Social Worker Salary, Adjusted for Cost of Living
Connecticut pays social workers the most both on paper ($78,970/yr) and after cost of living. But below the top, the ranking reshuffles sharply once a dollar's local value is taken into account.
| # | State | Nominal / yr | Cost of living | Real pay / yr | COL shift |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connecticut | $78,970 | 104 | $76,219 | — | |
| Maryland | $76,390 | 105 | $72,781 | — | |
| North Dakota | $64,560 | 89 | $72,573 | ▲ 11 | |
| Massachusetts | $75,570 | 106 | $71,456 | — | |
| New Jersey | $76,280 | 109 | $70,107 | ▼ 2 | |
| Washington | $74,480 | 107 | $69,599 | ▼ 1 | |
| Vermont | $67,340 | 98 | $68,744 | ▲ 4 | |
| Minnesota | $67,450 | 99 | $68,393 | ▲ 2 | |
| Rhode Island | $69,870 | 102 | $68,312 | ▼ 1 | |
| New Hampshire | $71,010 | 104 | $68,171 | ▼ 3 | |
| District of Columbia | $73,550 | 110 | $66,924 | ▼ 5 | |
| Kentucky | $59,100 | 90 | $65,551 | ▲ 14 | |
| Maine | $63,290 | 97 | $65,214 | ▲ 4 | |
| Louisiana | $56,800 | 88 | $64,394 | ▲ 13 | |
| Illinois | $63,220 | 100 | $63,247 | ▲ 3 | |
| North Carolina | $59,610 | 94 | $63,196 | ▲ 7 | |
| Wisconsin | $59,280 | 94 | $63,000 | ▲ 7 | |
| Idaho | $59,840 | 96 | $62,664 | ▲ 4 | |
| Hawaii | $68,270 | 110 | $62,091 | ▼ 10 | |
| Oregon | $64,130 | 103 | $62,045 | ▼ 5 | |
| Colorado | $63,720 | 103 | $61,833 | ▼ 5 | |
| Michigan | $59,270 | 96 | $61,600 | ▲ 3 | |
| Tennessee | $56,310 | 92 | $61,293 | ▲ 8 | |
| Alaska | $62,630 | 102 | $61,187 | ▼ 5 | |
| Nevada | $61,080 | 100 | $61,093 | ▼ 4 | |
| New Mexico | $56,160 | 92 | $60,903 | ▲ 6 | |
| Wyoming | $56,420 | 93 | $60,869 | ▲ 3 | |
| Virginia | $61,330 | 101 | $60,660 | ▼ 8 | |
| New York | $65,100 | 108 | $60,322 | ▼ 16 | |
| Kansas | $54,300 | 90 | $60,288 | ▲ 4 | |
| Montana | $56,780 | 95 | $59,993 | ▼ 3 | |
| Iowa | $52,250 | 88 | $59,536 | ▲ 3 | |
| California | $65,200 | 111 | $58,887 | ▼ 21 | |
| West Virginia | $52,220 | 90 | $58,348 | ▲ 2 | |
| South Dakota | $51,100 | 89 | $57,684 | ▲ 5 | |
| Texas | $55,680 | 97 | $57,368 | ▼ 3 | |
| Ohio | $51,520 | 93 | $55,533 | ▲ 2 | |
| South Carolina | $51,800 | 94 | $55,254 | — | |
| Florida | $56,550 | 103 | $54,683 | ▼ 10 | |
| Indiana | $50,470 | 93 | $54,078 | ▲ 2 | |
| Mississippi | $46,530 | 87 | $53,512 | ▲ 8 | |
| Missouri | $48,520 | 91 | $53,426 | ▲ 3 | |
| Nebraska | $47,770 | 90 | $53,017 | ▲ 3 | |
| Utah | $52,000 | 99 | $52,598 | ▼ 7 | |
| Alabama | $46,660 | 89 | $52,531 | ▲ 3 | |
| Pennsylvania | $50,820 | 98 | $52,085 | ▼ 5 | |
| Oklahoma | $43,950 | 88 | $50,032 | ▲ 3 | |
| Arkansas | $43,330 | 87 | $49,841 | ▲ 3 | |
| Arizona | $50,150 | 101 | $49,813 | ▼ 6 | |
| Georgia | $47,510 | 96 | $49,339 | ▼ 3 | |
| Delaware | $48,520 | 100 | $48,613 | ▼ 7 |
How to read this
Nominal pay is the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) median wage for social workers in each state. Real pay divides that by the state's cost of living (BEA Regional Price Parity, U.S. average = 100), so it reflects what the salary is actually worth locally. A state with high nominal pay but high costs can rank lower on real pay than a cheaper state — that's the COL shift column.
Methodology: nominal medians from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) (May 2025 release); cost of living from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities (all items, 2024). Real pay = nominal ÷ (RPP ÷ 100). Cite as “WageAtlas Real Pay Index.”
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