Community and Social Service Jobs: Every Major Occupation’s Pay, Ranked (May 2025 BLS Data)
- The median annual wage for community and social service occupations was $58,300 in May 2025, above the $50,980 median for all U.S. jobs.
- The group employed about 2,668,680 people nationwide.
- Its best-paid occupation with at least 10,000 jobs was healthcare social workers ($67,880); the lowest-paid was social and human service assistants ($45,930).
BLS sorts every job in the country into 22 major occupational groups. This one, “Community and Social Service Occupations” (SOC 21-0000), covers the occupations below. All pay and job counts come from the BLS OEWS national data, May 2025; the typical entry education for each job comes from BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35. Use the tables to see where your job sits in its field and which nearby jobs pay more.
Highest-paying jobs in the group
Occupations with at least 10,000 U.S. jobs, ranked by median annual wage:
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Hourly median | U.S. jobs | Typical entry education |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Healthcare Social Workers | $67,880 | $32.63 | 187,630 | Master's degree |
| Marriage and Family Therapists | $66,940 | $32.18 | 66,740 | Master's degree |
| Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists | $66,270 | $31.86 | 89,390 | Bachelor's degree |
| Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors | $64,330 | $30.93 | 353,310 | Master's degree |
| Health Education Specialists | $64,070 | $30.80 | 65,690 | Bachelor's degree |
| Clergy | $60,810 | $29.24 | 57,200 | Bachelor's degree |
| Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers | $60,280 | $28.98 | 132,810 | Master's degree |
| Child, Family, and School Social Workers | $59,550 | $28.63 | 392,550 | Bachelor's degree |
| Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors | $59,350 | $28.53 | 491,930 | Master's degree |
| Directors, Religious Activities and Education | $52,100 | $25.05 | 22,160 | Bachelor's degree |
| Community Health Workers | $51,850 | $24.93 | 61,660 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Rehabilitation Counselors | $46,850 | $22.52 | 94,740 | Master's degree |
Lowest-paying jobs in the group
| Occupation | Median annual wage | U.S. jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Social and Human Service Assistants | $45,930 | 437,860 |
| Rehabilitation Counselors | $46,850 | 94,740 |
| Community Health Workers | $51,850 | 61,660 |
| Directors, Religious Activities and Education | $52,100 | 22,160 |
| Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors | $59,350 | 491,930 |
The most common jobs in the group
These are the occupations most people in this field actually hold:
| Occupation | U.S. jobs | 10th percentile | Median | 90th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors | 491,930 | $38,940 | $59,350 | $97,590 |
| Social and Human Service Assistants | 437,860 | $34,200 | $45,930 | $63,290 |
| Child, Family, and School Social Workers | 392,550 | $42,280 | $59,550 | $95,530 |
| Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors | 353,310 | $45,020 | $64,330 | $104,770 |
| Healthcare Social Workers | 187,630 | $46,220 | $67,880 | $100,360 |
| Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers | 132,810 | $39,740 | $60,280 | $104,170 |
| Rehabilitation Counselors | 94,740 | $35,060 | $46,850 | $77,170 |
| Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists | 89,390 | $46,840 | $66,270 | $107,790 |
Where community and social service jobs pay the most
States with the highest median wage for the whole group (BLS OEWS state data, May 2025):
| State | Group median wage | Jobs in the group |
|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $69,130 | 11,360 |
| Washington | $67,650 | 68,110 |
| Massachusetts | $63,260 | 80,530 |
| New Jersey | $63,230 | 73,130 |
| Alaska | $62,960 | 7,410 |
The lowest group medians were in Mississippi ($46,530), Arkansas ($46,720), Oklahoma ($46,810). Part of the gap reflects living costs and part reflects which jobs in the group are common in each state.
No bachelor’s degree? The best-paid job in this group with a typical entry requirement below a four-year degree was community health workers, at a median of $51,850 (high school diploma or equivalent typically needed).
How to use this for a raise or a move
- Benchmark inside your field. Find your occupation in the tables and compare your pay with its median and with the 10th and 90th percentiles.
- Look one step over. The best-paid jobs in a group often use the same skills as the common ones. A certificate or license can move you up a row.
- Location matters. The state table shows how much the same kind of work pays in different places.
- Base pay only. OEWS wages exclude overtime, tips and most bonuses.
Published October 29, 2026. Sources are linked in the text.
Header image: original chart by JobPayRaise.com using BLS OEWS May 2025 data.
Comments (1)
One more data point: the state where community and social service jobs make up the largest share of local employment is Vermont, with a location quotient of 1.83 (9,540 jobs at a group median of $57,330). A location quotient above 1 means the group is a bigger share of the state’s jobs than it is nationally. Source: BLS OEWS state data, May 2025; location quotients are explained in the BLS OEWS overview.
— JobPayRaise Data Desk