Child, Family, and School Social Workers
Social workers help people prevent and cope with problems in their everyday lives.
Is child, family, and school social workers a good career?
It scores 21/100 and ranks #290 of 825 occupations on pay, growth, employment and openings. Here's what the federal data says, with no editorializing.
Advantages
- High volume of openings — about 35,100 a year
Possible tradeoffs
- Typically requires a bachelor's degree
What child, family, and school social workers earn
Wages: BLS OEWS May 2025Pay is a range, not a number. Half of U.S. child, family, and school social workers earn between $48,270 and $76,070 a year.
Best-paying states
Best-paying metros
Strongest employment concentration
Live child, family, and school social workers jobs
How to become a child, family, and school social worker
- Typical education
- Bachelor's degree
- Work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- None
- Outlook
- Employment is projected to grow faster than average through 2034.
Licenses, certifications & registrations
All states require clinical social workers to be licensed. Some states also require nonclinical social workers to have a license or credential.
Becoming a licensed clinical social worker requires a master’s degree in social work from an accredited program and supervised clinical experience after graduation. After completing their supervised experience, clinical social workers must pass a clinical exam to be licensed.
Because licensing requirements vary by state, those interested should contact their state licensure board.
Important qualities
Communication skills. Clients talk to social workers about challenges in their lives. To provide effective help, social workers must be able to listen to and understand their clients’ needs.
Compassion. Social workers often work with people who are in stressful and difficult situations. To develop strong relationships, they must have patience and empathy for their clients.
Interpersonal skills. Social workers must be able to work with different groups of people. They need to foster healthy and productive relationships with their clients, colleagues, and other support specialists.
Organizational skills. Social workers must help and manage multiple clients, often assisting with their paperwork or documenting their treatment.
Problem-solving skills. Social workers must analyze their clients’ complex situations and develop practical solutions.
Related occupations
How much do child, family, and school social workers make?
The national median wage is $59,550 a year, with the middle half earning between $48,270 and $76,070 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Is child, family, and school social workers a good career?
On the Jobs.best index it scores 21 of 100 and ranks #290 of 825 occupations, weighing pay, growth, employment and openings. Employment is projected to change +3.4% through 2034.
What education do you need to become a child, family, and school social worker?
The typical entry-level education is bachelor's degree.
Where do child, family, and school social workers earn the most?
Among states, Connecticut pays the highest median ($78,970). Local pay for every state and metro is below.