Healthcare Social Workers
Also called: Clinical Social Worker, Hospice Social Worker, Medical Social Worker, Social WorkerProvide 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.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 11 of its 17 tasks, yet jobs are projected to grow 8.5% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 1.2% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 5.0 hires for every 10 job openings in health care and social assistance, which employs about 83% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.5.0 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $60,000 | $48,350 to $65,710 | 2,850 |
| Alaska | $62,000 | $47,620 to $84,990 | 480 |
| Arizona | $64,030 | $53,210 to $80,100 | 3,100 |
| Arkansas | $55,640 | $45,610 to $65,910 | 1,250 |
| California | $89,660 | $67,630 to $118,740 | 17,690 |
| Colorado | $63,480 | $49,490 to $81,030 | 3,670 |
| Connecticut | $79,900 | $66,290 to $96,470 | 1,650 |
| Delaware | $64,620 | $51,230 to $79,420 | 780 |
| District of Columbia | $94,100 | $75,360 to $107,500 | 420 |
| Florida | $64,820 | $57,840 to $76,280 | 10,520 |
| Georgia | $62,420 | $51,790 to $76,450 | 6,970 |
| Guam | $56,990 | $49,730 to $68,270 | 100 |
| Hawaii | $85,420 | $70,500 to $96,190 | 660 |
| Idaho | $74,500 | $58,460 to $80,460 | 750 |
| Illinois | $64,270 | $54,270 to $78,610 | 4,910 |
| Indiana | $64,580 | $57,270 to $78,880 | 3,890 |
| Iowa | $63,050 | $51,170 to $74,320 | 1,550 |
| Kansas | $64,440 | $56,720 to $75,200 | 1,360 |
| Kentucky | $64,080 | $49,990 to $77,660 | 1,980 |
| Louisiana | $61,080 | $57,450 to $73,340 | 1,970 |
| Maine | $71,610 | $61,000 to $78,810 | 790 |
| Maryland | $76,440 | $55,660 to $85,150 | 4,750 |
| Massachusetts | $76,440 | $60,300 to $92,110 | 7,220 |
| Michigan | $67,600 | $60,150 to $79,310 | 4,860 |
| Minnesota | $73,970 | $61,180 to $84,260 | 2,430 |
| Mississippi | $62,250 | $49,490 to $67,530 | 1,890 |
| Missouri | $59,870 | $46,430 to $73,740 | 4,430 |
| Montana | $57,090 | $48,570 to $68,240 | 840 |
| Nebraska | $62,420 | $53,290 to $74,060 | 980 |
| Nevada | $78,470 | $63,460 to $86,610 | 1,160 |
| New Hampshire | $78,260 | $70,530 to $89,750 | 590 |
| New Jersey | $82,690 | $68,090 to $99,530 | 4,310 |
| New Mexico | $65,930 | $55,820 to $77,600 | 1,200 |
| New York | $73,070 | $57,630 to $91,950 | 20,440 |
| North Carolina | $63,280 | $53,000 to $77,160 | 5,120 |
| North Dakota | $62,860 | $56,150 to $74,190 | 330 |
| Ohio | $63,610 | $51,270 to $76,930 | 8,930 |
| Oklahoma | $56,120 | $43,180 to $70,290 | 2,310 |
| Oregon | $84,350 | $67,170 to $101,640 | 2,320 |
| Pennsylvania | $61,900 | $57,200 to $76,040 | 9,630 |
| Puerto Rico | $36,050 | $28,860 to $46,320 | 1,200 |
| Rhode Island | $75,390 | $58,940 to $85,700 | 630 |
| South Carolina | $60,840 | $45,020 to $76,270 | 3,100 |
| South Dakota | $57,510 | $49,650 to $72,640 | 790 |
| Tennessee | $61,240 | $48,820 to $76,200 | 5,970 |
| Texas | $69,990 | $52,950 to $80,910 | 10,880 |
| Utah | $78,150 | $63,370 to $94,110 | 1,750 |
| Vermont | $81,140 | $72,050 to $100,520 | 250 |
| Virginia | $66,550 | $60,430 to $78,170 | 3,070 |
| Washington | $78,570 | $59,690 to $98,990 | 5,180 |
| West Virginia | $60,140 | $51,350 to $77,540 | 1,100 |
| Wisconsin | $66,910 | $59,640 to $78,830 | 3,770 |
| Wyoming | $62,260 | $49,070 to $82,760 | 180 |
Nationally: $67,880. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 11 of its 17 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Advocate for clients or patients to resolve crises. | Not published |
| AI + software | Educate clients about end-of-life symptoms and options to assist them in making informed decisions. | Not published |
| AI alone | Collaborate with other professionals to evaluate patients' medical or physical condition and to assess client needs. | Not published |
| AI alone | Refer patient, client, or family to community resources to assist in recovery from mental or physical illness and to provide access to services such as financial assistance, legal aid, housing, job placement or education. | Not published |
| AI + software | Utilize consultation data and social work experience to plan and coordinate client or patient care and rehabilitation, following through to ensure service efficacy. | Not published |
| AI + software | Identify environmental impediments to client or patient progress through interviews and review of patient records. | Not published |
See all 17 tasks
