How much do child, family, and school social workers make?

What the national Child, Family, and School Social Workers median says

The May 2025 BLS OEWS estimate puts the U.S. median for Child, Family, and School Social Workers at $59,550 per year. Median means the middle. Half of the wage values used for this estimate fall below that point. Half fall above it. The median is not one worker's pay. It is not a job offer. It is one clear mark for the middle of a broad national pay range.

BLS also lists 392,550 wage and salary jobs for Child, Family, and School Social Workers. That count covers jobs in the survey's scope. It does not count open job ads. It also leaves out people who work for themselves. The wage and job counts share the same May 2025 reference point, so they can be read together without mixing time periods.

The Child, Family, and School Social Workers mean of $64,000 per year is 7.5% above the $59,550 median on the same published median. Mean means BLS adds the wage values and divides the total by the number of jobs behind the estimate. A gap between mean and median shows that the shape is not even. It does not explain the cause of the gap.

The fields that make SOC 21-1021 its own page

BLS names this record Child, Family, and School Social Workers and gives it SOC 21-1021. The two-part code is the stable key for this page. A role with a close name keeps a different code, wage row, job count, and area pattern. WageScope never joins two SOC records because their words sound alike.

For SOC 21-1021, the U.S. row reports 392,550 wage and salary jobs. Its annual median is $59,550 per year. Its matching mean is $64,000 per year. These facts come from one national row and one May 2025 release.

SOC 21-1021 appears in 54 state or territory rows. It also has 390 metro rows and 133 nonmetro rows. A missing local row stays missing. We do not fill it with U.S. data or data for a similar job code.

• SOC 21-1021 10th percentile: $42,280 per year.
• SOC 21-1021 25th percentile: $48,270 per year.
• SOC 21-1021 median: $59,550 per year.
• SOC 21-1021 75th percentile: $76,070 per year.
• SOC 21-1021 90th percentile: $95,530 per year.
• SOC 21-1021 employment RSE: 0.7%. Mean-wage RSE: 0.4%.
• SOC 21-1021 has no national suppression mark in the fields shown on this page.

Read the Child, Family, and School Social Workers wage ladder from low to high

The 10th percentile is $42,280 per year. The 25th percentile is $48,270 per year. The median is $59,550 per year. The 75th percentile is $76,070 per year. The 90th percentile is $95,530 per year. Each point marks a place in the same national wage spread.

A percentile is a rank point. It is not a career step. For example, the 10th percentile means 10% of wage values are at or below that mark. It does not mean a new worker starts there. The 90th percentile means 90% are at or below that mark. It does not mean a worker can reach it after a set number of years.

The middle half runs from $48,270 to $76,070 per year. That span is $27,800. The full 10th-to-90th span is $53,250. These spans show why one median cannot stand in for every Child, Family, and School Social Workers job.

What the gaps around the Child, Family, and School Social Workers median show

The median is 40.8% above the 10th percentile. The 90th percentile is 60.4% above the median. The two sides do not have to match. A wider upper side can pull the mean up. A wider lower side can pull it down. The data shows the shape, but not the reason for that shape.

The 25th-to-median step is $11,280 per year. The median-to-75th step is $16,520 per year. These two steps give a closer look at the middle half. They are often more useful than a single top-to-bottom gap because they keep the center in view.

Use this ladder as a fact check when you read a job post. A posted range can sit below, near, or above these BLS marks. That does not make the post wrong. A job may differ by place, hours, level, field, employer, or work rules. Keep the posted range tied to that listing. Keep the BLS range tied to the whole occupation.

Metro areas with the highest published Child, Family, and School Social Workers medians

WageScope found 390 metro rows with the same published annual median for Child, Family, and School Social Workers. It sorts only those rows. It does not fill a blank row. It does not turn a blank into zero. The first six rows below have the highest published medians in this release. The list is a wage rank, not a rank of places to live or work.

