Careers / Healthcare Social Workers
Healthcare Social Workers — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
Opens your browser print dialog — choose “Save as PDF”.
Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$67,880
United States, 2025
Employment
187,630
United States, 2025
Typical education
Master's Degree
Job Zone 5
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
Provide individuals, families, and groups with the psychosocial support needed to cope with chronic, acute, or terminal illnesses. Services include advising family caregivers. Provide patients with information and counseling, and make referrals for other services. May also provide case and care management or interventions designed to promote health, prevent disease, and address barriers to access to healthcare.
- O*NET code
- 21-1022.00
- Job zone
- 5
- Experience required
- Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years
Typical tasks
- Supervise and direct other workers providing services to clients or patients.
- Advocate for clients or patients to resolve crises.
- Educate clients about end-of-life symptoms and options to assist them in making informed decisions.
- Collaborate with other professionals to evaluate patients' medical or physical condition and to assess client needs.
- Refer patient, client, or family to community resources to assist in recovery from mental or physical illness and to provide access to services such as financial assistance, legal aid, housing, job placement or education.
- Utilize consultation data and social work experience to plan and coordinate client or patient care and rehabilitation, following through to ensure service efficacy.
- Monitor, evaluate, and record client progress according to measurable goals described in treatment and care plan.
- Identify environmental impediments to client or patient progress through interviews and review of patient records.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$46,220
25th percentile
$56,710
75th percentile
$82,240
90th percentile
$100,360
Most important skills
- Social Perceptiveness4.3
- Service Orientation4.1
- Speaking4.1
- Active Listening4.0
- Reading Comprehension4.0
- Coordination4.0
- Critical Thinking4.0
- Writing3.9
- Complex Problem Solving3.9
- Active Learning3.8
- Judgment and Decision Making3.6
- Monitoring3.3
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 19 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
19
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Perceptiveness | 4.3 | 5.1 | Not selected | 5.1 |
| Active Listening | 4.0 | 4.8 | Not selected | 4.8 |
| Service Orientation | 4.1 | 4.4 | Not selected | 4.4 |
| Speaking | 4.1 | 4.3 | Not selected | 4.3 |
| Reading Comprehension | 4.0 | 4.3 | Not selected | 4.3 |
| Coordination | 4.0 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Critical Thinking | 4.0 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Writing | 3.9 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.9 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Active Learning | 3.8 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.6 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Monitoring | 3.3 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Persuasion | 3.3 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Learning Strategies | 3.1 | 3.6 | Not selected | 3.6 |
| Systems Evaluation | 3.1 | 3.6 | Not selected | 3.6 |
| Negotiation | 3.1 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Time Management | 3.1 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Instructing | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
Related careers
Supplemental
National median $80,390
Compare with Healthcare Social WorkersSupplemental
National median $72,300
Compare with Healthcare Social WorkersSupplemental
National median $244,180
Compare with Healthcare Social WorkersSupplemental
National median $97,550
Compare with Healthcare Social WorkersHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Napa, CA | $142,940 | 160 | 2025 |
| San Luis Obispo, CA | $133,340 | 170 | 2025 |
| Vallejo, CA | $122,450 | 160 | 2025 |
| Santa Rosa, CA | $108,530 | 280 | 2025 |
| San Jose, CA | $107,170 | 770 | 2025 |
| San Francisco, CA | $99,640 | 2,740 | 2025 |
| Sacramento, CA | $97,070 | 1,030 | 2025 |
| Visalia, CA | $96,790 | 190 | 2025 |
| Modesto, CA | $95,250 | 220 | 2025 |
| DC | $94,100 | 420 | 2025 |
| Santa Maria, CA | $93,200 | 150 | 2025 |
| Salinas, CA | $92,540 | 140 | 2025 |
| Stockton, CA | $91,820 | 200 | 2025 |
| CA | $89,660 | 17,690 | 2025 |
| Longview, WA | $89,650 | 50 | 2025 |
| Santa Cruz, CA | $89,430 | 100 | 2025 |
| Oxnard, CA | $87,570 | 230 | 2025 |
| Urban Honolulu, HI | $86,970 | 520 | 2025 |
| Portland, OR | $85,790 | 1,460 | 2025 |
| HI | $85,420 | 660 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Healthcare Social Workers to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.