Social and Human Service Assistants Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks
SOC 21-1093 · National · May 2025 OEWS Data
Median Annual Salary
$45,926
$22.08/hr
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026
Is this a competitive Social and Human Service Assistants salary in 2026?
Based on BLS OEWS wage percentiles, JOLTS May 2026 demand signals, and ECI Q1 2026 wage growth.
$Competitive · ~P50
P10$34K
P25$38K
P50$46K
P75$54K
P90$63K
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 6.2% (JOLTS, May 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 2.6% a year (BLS ECI, Q1 2026). Budget a 2.2-2.7% merit increase to hold this role at market.
Bottom line
For a competitive 2026 offer, target $45,926 to $54,350 (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.
Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026
Next refresh: May 2027
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The national median salary for Social and Human Service Assistants is $45,926 per year ($22.08/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $38,147 and $54,350 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $63,294 per year. There are approximately 437,860 social and human service assistants employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Assist other social and human service providers in providing client services in a wide variety of fields, such as psychology, rehabilitation, or social work, including support for families. May assist clients in identifying and obtaining available benefits and social and community services. May assist social workers with developing, organizing, and conducting programs to prevent and resolve problems relevant to substance abuse, human relationships, rehabilitation, or dependent care.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+6.4%
Faster than average
Annual openings
51K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
450K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
6% from new growth94% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
High school diploma or equivalent
Experience
None
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Individual and Family Services
NAICS 624100
129K
$45,500
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999300
51K
$49,990
Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services
NAICS 624200
36K
$44,210
State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999200
32K
$50,920
Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Facilities
NAICS 623200
29K
$41,410
Wage range across top 5 industries: $41,410 to $50,920 (23% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$16.44
$34,195
P25
$18.34
$38,147
P50MEDIAN
$22.08
$45,926
P75
$26.13
$54,350
P90
$30.43
$63,294
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · professional sector
Hot
Openings Rate
6.2%
Quits Rate
2.0%
Professional & Business Services openings were little changed at 1.49M in May, rate 6.2% -- still the highest of any major sector. (April's initial 7.1% reading was revised down to 6.2%.) Quits rose to 2.0%.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average social and human service assistants salary?
The national median salary for Social and Human Service Assistants is $45,926 per year ($22.08/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $38,147 and $54,350 annually.
How much do top-earning social and human service assistants make?
The 90th percentile salary for Social and Human Service Assistants is $63,294 per year ($30.43/hr). The 75th percentile is $54,350 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for social and human service assistants?
Entry-level Social and Human Service Assistants (10th percentile) earn approximately $34,195 per year ($16.44/hr). The 25th percentile is $38,147 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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