Social Work

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Total Degrees​
Awarded in 2021
57,401
growing 1.13%
Median In-State​
Public Tuition
$7,164
growing 1.33%
Median Out-of-State​
Private Tuition
$32,400
growing 3.02%
Average Wage
$63,578
growing 5.85%
People in Workforce
788,822
growing 3.54%
Average Employee Age
43.3
growing 0.245%

About

In 2021, the locations with the highest concentration of Social Work degree recipients are New York, NY, Los Angeles, CA, and Minneapolis, MN. In 2021, the locations with a relatively high number of Social Work degree recipients are Aurora, IL, Silver City, NM, and Keuka Park, NY. The most common degree awarded to students studying Social Work is a masters degree.

learningInstitutions

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 Brescia University and Our Lady of the Lake University have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Social Work.

Tuition costs for Social Work majors are, on average, $7,164 for in-state public colleges, and $32,400 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 (365 total). The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded, is Public, 4-year or above (37,561 completions).

Institutions

The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded in Social Work, is Public, 4-year or above (37,561 completions in 2021).

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.

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Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

$7,164
Median In-State Public
$32,400
Median Out of State Private

University of Southern California has the most Social Work degree recipients, with 1,081 degrees awarded in 2021.

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

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Specialized Colleges

Highest Concentration Institution
  1. 45.3%
  2. 41.9%
  3. 31.5%

Out of all institutions that offer Social Work programs and have at least 5 graduates in those programs, Brescia University has the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Social Work, with 45.3%.

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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.

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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.

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briefcaseEmployment

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 $63,578 and the most common occupations are Social workers, all other, Social & community service managers, and Other 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 Communications, & audio & video equipment manufacturing.

Yearly Income for Common Jobs

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Social Work is from the 2 Digit Course Public Administration and Social Service.
$63,578
Average Wage in Workforce
± $1,717
5.85%
1 Year Growth
± 3.65%

The average salary for Public Administration and Social Service majors is $63,578 and the most common occupations are Social workers, all other, Social & community service managers, and Other managers.

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

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Highest Paying Locations

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Social Work is from the 2 Digit Course Public Administration and Social Service.

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.

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Most Common

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Social Work is from the 2 Digit Course Public Administration and Social Service.
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Most Specialized

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Social Work is from the 2 Digit Course Public Administration and Social Service.
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Highest Paid

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Social Work is from the 2 Digit Course Public Administration and Social Service.
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Occupations by Share

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Social Work is from the 2 Digit Course Public Administration and Social Service.
788,822
2021 Workforce
± 21,748
3.54%
1 Year Growth
± 3.8%

The number of Public Administration and Social Service graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 3.54%, from 761,849 in 2020 to 788,822 in 2021.

The largest single share of Public Administration and Social Service graduates go on to work as Social workers, all other (20%). 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.

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Most Common

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Social Work is from the 2 Digit Course Public Administration and Social Service.
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Highest Paid

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Social Work is from the 2 Digit Course Public Administration and Social Service.
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Industries by Share

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Social Work is from the 2 Digit Course Public Administration and Social Service.
788,822
2021 Workforce
± 21,748
3.54%
1 Year Growth
± 3.8%

The number of Public Administration and Social Service graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 3.54%, from 761,849 in 2020 to 788,822 in 2021.

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.

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Specialty Locations

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Social Work is from the 2 Digit Course Public Administration and Social Service.

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.

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.

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geosearchDiversity

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 (29,035 students).

Workforce Age

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Social Work is from the 2 Digit Course Public Administration and Social Service.
43.3
Average Age in 2021
± 0.358 Years
0.245%
1 Year Change
± 1.18%

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 28 and 30 years old, which represent 2.87% and 2.83% of the population, respectively.

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Degrees Awarded

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

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Workforce Degrees

The closest comparable data for the 6 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.

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Sex Imbalance for Common Institutions

Female (87.9%)
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.

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Race & Ethnicity by Degrees Awarded

Most Common Race or Ethnicity
  1. White
    29,035 degrees awarded
  2. Hispanic or Latino
    10,954 degrees awarded
  3. Black or African American
    10,685 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.

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Race & Ethnicity by Sex

Most Common Race/Ethnicity and Sex Combination
  1. White Female
    14,722 degrees awarded
  2. Black or African American Female
    5,084 degrees awarded
  3. Hispanic or Latino Female
    4,860 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.

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Global Diversity

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Social Work is from the 2 Digit Course Public Administration and Social Service.
Most Common Countries of Origin
  1. Mexico
    9,750 degree recipients
  2. Jamaica
    4,067 degree recipients
  3. India
    3,595 degree recipients
High Relative Number of Students
  1. St. Kitts-Nevis
    12.8 times more than expected
  2. Other Europe, not specified
    6.57 times more than expected
  3. Liberia
    5.13 times more than expected

There are a relatively high number of people that were born in St. Kitts-Nevis that hold Public Administration and Social Service degrees (12.8 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 (9,750 degree recipients).

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predictive-analysisSkills

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, Negotiation, Persuasion, Active Listening, Monitoring, Judgment and Decision Making, Speaking, Complex Problem Solving, Writing, Instructing, Systems Evaluation, Coordination, Critical Thinking, Active Learning, Systems Analysis, Reading Comprehension, Operations Analysis, Time Management, Learning Strategies, Management of Personnel Resources, Science, Programming, Technology Design, Operation and Control, Operation Monitoring, Mathematics, Management of Financial Resources, Quality Control Analysis, Management of Material Resources, Troubleshooting, Equipment Selection, Installation, Equipment Maintenance, and Repairing.

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, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, Writing, Judgment and Decision Making, Complex Problem Solving, Monitoring, Service Orientation, Active Learning, Persuasion, Coordination, Negotiation, Instructing, Time Management, Systems Evaluation, Systems Analysis, Learning Strategies, Management of Personnel Resources, Operations Analysis, Science, Mathematics, Operation Monitoring, Quality Control Analysis, Operation and Control, Management of Financial Resources, Technology Design, Management of Material Resources, Programming, Troubleshooting, Equipment Selection, Installation, Equipment Maintenance, and Repairing are the three most important skills for people in the field.

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Bar Chart

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