Social Work

Contains Stem Majors

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Total Degrees
Awarded in 2020

57,618

growing 0.207%

Median In-State
Public Tuition

$7,158

growing 1.24%

Median Out-of-State
Private Tuition

$31,470

growing 2.51%

Average Wage

$58,816

growing 4.3%

People in Workforce

789,449

growing 3.37%

Average Employee Age

43.3

growing 0.595%

About

The locations with the highest concentration of Social Work degree recipients are New York, NY, Los Angeles, CA, and Chicago, IL. The locations with a relatively high number of Social Work degree recipients are Aurora, IL, Silver City, NM, and Fort Totten, ND. The most common degree awarded to students studying Social Work is a masters degree.

Photo by AFGE

Public Administration and Social Service

Institutions

Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Social Work and the types of students that study this field. University of Southern California awards the most degrees in Social Work in the US, but Our Lady of the Lake University and Brescia University have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Social Work.

Tuition costs for Social Work majors are, on average, $7,158 for in-state public colleges, and $31,470 for out of state private colleges.

The most common sector, by number of institutions, that offers Social Work programs are Public, 4-year or above institutions (368 total). The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded, is Public, 4-year or above (37,767 completions).

Institutions

Institution with the Most Degrees Awarded in Social Work

The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded in Social Work, is Public, 4-year or above (37,767 completions).

The following chart shows the share of universities that offer Social Work programs, by the total number of completions, colored and grouped by their sector.

Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

$7,158

Median In-State Public

$31,470

Median Out of State Private

University of Southern California has the most Social Work degree recipients, with 1,352 degrees awarded in 2020.

The following bar chart shows the state tuition for the top 5 institutions with the most degrees awarded in Social Work.

Specialized Colleges

Highest Concentration Institution

Out of all institutions that offer Social Work programs and have at least 5 graduates in those programs, Our Lady of the Lake University has the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Social Work, with 45.7%.

Degrees Awarded by County

Counties with the Most Degrees Awarded in Social Work

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest number of degrees awarded in Social Work by year.

Growth in Awarded Degrees

Counties with the Fastest Growing Number of Degrees Awarded

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest growth in degrees awarded for Social Work.

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Public Administration and Social Service graduates and on wages and locations for those in the field.

The average salary for Public Administration and Social Service majors is $58,816 and the most common occupations are Social workers, all other, Other managers, and Social & community service managers.

The industry that employs the most Public Administration and Social Service majors is Individual & family services, though the highest paying industry, by average wage, is Securities, commodities, funds, trusts & other financial investments.

Wages

Yearly Income for Common Jobs

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Social Work is from the 2 Digit Course Public Administration and Social Service.

$58,816

Average Wage in Workforce

± $1,645

4.3%

1 Year Growth

± 3.82%

This chart shows the average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Public Administration and Social Service majors.

Highest Paying Locations

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Social Work is from the 2 Digit Course Public Administration and Social Service.

Highest Paying Pumas

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States colored by the average salary of Public Administration and Social Service majors.

Note that the census collects information tied to where people live, not where they work. It is possible that Public Administration and Social Service majors live and work in the same place, but it is also possible that they live and work in two different places.

Occupations

Most Common

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Social Work is from the 2 Digit Course Public Administration and Social Service.

The most common occupations Public Administration and Social Service majors, by number of employees, are Social workers, all other, Other managers, and Social & community service managers.

Most Specialized

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Social Work is from the 2 Digit Course Public Administration and Social Service.

Compared to other majors, there are an unusually high number of Public Administration and Social Service majors working as Social workers, all other, Mental health and substance abuse social workers, and Child, family, and school social workers.

Highest Paid

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Social Work is from the 2 Digit Course Public Administration and Social Service.

The highest paid occupations by median income for Public Administration and Social Service majors are Public relations specialists, Pharmacists, and Dentists.

Occupations by Share

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Social Work is from the 2 Digit Course Public Administration and Social Service.

789,449

2019 Workforce

± 21,757

3.37%

1 Year Growth

± 3.8%

The number of Public Administration and Social Service graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 3.37%, from 763,692 in 2018 to 789,449 in 2019.

The largest single share of Public Administration and Social Service graduates go on to work as Social workers, all other (21.2%). This chart shows the various jobs filled by those with a major in Public Administration and Social Service by share of the total number of graduates.

Industries

Most Common

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Social Work is from the 2 Digit Course Public Administration and Social Service.