The first row is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA, at $87,600 per year. The middle metro row by published pay is Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA, at $56,530 per year. That middle metro mark gives one more check on how far the top rows sit from a common place in the set.

These are nominal wages. Nominal means the dollar amount shown in the source. This list does not adjust for local price levels. It also does not tell us how many openings an area has now. Use a local page to see price-level context when an exact BEA row exists. Use the separate job block to inspect current employer-title matches.

• 1. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA has a Child, Family, and School Social Workers median of $87,600 per year, or $28,050 above the U.S. Child, Family, and School Social Workers median. BLS lists 2,120 jobs there, against 392,550 across the U.S. The local location quotient is 0.74.
• 2. Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT has a Child, Family, and School Social Workers median of $81,830 per year, or $22,280 above the U.S. Child, Family, and School Social Workers median. BLS lists 450 jobs there, against 392,550 across the U.S. The local location quotient is 1.4.
• 3. Salisbury, MD has a Child, Family, and School Social Workers median of $81,520 per year, or $21,970 above the U.S. Child, Family, and School Social Workers median. BLS lists 120 jobs there, against 392,550 across the U.S. The local location quotient is 0.87.
• 4. Longview-Kelso, WA has a Child, Family, and School Social Workers median of $80,450 per year, or $20,900 above the U.S. Child, Family, and School Social Workers median. BLS lists 130 jobs there, against 392,550 across the U.S. The local location quotient is 1.21.
• 5. Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA has a Child, Family, and School Social Workers median of $80,430 per year, or $20,880 above the U.S. Child, Family, and School Social Workers median. BLS lists 580 jobs there, against 392,550 across the U.S. The local location quotient is 1.75.
• 6. Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT has a Child, Family, and School Social Workers median of $79,920 per year, or $20,370 above the U.S. Child, Family, and School Social Workers median. BLS lists 2,200 jobs there, against 392,550 across the U.S. The local location quotient is 1.45.

Metro areas with the largest Child, Family, and School Social Workers job estimates

A large wage can appear in a small job market. A large job market can have a lower wage. That is why WageScope keeps pay and job count in separate views. The six rows below have the largest published employment estimates for Child, Family, and School Social Workers among metro rows in this release. Employment means the number of wage and salary jobs in scope. It does not mean open roles.

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA has the largest listed metro estimate in this set, at 26,220 jobs. Its median is $71,250 per year. Compare that with San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA, which leads the published median list. The leaders may match, or they may not. Each list answers a different question.

Job count can help you see the scale of a local labor market. It cannot show churn, new hiring, job quality, remote work, or the chance that one person will get hired. Current listings add a second view, but they are a dated sample of posts. WageScope never turns the listing count into a demand score.

• 1. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA has 26,220 estimated Child, Family, and School Social Workers jobs. That is 6.7% of the U.S. estimate of 392,550 jobs. Its median is $71,250 per year, or $11,700 above the U.S. Child, Family, and School Social Workers median. Its location quotient is 1.66.
• 2. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ has 24,350 estimated Child, Family, and School Social Workers jobs. That is 6.2% of the U.S. estimate of 392,550 jobs. Its median is $66,540 per year, or $6,990 above the U.S. Child, Family, and School Social Workers median. Its location quotient is 1.02.
• 3. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN has 13,550 estimated Child, Family, and School Social Workers jobs. That is 3.5% of the U.S. estimate of 392,550 jobs. Its median is $64,790 per year, or $5,240 above the U.S. Child, Family, and School Social Workers median. Its location quotient is 1.19.
• 4. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH has 7,070 estimated Child, Family, and School Social Workers jobs. That is 1.8% of the U.S. estimate of 392,550 jobs. Its median is $77,420 per year, or $17,870 above the U.S. Child, Family, and School Social Workers median. Its location quotient is 1.04.
• 5. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD has 6,850 estimated Child, Family, and School Social Workers jobs. That is 1.7% of the U.S. estimate of 392,550 jobs. Its median is $55,930 per year, or $3,620 below the U.S. Child, Family, and School Social Workers median. Its location quotient is 0.94.
• 6. Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI has 6,540 estimated Child, Family, and School Social Workers jobs. That is 1.7% of the U.S. estimate of 392,550 jobs. Its median is $59,270 per year, or $280 below the U.S. Child, Family, and School Social Workers median. Its location quotient is 1.36.

