The highest-paying states for mental health and substance abuse social workers (ranked by average annual salary) are listed in Table 1. The entry level salary (as measured by the salary of the lowest 10% paid earners) and the number of employment of mental health and substance abuse social workers in those states are also shown in the table. As shown in the table, with an annual salary of $79,530, California is the highest paying state for mental health and substance abuse social workers. It is followed by New Jersey (average annual salary $77,930). The salary and employment information is computed from data published by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in April 2023 [1]. For more salary information of mental health and substance abuse social workers in a specific state, use the links in the table.
| Rank | State | Average Salary i | Entry Level Salary i |
# of Empl. i |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $79,530 |
$44,680 | 15,780 |
| 2 | New Jersey | $77,930 |
$50,980 | 1,530 |
| 3 | New York | $75,150 |
$47,420 | 12,170 |
| 4 | Connecticut | $72,790 |
$37,230 | 1,400 |
| 5 | District of Columbia | $72,650 |
$43,500 | 480 |
| 6 | Maine | $67,040 |
$44,520 | 1,370 |
| 7 | Hawaii | $65,920 |
$40,120 | 540 |
| 8 | Minnesota | $64,700 |
$47,640 | 2,690 |
| 9 | New Hampshire | $63,130 |
$49,500 | 360 |
| 10 | Rhode Island | $62,460 |
$37,310 | 440 |
| 11 | Nevada | $58,160 |
$29,580 | 820 |
| 12 | Washington | $55,490 |
$36,530 | 2,800 |
| 13 | North Dakota | $54,700 |
$50,170 | 150 |
| 14 | New Mexico | $52,330 |
$27,890 | 510 |
| 15 | North Carolina | $52,010 |
$38,150 | 1,410 |
| 16 | Massachusetts | $51,630 |
$34,780 | 5,090 |
| 17 | Alaska | $51,240 |
$37,680 | 340 |
| 18 | Colorado | $50,580 |
$36,680 | 1,690 |
| 19 | Michigan | $50,520 |
$36,420 | 3,760 |
| 20 | Oregon | $49,760 |
$34,160 | 1,600 |
| 21 | Wisconsin | $49,590 |
$36,290 | 2,000 |
| 22 | Vermont | $49,540 |
$37,940 | 660 |
| 23 | Maryland | $49,320 |
$33,800 | 2,570 |
| 24 | Delaware | $48,750 |
$37,960 | 520 |
| 25 | Virginia | $48,570 |
$37,600 | 4,440 |
| 26 | Kansas | $48,000 |
$36,060 | 870 |
| 27 | Georgia | $47,960 |
$33,250 | 1,310 |
| 28 | Wyoming | $47,950 |
$28,950 | 240 |
| 29 | Illinois | $46,610 |
$33,470 | 1,590 |
| 30 | South Carolina | $46,590 |
$31,220 | 620 |
| 31 | Florida | $46,090 |
$30,690 | 5,180 |
| 32 | Indiana | $46,080 |
$33,600 | 1,570 |
| 33 | Iowa | $45,870 |
$35,730 | 1,000 |
| 34 | Idaho | $45,860 |
$31,530 | 790 |
| 35 | Louisiana | $45,440 |
$29,020 | 890 |
| 36 | Pennsylvania | $44,040 |
$31,160 | 5,690 |
| 37 | Virgin Islands | $44,020 |
$31,740 | 40 |
| 38 | South Dakota | $43,960 |
$36,940 | 240 |
| 39 | Arkansas | $42,010 |
$29,380 | 960 |
| 40 | Arizona | $41,560 |
$35,590 | 2,850 |
| 41 | Missouri | $41,540 |
$29,070 | 1,440 |
| 42 | Mississippi | $41,330 |
$23,640 | 1,200 |
| 43 | Utah | $41,290 |
$27,790 | 1,010 |
| 44 | Ohio | $40,940 |
$29,420 | 5,820 |
| 45 | Tennessee | $40,040 |
$28,250 | 1,320 |
| 46 | Guam | $40,010 |
$26,480 | 40 |
| 47 | Kentucky | $39,560 |
$29,200 | 1,110 |
| 48 | Texas | $39,470 |
$32,730 | 3,730 |
| 49 | Nebraska | $38,210 |
$24,190 | 1,030 |
| 50 | Montana | $37,040 |
$31,140 | 560 |
| 51 | Alabama | $36,450 |
$24,160 | 670 |
| 52 | Oklahoma | $36,250 |
$22,930 | 770 |
| 53 | West Virginia | $31,790 |
$25,890 | 370 |
| 54 | Puerto Rico | $23,170 |
$18,230 | 200 |