Social Work Trends
Social workers support a variety of fields and settings, including schools, mental health clinics, hospitals, and private practices.
- As of 2020, more than 700,000 people worked in social work, a practice-based profession that drives social change and development to help everyone achieve their full potential.
- In 2020, the median annual salary for social workers was $51,760 ($20,000 above the median income in the U.S.) whereas social and community service managers make $69,600 on average.
- Social workers managing Child, Family, and School clients, or Healthcare cases are in demand, with the highest predicted job growth by 2026 in the field.
Becoming a Social Worker
Most social workers have a bachelor’s degree in social work, yet licensed clinical social workers also need a master’s degree and two years of post-master’s experience in a clinical setting. Social workers typically work full-time, with occasional work on evenings, weekends, and holidays – and manage an average of 10 to 30 cases at a time.
Social workers are typically organized, culturally competent, decisive, data-oriented, empathetic, and skilled in communication and relationship-building. They are flexible, solve problems, manage project details, and work well independently and in teams.