Where Child, Family, and School Social Workers has a larger share of local jobs

Location quotient is a share check. A value of 1 means the role has the same share of local jobs as it has across the nation. A value above 1 means the local share is larger. A value below 1 means the local share is smaller. It is not a count. It is not a wage. It does not say that a place is growing.

Brownsville-Harlingen, TX has the highest published location quotient in this bounded metro set, at 3.92. The same row lists 1,560 jobs and a median of $40,580 per year. Reading all three values keeps a high share from being mistaken for a large market or high pay.

A small area can have a high location quotient because the role makes up a large part of a small local job base. A large area can have many workers and a lower quotient. Use the quotient to ask where the role is common in the mix. Use employment to ask how many jobs BLS estimated. Use the wage fields to ask what the published pay range looks like.

• 1. Brownsville-Harlingen, TX has a Child, Family, and School Social Workers location quotient of 3.92. BLS lists 1,560 jobs and a median of $40,580 per year, or $18,970 below the U.S. Child, Family, and School Social Workers median. The U.S. job estimate is 392,550.
• 2. Springfield, IL has a Child, Family, and School Social Workers location quotient of 3.28. BLS lists 830 jobs and a median of $76,330 per year, or $16,780 above the U.S. Child, Family, and School Social Workers median. The U.S. job estimate is 392,550.
• 3. Merced, CA has a Child, Family, and School Social Workers location quotient of 2.49. BLS lists 500 jobs and a median of $60,200 per year, or $650 above the U.S. Child, Family, and School Social Workers median. The U.S. job estimate is 392,550.
• 4. Bay City, MI has a Child, Family, and School Social Workers location quotient of 2.45. BLS lists 210 jobs and a median of $55,810 per year, or $3,740 below the U.S. Child, Family, and School Social Workers median. The U.S. job estimate is 392,550.
• 5. Modesto, CA has a Child, Family, and School Social Workers location quotient of 2.35. BLS lists 1,160 jobs and a median of $60,900 per year, or $1,350 above the U.S. Child, Family, and School Social Workers median. The U.S. job estimate is 392,550.
• 6. Springfield, MA has a Child, Family, and School Social Workers location quotient of 2.34. BLS lists 1,190 jobs and a median of $78,250 per year, or $18,700 above the U.S. Child, Family, and School Social Workers median. The U.S. job estimate is 392,550.

How Child, Family, and School Social Workers sits in Community and Social Service

Child, Family, and School Social Workers is SOC 21-1021. BLS places it in the Community and Social Service major group. Among 17 detailed roles in that group with a published annual median, Child, Family, and School Social Workers ranks 9 of 17 by median. This is a pay rank inside one source family. It is not a rank of skill, value, status, or career fit.

The closest same-family medians help set a fair peer frame. They do not claim that the work is the same. Official SOC titles can cover different tasks and settings. WageScope uses the family only because BLS publishes that link. It does not infer a career move, a skill match, or a hiring path from the wage gap.

Use these peer rows to spot whether the $59,550 median sits near many family roles or far from them. Then open a role's own page before using its number. Each role has a different code, job count, wage spread, and place pattern. One family label does not erase those facts.

