Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers pay in the U.S.
$68,030avg. a year
$32.71 an hour · 132,810 employed
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers in the U.S. earn an average of $68,030 a year and a median of $60,280. Pay is highest in California ($91,050) and lowest in Oklahoma ($43,230).
$60,280Median pay
$32.71Average hourly
+25%Avg. pay since 2020
132,810Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for mental health and substance abuse social workers
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
119,860 jobs
California
$91,050
$43.77 an hour
214,820 jobs
New York
$86,110
$41.40 an hour
3510 jobs
District of Columbia
$83,340
$40.07 an hour
41,540 jobs
Connecticut
$78,250
$37.62 an hour
5800 jobs
Rhode Island
$76,970
$37.01 an hour
6320 jobs
Vermont
$76,580
$36.82 an hour
7320 jobs
New Hampshire
$75,280
$36.19 an hour
83,590 jobs
Minnesota
$74,420
$35.78 an hour
92,230 jobs
Oregon
$73,050
$35.12 an hour
102,250 jobs
Maryland
$72,980
$35.09 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
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Under $53k$53k–$62k$62k–$71k$71k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $117,050 | $56.27 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $109,530 | $52.66 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | $109,030 | $52.42 |
| Vallejo, CA | $108,430 | $52.13 |
| Modesto, CA | $96,890 | $46.58 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $94,510 | $45.44 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $94,450 | $45.41 |
| Salinas, CA | $93,880 | $45.14 |
Related jobs
- Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors$64,440
- Social and Human Service Assistants$47,690
- Child, Family, and School Social Workers$64,000
- Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors$71,430
- Healthcare Social Workers$71,790
- Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other$59,590
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $45,480 | $41,500 | 740 |
| Alaska | $60,380 | $56,710 | 250 |
| Arizona | $50,630 | $46,380 | 3,690 |
| Arkansas | $63,300 | $58,590 | 1,040 |
| California | $91,050 | $79,000 | 19,860 |
| Colorado | $69,200 | $65,620 | 1,640 |
| Connecticut | $78,250 | $78,640 | 1,540 |
| Delaware | $62,090 | $60,060 | 510 |
| District of Columbia | $83,340 | $73,310 | 510 |
| Florida | $55,310 | $51,590 | 5,150 |
| Georgia | $57,470 | $52,030 | 1,330 |
| Hawaii | $62,340 | $54,390 | – |
| Idaho | $60,720 | $52,520 | 510 |
| Illinois | $58,130 | $49,960 | 3,460 |
| Indiana | $53,990 | $48,300 | 2,490 |
| Iowa | $57,330 | $48,530 | 1,200 |
| Kansas | $60,380 | $56,330 | 1,620 |
| Kentucky | $45,280 | $42,570 | 1,360 |
| Louisiana | $51,070 | $47,100 | 970 |
| Maine | $64,330 | $57,050 | 1,860 |
| Maryland | $72,980 | $73,580 | 2,250 |
| Massachusetts | $69,710 | $62,500 | 7,440 |
| Michigan | $62,940 | $60,830 | 4,620 |
| Minnesota | $74,420 | $75,020 | 3,590 |
| Mississippi | $50,750 | $48,970 | 920 |
| Missouri | $53,470 | $49,560 | 1,640 |
| Montana | $52,180 | $45,160 | 740 |
| Nebraska | $45,760 | $43,240 | 900 |
| Nevada | $63,790 | $62,900 | 1,100 |
| New Hampshire | $75,280 | $63,900 | 320 |
| New Jersey | $70,930 | $66,590 | 2,420 |
| New Mexico | $69,720 | $65,640 | 800 |
| New York | $86,110 | $79,380 | 14,820 |
| North Carolina | $59,880 | $58,210 | 3,690 |
| North Dakota | $62,610 | $60,980 | 240 |
| Ohio | $51,110 | $46,080 | 6,050 |
| Oklahoma | $43,230 | $43,120 | 1,780 |
| Oregon | $73,050 | $68,210 | 2,230 |
| Pennsylvania | $52,850 | $48,290 | 3,500 |
| Rhode Island | $76,970 | $60,990 | 800 |
| South Carolina | $43,820 | $39,930 | 720 |
| South Dakota | $53,400 | $48,920 | 230 |
| Tennessee | $50,000 | $46,500 | 2,220 |
| Texas | $53,450 | $46,630 | 8,220 |
| Utah | $63,570 | $50,770 | 1,240 |
| Vermont | $76,580 | $73,210 | 320 |
| Virginia | $72,020 | $64,240 | 3,670 |
| Washington | $71,710 | $70,460 | 3,490 |
| West Virginia | $52,000 | $50,070 | 420 |
| Wisconsin | $64,960 | $61,860 | 1,880 |
| Wyoming | $65,400 | $59,310 | 200 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$88,920
12,090 jobsLos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$86,350
9,380 jobsBoston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$71,030
4,660 jobsPhoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ
$51,150
2,870 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
$53,000
2,720 jobsMinneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
$74,210
2,500 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
$61,050
2,450 jobsWashington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
$83,640
2,180 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do mental health and substance abuse social workers make?
The average is $68,030 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $60,280 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $32.71, and the median is $28.98 an hour.
Which state pays mental health and substance abuse social workers the most?
California, with an average of $91,050 a year. The best-paying metro area is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA at $117,050.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $39,740 a year, and the top 10% earn over $104,170.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 21-1023. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.