Social Services · Rankings

Best US Cities for Social Workers

Top US cities for Social Workers ranked by estimated median salary, with cost-of-living-adjusted earning power.

Top 10 cities by salary

#	City	Estimated salary	Cost mult.	vs national
1	Honolulu, HI	$71,200	1.30×	+$16,200
2	Oakland, CA	$69,500	1.35×	+$14,500
3	San Francisco, CA	$68,600	1.45×	+$13,600
4	Irvine, CA	$67,900	1.30×	+$12,900
5	Boston, MA	$65,400	1.22×	+$10,400
6	New York City, NY	$64,700	1.32×	+$9,700
7	Yonkers, NY	$64,700	1.20×	+$9,700
8	Anchorage, AK	$64,700	1.20×	+$9,700
9	Sacramento, CA	$64,400	1.10×	+$9,400
10	Riverside, CA	$64,400	1.10×	+$9,400

All 50 cities, ranked

#	City	Salary	Hourly
1	Honolulu, HI	$71,200	$34/hr
2	Oakland, CA	$69,500	$33/hr
3	San Francisco, CA	$68,600	$33/hr
4	Irvine, CA	$67,900	$33/hr
5	Boston, MA	$65,400	$31/hr
6	New York City, NY	$64,700	$31/hr
7	Yonkers, NY	$64,700	$31/hr
8	Anchorage, AK	$64,700	$31/hr
9	Sacramento, CA	$64,400	$31/hr
10	Riverside, CA	$64,400	$31/hr
11	Seattle, WA	$64,000	$31/hr
12	Long Beach, CA	$64,000	$31/hr
13	Anaheim, CA	$64,000	$31/hr
14	Scottsdale, AZ	$64,000	$31/hr
15	Baltimore, MD	$62,700	$30/hr
16	Miami, FL	$62,100	$30/hr
17	Los Angeles, CA	$61,700	$30/hr
18	Philadelphia, PA	$61,700	$30/hr
19	Portland, OR	$61,500	$30/hr
20	San Diego, CA	$61,400	$30/hr
21	Raleigh, NC	$61,100	$29/hr
22	St. Paul, MN	$61,100	$29/hr
23	Worcester, MA	$61,100	$29/hr
24	Denver, CO	$60,800	$29/hr
25	Madison, WI	$60,700	$29/hr
26	Austin, TX	$59,900	$29/hr
27	Stockton, CA	$59,900	$29/hr
28	Aurora, CO	$59,900	$29/hr
29	Hialeah, FL	$59,900	$29/hr
30	Tucson, AZ	$59,700	$29/hr
31	Minneapolis, MN	$59,600	$29/hr
32	Plano, TX	$59,600	$29/hr
33	Chula Vista, CA	$59,500	$29/hr
34	Pittsburgh, PA	$59,400	$29/hr
35	Tallahassee, FL	$59,400	$29/hr
36	Phoenix, AZ	$58,900	$28/hr
37	Tampa, FL	$58,900	$28/hr
38	Henderson, NV	$58,900	$28/hr
39	Gilbert, AZ	$58,900	$28/hr
40	Salt Lake City, UT	$58,900	$28/hr
41	Orlando, FL	$58,600	$28/hr
42	Lexington, KY	$58,400	$28/hr
43	Buffalo, NY	$58,400	$28/hr
44	Knoxville, TN	$58,400	$28/hr
45	Wilmington, DE	$58,300	$28/hr
46	Boise, ID	$58,300	$28/hr
47	Fresno, CA	$58,300	$28/hr
48	Winston-Salem, NC	$58,100	$28/hr
49	Nashville, TN	$58,000	$28/hr
50	Newark, NJ	$58,000	$28/hr
51	Colorado Springs, CO	$58,000	$28/hr
52	St. Petersburg, FL	$58,000	$28/hr
53	Lincoln, NE	$57,400	$28/hr
54	Jacksonville, FL	$57,300	$28/hr
55	Mesa, AZ	$57,300	$28/hr
56	Lubbock, TX	$57,100	$27/hr
57	Houston, TX	$57,000	$27/hr
58	Glendale, AZ	$57,000	$27/hr
59	Spokane, WA	$57,000	$27/hr
60	Arlington, TX	$56,700	$27/hr
61	Chicago, IL	$56,500	$27/hr
62	Frisco, TX	$56,500	$27/hr
63	Milwaukee, WI	$56,400	$27/hr
64	Albuquerque, NM	$56,400	$27/hr
65	New Orleans, LA	$56,400	$27/hr
66	Las Vegas, NV	$56,200	$27/hr
67	Chandler, AZ	$56,200	$27/hr
68	San Antonio, TX	$56,100	$27/hr
69	Grand Rapids, MI	$56,100	$27/hr
70	Detroit, MI	$55,800	$27/hr
71	Cincinnati, OH	$55,800	$27/hr
72	Greensboro, NC	$55,800	$27/hr
73	Atlanta, GA	$55,600	$27/hr
74	Reno, NV	$55,600	$27/hr
75	Charleston, SC	$55,600	$27/hr
76	El Paso, TX	$55,400	$27/hr
77	Cleveland, OH	$55,400	$27/hr
78	St. Louis, MO	$55,400	$27/hr
79	Louisville, KY	$55,100	$26/hr
80	Virginia Beach, VA	$55,000	$26/hr
81	Chesapeake, VA	$55,000	$26/hr
82	North Las Vegas, NV	$55,000	$26/hr
83	Memphis, TN	$54,800	$26/hr
84	Oklahoma City, OK	$54,800	$26/hr
85	Dallas, TX	$54,700	$26/hr
86	Bakersfield, CA	$54,700	$26/hr
87	Birmingham, AL	$54,500	$26/hr
88	Toledo, OH	$54,500	$26/hr
89	Norfolk, VA	$54,400	$26/hr
90	Charlotte, NC	$54,100	$26/hr
91	Fort Worth, TX	$53,800	$26/hr
92	Wichita, KS	$53,800	$26/hr
93	Garland, TX	$53,800	$26/hr
94	Fort Wayne, IN	$53,800	$26/hr
95	Mobile, AL	$53,800	$26/hr
96	Columbus, OH	$52,600	$25/hr
97	Kansas City, MO	$52,600	$25/hr
98	Corpus Christi, TX	$52,600	$25/hr
99	Indianapolis, IN	$52,000	$25/hr
100	Omaha, NE	$52,000	$25/hr

