Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks
SOC 21-1023 · National · May 2025 OEWS Data
Median Annual Salary
$60,278
$28.98/hr
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026
Is this a competitive Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers salary in 2026?
Based on BLS OEWS wage percentiles, JOLTS June 2026 demand signals, and ECI Q2 2026 wage growth.
$Competitive · ~P50
P10$40K
P25$47K
P50$60K
P75$80K
P90$104K
Drag the dot or type an amount above.
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Demand: HOT. Demand is hot -- professional & business services job openings are running at 5.5% (JOLTS, June 2026), a tight market. Candidates have leverage, so a competitive offer sits at or above the median; below-median offers often will not close.
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Merit budget: Wages in professional services are rising about 2.5% a year (BLS ECI, Q2 2026). Budget a 2.1-2.6% merit increase to hold this role at market.
Our read
For a competitive 2026 offer, target $60,278 to $79,726 (market median to the 75th percentile). Lean toward the top of the range for senior or hard-to-fill roles.
Figures are market benchmarks from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; apply professional judgment before making pay decisions.
How Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers pay is moving in 2026
Trend, demand, and spread context from BLS OEWS, JOLTS, and ECI
Pay trend
Median pay for this role rose 0.3% between the May 2024 and May 2025 BLS surveys, trailing the 2.5% wage growth of Professional & Business Services (BLS ECI).
Hiring demand · HOT
Professional & Business Services is running a 5.5% job-openings rate with quits at 2.2% (BLS JOLTS). Demand has cooled for 2 straight months (6.2% down to 5.5%).
Pay spread
Top earners (P90) make about 2.6 times what entry-level (P10) workers make in this role. That spread is wider than typical, so expect large pay differences by experience, employer size, and geography; build generous ranges and differentiate strongly.
What changed recently
Aug 4, 2026JOLTS June 2026: sector openings eased to 5.5% (down 0.3pp), still the highest of any major sector. Quits held at 2.2%.
Jul 31, 2026ECI Q2 2026: sector wages growing 2.5% per year. Nationally, wages rose 3.2% while CPI hit 3.5%, so real wages turned negative.
Commentary is generated from published BLS figures (OEWS May 2025 vs May 2024, JOLTS June 2026, ECI Q2 2026) and refreshed each release. It is interpretation, not a BLS product.
Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026
Next refresh: May 2027
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The national median salary for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers is $60,278 per year ($28.98/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $47,070 and $79,726 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $104,166 per year. There are approximately 132,810 mental health and substance abuse social workers employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Assess and treat individuals with mental, emotional, or substance abuse problems, including abuse of alcohol, tobacco, and/or other drugs. Activities may include individual and group therapy, crisis intervention, case management, client advocacy, prevention, and education.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+9.7%
Much faster than average
Annual openings
14K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
137K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
10% from new growth90% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Master's degree
Experience
None
On-the-job training
Internship/residency
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Outpatient Care Centers
NAICS 621400
29K
$57,020
Individual and Family Services
NAICS 624100
18K
$57,040
Offices of Other Health Practitioners
NAICS 621300
18K
$68,170
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999300
14K
$64,190
Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Facilities
NAICS 623200
13K
$50,200
Wage range across top 5 industries: $50,200 to $68,170 (36% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$19.11
$39,749
P25
$22.63
$47,070
P50MEDIAN
$28.98
$60,278
P75
$38.33
$79,726
P90
$50.08
$104,166
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · professional sector
Hot
Openings Rate
5.5%
Quits Rate
2.2%
Professional & Business Services openings eased to 1.30M in June (-71K), rate 5.5% -- still the highest of any major sector. Quits held at 2.2%. White-collar demand is cooling at the edges but remains the tightest market.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average mental health and substance abuse social workers salary?
The national median salary for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers is $60,278 per year ($28.98/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $47,070 and $79,726 annually.
How much do top-earning mental health and substance abuse social workers make?
The 90th percentile salary for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers is $104,166 per year ($50.08/hr). The 75th percentile is $79,726 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for mental health and substance abuse social workers?
Entry-level Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers (10th percentile) earn approximately $39,749 per year ($19.11/hr). The 25th percentile is $47,070 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
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