Social and Human Service Assistants Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks
SOC 21-1093 · National · May 2024 OEWS Data
Median Annual Salary
$45,115
$21.69/hr
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated Apr 3, 2025
Source: BLS OEWS · Published Apr 2, 2025
Next refresh: May 15, 2026
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The national median salary for Social and Human Service Assistants is $45,115 per year ($21.69/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024. The middle 50% of earners make between $37,773 and $53,040 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $63,856 per year. There are approximately 424,220 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
126K
$44,350
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999300
48K
$50,200
Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services
NAICS 624200
36K
$43,040
State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999200
33K
$48,690
Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Facilities
NAICS 623200
29K
$41,140
Wage range across top 5 industries: $41,140 to $50,200 (22% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$16.00
$33,280
P25
$18.16
$37,773
P50MEDIAN
$21.69
$45,115
P75
$25.50
$53,040
P90
$30.70
$63,856
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · professional sector
Cooling
Openings Rate
4.2%
Quits Rate
2.0%
Professional & Business Services openings tumbled 318K in March -- the largest single-sector drop in this release. Openings rate fell from 5.5% to 4.2%. Layoffs jumped to 527K (+99K). White-collar demand has cooled abruptly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average social and human service assistants salary?
The national median salary for Social and Human Service Assistants is $45,115 per year ($21.69/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2024 data. The middle 50% earn between $37,773 and $53,040 annually.
How much do top-earning social and human service assistants make?
The 90th percentile salary for Social and Human Service Assistants is $63,856 per year ($30.70/hr). The 75th percentile is $53,040 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 $33,280 per year ($16.00/hr). The 25th percentile is $37,773 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024 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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