The most common industries that employ Public Administration and Social Service majors, by number of employees, are Individual & family services, Elementary & secondary schools, and Outpatient care centers.

Highest Paid

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Social Work is from the 2 Digit Course Public Administration and Social Service.

The highest paying industries of Public Administration and Social Service majors, by average wage, are Securities, commodities, funds, trusts & other financial investments, Periodical, book, & directory publishers, and Software publishing.

Industries by Share

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Social Work is from the 2 Digit Course Public Administration and Social Service.

789,449

2019 Workforce

± 21,757

3.37%

1 Year Growth

± 3.8%

The number of Public Administration and Social Service graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 3.37%, from 763,692 in 2018 to 789,449 in 2019.

The industry which employs the most Public Administration and Social Service graduates by share is Individual & family services, followed by Elementary & secondary schools. This visualization shows the industries that hire those who major in Public Administration and Social Service.

Specialty Locations

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Social Work is from the 2 Digit Course Public Administration and Social Service.

PUMAS with a relatively high number of Public Administration and Social Service majors

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States where there are a relatively high population of Public Administration and Social Service majors.

Diversity

Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Public Administration and Social Service in the United States.

The average age of a person in the workforce with a degree in Public Administration and Social Service is 43.3.

The most common degree type these workers hold is a Masters Degree. Female employees are more likely to hold Public Administration and Social Service degrees, and White students are the most common race/ethnicty group awarded degrees in Public Administration and Social Service (29,402 students).

Workforce Age

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Social Work is from the 2 Digit Course Public Administration and Social Service.

43.3

Average Age in 2019

± 0.363 Years

0.595%

1 Year Change

± 1.19%

This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Public Administration and Social Service. The most common ages of employees with this major are 26 and 30 years old, which represent 3.13% and 3.08% of the population, respectively.

Degrees Awarded

The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Social Work are Masters Degree, Bachelors Degree, and Associates Degree.

Workforce Degrees

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Social Work is from the 2 Digit Course Public Administration and Social Service.

The most common degree types held by the working population in Public Administration and Social Service are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Professional degree.

Sex Imbalance for Common Institutions

Female (87.8%)

Most Common Sex with a Degree in this Field

This chart shows the granted degrees by sex at the 5 institutions that graduate the most students in Social Work.

Race & Ethnicity by Degrees Awarded

Most Common Race or Ethnicity

White
29,402 degrees awarded
Black or African American
10,891 degrees awarded
Hispanic or Latino
10,686 degrees awarded

This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Social Work for each race & ethnicity. White students earned the largest share of the degrees with this major.

Race & Ethnicity by Sex

Most Common Race/Ethnicity and Sex Combination

White Female
14,920 degrees awarded
Black or African American Female
5,204 degrees awarded
Hispanic or Latino Female
4,802 degrees awarded

This chart illustrates the differences by sex for each race & ethnicity of Masters Degree recipients in Social Work. White Female students, who earn most of the degrees in this field, are the most common combination of race/ethnicity and sex.

Global Diversity

The closest comparable data for the 4 Digit Course Social Work is from the 2 Digit Course Public Administration and Social Service.

Most Common Countries of Origin

Mexico
8,090 degree recipients
India
4,210 degree recipients
Philippines
3,656 degree recipients

High Relative Number of Students

Liberia
8.75 times more than expected
Kenya
4.74 times more than expected
Armenia
4.28 times more than expected

There are a relatively high number of people that were born in Liberia that hold Public Administration and Social Service degrees (8.75 times more than expected), and the most common country of origin by total numbers for non-US students earning a degree in this field is Mexico (8,090 degree recipients).

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Social Work field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Social Work majors need many skills, but most especially Social Perceptiveness. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Social Work majors need more than the average amount of Social Perceptiveness, Service Orientation, and Negotiation.

These two visualizations, one a radial chart and one a bar chart, show the same information, a rating of how necessary the following skills are for Social Work majors. Toggle between "value" and "RCA" to see the absolute rating of that skill (value) and the revealed comparative advantage (RCA), or how much greater or lesser that skill's rating is than the average. The longer the bar or the closer the line comes to the circumference of the circle, the more important that skill is. The importance of Social Perceptiveness is very distinctive for majors, but the Social Perceptiveness, Active Listening, and Speaking are the three most important skills for people in the field.

Radar Distribution

Bar Chart

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