• 1. Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors, SOC 21-1018, has a U.S. median of $59,350 per year. Its gap from Child, Family, and School Social Workers is $200 per year.
• 2. Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers, SOC 21-1023, has a U.S. median of $60,280 per year. Its gap from Child, Family, and School Social Workers is $730 per year.
• 3. Clergy, SOC 21-2011, has a U.S. median of $60,810 per year. Its gap from Child, Family, and School Social Workers is $1,260 per year.
• 4. Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other, SOC 21-1099, has a U.S. median of $56,730 per year. Its gap from Child, Family, and School Social Workers is $2,820 per year.
• 5. Health Education Specialists, SOC 21-1091, has a U.S. median of $64,070 per year. Its gap from Child, Family, and School Social Workers is $4,520 per year.
• 6. Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors, SOC 21-1012, has a U.S. median of $64,330 per year. Its gap from Child, Family, and School Social Workers is $4,780 per year.

How much care to use with the Child, Family, and School Social Workers estimate

The relative standard error for the job count is 0.7%. For the mean wage it is 0.4%. This measure, called RSE, shows survey precision. A smaller RSE often means less uncertainty from the sample. It does not tell you whether one person's pay is right or wrong.

The employment RSE applies to the 392,550 job estimate. The mean-wage RSE applies to the published mean of $64,000 per year. These fields do not give a matching RSE for the median or each percentile. WageScope shows the fields BLS published and does not move one RSE to another measure.

Survey values can change when BLS changes its methods, sample, models, or source year. That is why we show May 2025 on this page. Before we use a new release, we check its files, rows, and pages. A changed number is only a correction if the source calls it one.

A simple way to compare Child, Family, and School Social Workers across places

First, compare the same wage metric. Use annual with annual or hourly with hourly. Next, check the source date. Keep May 2025 BLS rows together. Then read employment and location quotient beside pay. This stops a high median from standing in for market size or local share. Last, add BEA price-level context only when the exact place has an approved row.

A state, metro, and nonmetro area are not the same kind of map. Do not rank them in one list without saying so. WageScope groups like with like. It also keeps a national row as a broad bench mark. A local page can show the local row, its state row when that link is exact, and the U.S. row without blending them.

If a value is blank, keep it blank. If BLS marks a top code, read it as a lower bound. Do not fill a blank from a nearby place. Do not turn a wage gap into a claim about taxes, hours, benefits, work rules, or a household budget. Those facts are not in the OEWS row.

Move from Child, Family, and School Social Workers wage data to one real listing

The job block on this page uses a strict employer-title match for Child, Family, and School Social Workers. It may show fewer rows than the full MeritLog job search. That is on purpose. A false negative is safer here than a job card for a different role. Each card keeps its employer, place, source, and seen date. The cards do not change the BLS wage data.

Open one listing and read its own pay, work place, level, and needs. Compare its posted range with the BLS spread only as context. A posted range is set by an employer for one role. The BLS range is a survey view across many jobs. Neither source proves that a person is fit for the work.

When you tailor a résumé, use work facts you can back up. Do not turn $59,550 into a skill or result. Do not copy a BLS job count into your work history. MeritLog can help shape confirmed experience for a chosen listing. The wage page stays public and read only. It does not save a job or create a résumé on page load.

What this Child, Family, and School Social Workers page does not claim

This page does not say what one Child, Family, and School Social Workers worker earns. It does not promise that a job pays the median. It does not state a starting wage. It does not explain why the mean and median differ. It does not add benefits, tips, stock, bonus pay, taxes, or work hours unless BLS includes them in the published wage measure.

The page does not count people who work for themselves. It does not turn 392,550 into current openings. It does not read private MeritLog jobs or Career Memory. MeritLog does not use the page to build a private career profile. While public analytics are on, GA4, Ahrefs, and Meta may get this page's URL. Use Your Privacy Choices or Global Privacy Control to turn that off. The page does not send its text to a model.

The best use is narrow and clear. Read the May 2025 BLS wage range. Check how the role changes by place. Add the separate 2024 BEA price level when an exact row exists. Inspect a dated employer-title match. Then make a résumé choice from facts you have confirmed. Keep each source tied to the question it can answer.