Does location actually decide Social Worker pay?

Social Worker work is usually hybrid, so the metro you choose still largely determines what you earn. Pay ranges from $52,000 in Omaha to $71,200 in Honolulu — a spread of 37%.

Licensing adds friction the ranking does not show. Social Worker requires State license (e.g., LSW/LCSW) required for clinical practice, and licenses are issued state by state. Moving for a higher salary can mean re-credentialing, which takes time and sometimes additional exams — check reciprocity with the destination board before treating a pay gap as attainable.

Highest-paying is not the same as best-off

The nominal ranking and the useful ranking are not the same. In Honolulu, $71,200 against $2,100/month rent leaves roughly $46,000 a year after housing. In Omaha, $52,000 against $950 leaves about $40,600. The top still wins after rent, but by $5,400 rather than the $19,200 the headline suggests.

Why these metros and not others

What puts a metro near the top here is employer density, not price level. Honolulu (U.S. Pacific Fleet/Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Queen's Health Systems); Oakland (Kaiser Permanente (HQ), Port of Oakland); San Francisco (Salesforce, Google). Where social services employers compete for the same candidates, offers rise above what the local cost of living alone would predict.

Salaries are modelled from BLS national medians adjusted for local price level at a wage elasticity below 1 — pay rises with local costs but not proportionally. See our methodology.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which city pays Social Workers the most?▾

Honolulu, at roughly $71,200. Rent there averages $2,100 a month for a one-bedroom, so about $25,200 of that salary goes to housing before anything else. The metros near the top combine high local costs with concentrated social services employment — the second part is what actually lifts pay above the local baseline.

Does a bigger salary here mean more money left over?▾

Usually not. The cost-adjusted column matters more than the nominal one — a Social Worker earning less in a cheaper metro often keeps more. Rank by what remains after housing and tax, not by gross.

Can a Social Worker earn big-city pay while living somewhere cheaper?▾

Sometimes — this role is usually hybrid, so it is possible in principle. It turns entirely on employer policy: some pay by role regardless of location, most use two to four geographic tiers, and some match the company's headquarters city. Ask which applies before assuming the arbitrage is available.

Do I need a new license to work as a Social Worker in another state?▾

Often yes. Social Worker requires State license (e.g., LSW/LCSW) required for clinical practice, issued state by state. Some states have reciprocity agreements that make the transfer routine; others require re-examination. Confirm with the destination board before treating a higher-paying metro as reachable.