| AI + software | Monitor, evaluate, and record client progress according to measurable goals described in treatment and care plan. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Modify treatment plans to comply with changes in clients' status. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Organize support groups or counsel family members to assist them in understanding, dealing with, and supporting the client or patient. | Not published |
| Not much | Plan discharge from care facility to home or other care facility. | Not published |
| Not much | Counsel clients and patients in individual and group sessions to help them overcome dependencies, recover from illness, and adjust to life. | Not published |
| Not much | Supervise and direct other workers providing services to clients or patients. | Not published |
| Not much | Investigate child abuse or neglect cases and take authorized protective action when necessary. | Not published |
| AI alone | Develop or advise on social policy and assist in community development. | Not published |
| AI + software | Plan and conduct programs to combat social problems, prevent substance abuse, or improve community health and counseling services. | Not published |
| AI + software | Oversee Medicaid- and Medicare-related paperwork and recordkeeping in hospitals. | Not published |
| AI + software | Conduct social research to advance knowledge in the social work field. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 2 of the 17 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 17 tasks fall under 16 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #18 Research historical or social issues
- #24 Assist others to access additional services or resources
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Counsel others about personal matters | |||
| Develop patient or client care or treatment plans | |||
| Research historical or social issues | |||
| Assist others to access additional services or resources | |||
| Advise others on educational or vocational matters | |||
| Explain medical information to patients or family members | |||
| Assess living, work, or social needs or status of individuals or communities | |||
| Investigate criminal or legal matters |
Show all 16 activities
| Interview people to obtain information | |||
| Monitor health conditions of humans or animals | |||
| Collect information about patients or clients | |||
| Prepare legal or regulatory documents | |||
| Supervise personnel activities | |||
| Confer with healthcare or other professionals about patient care | |||
| Develop public or community health programs | |||
| Maintain health or medical records |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- A document or report22%
- Advice or a recommendation21%
- A plan or strategy17%
- An analysis or summary9%
- An explanation or answer6%
How they worked with Claude
20% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for healthcare social workers specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 30,005 moves out
- 1 Social Workers, All Other High +2.3% 10%
- 2 Registered Nurses High +5.6% 6%
- 3 Medical and Health Services Managers High +24.2% 6%
- 4 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 5 Mental Health Counselors 4%
Where people moved in from
of 37,610 moves in
- 1 Social Workers, All Other High +2.3% 9%
- 2 Office Clerks, General Very high -6.0% 7%
- 3 Mental Health Counselors 5%
- 4 Registered Nurses High +5.6% 5%
- 5 Medical and Health Services Managers High +24.2% 4%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 15% bachelor's
- 70% master's
- 11% post-master's certificate
- 4% professional doctorate
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 27 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 1% less than high school
- 15% high school
- 10% some college
- 6% associate's
- 28% bachelor's
- 36% master's
- 1% professional degree
- 2% doctorate
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 765 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
7 programs, such as Thanatology, Social Work and Forensic Social Work.
See all
- Thanatology
- Social Work
- Forensic Social Work
- Social Work, Other
- Clinical/Medical Social Work
- Medical Family Therapy/Therapist
- Hospice and Palliative Care
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
83.2% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a license | 70.8% | 19.1% |
| a certification | not published | |
| an educational certificate | not published |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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