Social Workers, All Other · SOC 21-1029
Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Social Workers, All Others
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025U.S. metropolitan areas
Metro areas ranked by published median annual wage for social workers, all other. Areas where BLS suppressed the median are not ranked (1 such areas are excluded here). Higher medians often track higher living costs — this is a pay comparison, not a ranking of where the job is “best”.
Top 25 of 224 metro areas
| # | Metro area | Median annual | Employment | Per 1,000 jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reno, NV | $154,040 | 110 | 0.4 |
| 2 | Stockton-Lodi, CA | $121,180 | 50 | 0.2 |
| 3 | Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV | $118,250 | 240 | 0.2 |
| 4 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $117,190 | 180 | 0.4 |
| 5 | Worcester, MA | $112,960 | 30 | 0.1 |
| 6 | Amherst Town-Northampton, MA | $110,990 | 50 | 0.8 |
| 7 | Shreveport-Bossier City, LA | $109,390 | 100 | 0.6 |
| 8 | Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | $108,740 | 110 | 0.2 |
| 9 | Manchester-Nashua, NH | $107,060 | 70 | 0.3 |
| 10 | Waco, TX | $105,830 | 50 | 0.4 |
| 11 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $105,570 | 510 | 0.2 |
| 12 | Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN | $105,370 | 160 | 0.2 |
| 13 | Kansas City, MO-KS | $104,400 | 180 | 0.2 |
| 14 | Killeen-Temple, TX | $104,330 | 160 | 1.0 |
| 15 | Oklahoma City, OK | $102,560 | 150 | 0.2 |
| 16 | San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | $102,460 | 370 | 0.3 |
| 17 | Modesto, CA | $102,180 | 30 | 0.2 |
| 18 | Vallejo, CA | $102,160 | 80 | 0.6 |
| 19 | Lexington-Fayette, KY | $102,070 | 120 | 0.4 |
| 20 | Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $102,040 | 40 | 0.2 |
| 21 | Tulsa, OK | $101,860 | 70 | 0.2 |
| 22 | Clarksville, TN-KY | $100,420 | 110 | 1.0 |
| 23 | Columbia, SC | $100,420 | 160 | 0.4 |
| 24 | Elizabethtown, KY | $100,420 | 40 | 0.7 |
| 25 | Charleston-North Charleston, SC | $99,340 | 130 | 0.3 |
Full state and metro tables, the national distribution, and the pay map are on the Social Workers, All Other overview.
About this data. Estimates are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, retrieved from bls.gov/oes/tables.htm on July 24, 2026. OEWS estimates describe metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas and states — not city limits — and are not designed for year-over-year comparisons. See BLS methodology, our plain-English methodology, and sources. CitySalaryData is independent and not affiliated with BLS.