# Healthcare Social Workers

> Provide individuals, families, and groups with the psychosocial support needed to cope with chronic, acute, or terminal illnesses. Services include advising family caregivers. Provide patients with information and counseling, and make referrals for other services. May also provide case and care management or interventions designed to promote health, prevent disease, and address barriers to access to healthcare.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/healthcare-social-workers
- SOC code: 21-1022.00
- Career family: Community and social service
- Median annual pay: $67,880 (10th percentile $46,220, 90th percentile $100,360)
- Projected growth: Much faster than average, +8.5%
- Openings a year: 16,900
- Typical entry education: Master's degree
- Bright outlook: yes
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code SIC)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 16 |
| Investigative (I) | 54 |
| Artistic (A) | 22 |
| Social (S) | 99 |
| Enterprising (E) | 26 |
| Conventional (C) | 35 |

## What you'd do

- Assisting and Caring for Others (importance 93/100)
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships (importance 88/100)
- Getting Information (importance 87/100)
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 86/100)
- Documenting/Recording Information (importance 83/100)
- Communicating with People Outside the Organization (importance 83/100)
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 81/100)
- Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others (importance 81/100)
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work (importance 79/100)
- Performing for or Working Directly with the Public (importance 76/100)

## Skills

Social Perceptiveness, Service Orientation, Speaking, Active Listening, Coordination, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Complex Problem Solving, Writing, Active Learning

## Knowledge

Psychology, Therapy and Counseling, English Language, Sociology and Anthropology, Customer and Personal Service, Education and Training, Philosophy and Theology, Administrative, Law and Government, Administration and Management

## Also called

AIDS Social Worker, Bereavement Counselor, Case Manager, Case Worker, Caseworker, Certified Health Care Social Worker, Certified Social Worker in Health Care (C-SWHC), Client Advocate, Clinical Social Worker, Disability Advocate

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5115) (CIP 5115, 969 colleges)
- [Social Work](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/4407) (CIP 4407, 849 colleges)
- Thanatology (CIP 3053, 5 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [University of Pennsylvania UPENN](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-pennsylvania-upenn-3009) | Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions | $70,054 | $76,395 | $13,021 |
| [Providence College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/providence-college-2158) | Social Work | not reported | $70,356 | not reported |
| [CUNY Hunter College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/cuny-hunter-college-739) | Social Work | $46,845 | $70,273 | $11,000 |
| [California State University-San Bernardino](https://www.collegesref.com/college/california-state-university-san-bernardino-376) | Social Work | $59,991 | $69,201 | $11,000 |
| [San Francisco State University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/san-francisco-state-university-2349) | Social Work | $44,889 | $68,524 | $21,763 |
| [California State University-Long Beach](https://www.collegesref.com/college/california-state-university-long-beach-371) | Social Work | $45,614 | $68,448 | $11,000 |
| [Pacific Lutheran University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/pacific-lutheran-university-2059) | Social Work | not reported | $67,458 | $18,862 |
| [University of California-Berkeley CAL](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-california-berkeley-cal-2881) | Social Work | $51,615 | $67,393 | $8,893 |

## Related careers

- [Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/mental-health-and-substance-abuse-social-workers): $60,280 median pay
- [Mental Health Counselors](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/mental-health-counselors): $59,350 median pay
- [Child, Family, and School Social Workers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/child-family-and-school-social-workers): $59,550 median pay
- [Marriage and Family Therapists](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/marriage-and-family-therapists): $66,940 median pay
- [Rehabilitation Counselors](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/rehabilitation-counselors): $46,850 median pay
- [Social and Human Service Assistants](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/social-and-human-service-assistants): $45,930 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.