# Social and Human Service Assistants

> 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.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/social-and-human-service-assistants
- SOC code: 21-1093.00
- Career family: Community and social service
- Median annual pay: $45,930 (10th percentile $34,200, 90th percentile $63,290)
- Projected growth: Faster than average, +7.4%
- Openings a year: 48,900
- Typical entry education: High school diploma
- Bright outlook: yes
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code SCE)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 5 |
| Investigative (I) | 30 |
| Artistic (A) | 16 |
| Social (S) | 85 |
| Enterprising (E) | 44 |
| Conventional (C) | 60 |

## What you'd do

- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 94/100)
- Documenting/Recording Information (importance 88/100)
- Getting Information (importance 82/100)
- Performing for or Working Directly with the Public (importance 77/100)
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships (importance 76/100)
- Assisting and Caring for Others (importance 76/100)
- Working with Computers (importance 75/100)
- Communicating with People Outside the Organization (importance 71/100)
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 68/100)
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge (importance 68/100)

## Skills

Active Listening, Social Perceptiveness, Speaking, Service Orientation, Coordination, Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, Monitoring, Writing, Persuasion

## Knowledge

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

## Also called

Addictions Counselor Assistant, Advocate, Case Aide, Case Management Assistant, Case Management Coordinator, Case Work Aide, Certified Peer Specialist, Child Advocate, Child and Youth Care Practitioner, Children's Aide

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

- [Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/1907) (CIP 1907, 1,004 colleges)
- [Human Services, General](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/4400) (CIP 4400, 496 colleges)

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

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [University of Virginia-Main Campus UVA](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-virginia-main-campus-uva-3072) | Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | $46,352 | $71,638 | $19,500 |
| [Syracuse University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/syracuse-university-2667) | Human Services, General | $53,805 | $68,314 | $23,375 |
| [George Washington University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/george-washington-university-1066) | Human Services, General | not reported | $65,190 | not reported |
| [University of Maryland-College Park Main Campus](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-maryland-college-park-main-campus-2949) | Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | $43,070 | $65,136 | $14,949 |
| [Florida State University-Main Campus](https://www.collegesref.com/college/florida-state-university-main-campus-985) | Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | $34,677 | $62,663 | $13,825 |
| [Binghamton University SUNY](https://www.collegesref.com/college/binghamton-university-suny-249) | Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | $41,088 | $62,506 | $19,500 |
| [George Mason University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/george-mason-university-1065) | Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | $42,238 | $61,565 | not reported |
| [University of California-San Diego UCSD](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-california-san-diego-ucsd-2887) | Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | $31,391 | $61,262 | $11,779 |

## Related careers

- [Child, Family, and School Social Workers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/child-family-and-school-social-workers): $59,550 median pay
- [Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/mental-health-and-substance-abuse-social-workers): $60,280 median pay
- [Healthcare Social Workers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/healthcare-social-workers): $67,880 median pay
- [Marriage and Family Therapists](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/marriage-and-family-therapists): $66,940 median pay
- [Mental Health Counselors](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/mental-health-counselors): $59,350 median pay
- [Rehabilitation Counselors](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/rehabilitation-counselors): $46,850 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.