services $59,560 $55,690
11 Insurance Carriers and Related Activities $59,020 $64,370 4,700
12 Sector 52 - Finance and Insurance $59,020 $64,320 4,750

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

< $10K
65,683
$10-20k
21,507
$20-30k
31,807
$30-40k
47,777
$40-50k
47,002
$50-60k
31,419
$60-70k
24,059
$70-80k
13,510
$80-90k
7,089
$90-100k
4,048
$100-110k
2,252
$110-120k
1,097
$120-130k
1,606
$130-140k
679
$140-150k
93
$150-160k
607
$160-170k
121
$180-190k
196
$190-200k
188
$200k+
906

Pay by age band

16-24
$19,102
25-34
$38,399
35-44
$43,009
45-54
$46,500
55-64
$39,848
65+
$20,732

Education level

Bachelors Degree
$43,746
1 or more years of college credit, no degree
$32,330
Regular high school diploma
$30,828
Associates Degree
$37,195
Masters Degree
$46,106
Some college, but less than 1 year
$30,064
GED or alternative credential
$30,406
12th grade - no diploma
$18,798
Professional degree
$52,171
Grade 11
$20,943
Grade 10
$13,433
No schooling completed
$12,642
Grade 9
$7,329
Doctorate degree
$63,367
Grade 6
$24,073
Grade 8
$33,285
Nursery school, preschool
$14,401
Grade 5
$61,424

Full-time vs part-time

Full-time
201,139 · $49,202
Part-time
49,298 · $19,499

Race / ethnicity

White
$37,333
Black
$38,199
Two or More Races
$36,365
Other
$38,587
Asian
$30,825
American Indian
$35,840
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander
$39,746
American Indian and Alaska Native tribes specified; or American Indian or Alaska Native, not specified and no other races
$21,212
Alaska Native
$21,658

Top fields of study

Psychology
$45,030
Social Work
$36,657
Criminal Justice And Fire Protection
$53,731
Business Management And Administration
$38,682
General Business
$52,627
Sociology
$31,771
Political Science And Government
$53,305
Family And Consumer Sciences
$38,214

Top Skills

Most important skills for this role (O*NET importance, 1–5 scale).

Speaking
4.0
Social Perceptiveness
4.0
Active Listening
4.0
Service Orientation
3.9
Reading Comprehension
3.8
Coordination
3.8
Critical Thinking
3.6
Writing
3.6
Monitoring
3.6
Persuasion
3.4
Active Learning
3.3
Judgment and Decision Making
3.3

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do social and human service assistants make in the U.S.?

The median social and human service assistants salary in the United States is $45,930 per year (mean $47,690), and about 80% earn between $34,200 and $63,290.

How much do social and human service assistants make per hour?

Roughly $23 per hour, based on a mean annual wage of $47,690 and 2,080 work hours per year.

Which state pays social and human service assistants the most?

District of Columbia has the highest average pay for social and human service assistants at $60,770 per year (median $59,460).

What is the job outlook for social and human service assistants?

Employment is projected to change +6.4% from 2024 to 2034 (Faster than average), with about 50,600 openings per year.

What People Search

Common U.S. search queries related to this occupation.

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