Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers
Also called: Case Manager, Mental Health Therapist, Social Worker, TherapistAssess and treat individuals with mental, emotional, or substance abuse problems, including abuse of alcohol, tobacco, and/or other drugs. Activities may include individual and group therapy, crisis intervention, case management, client advocacy, prevention, and education.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 7 of its 13 tasks, yet jobs are projected to grow 10.3% 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, 0.8% 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 79% 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 | $41,500 | $35,740 to $55,640 | 740 |
| Alaska | $56,710 | $49,430 to $68,690 | 250 |
| Arizona | $46,380 | $45,010 to $54,480 | 3,690 |
| Arkansas | $58,590 | $42,620 to $73,290 | 1,040 |
| California | $79,000 | $57,800 to $118,860 | 19,860 |
| Colorado | $65,620 | $55,770 to $80,990 | 1,640 |
| Connecticut | $78,640 | $62,300 to $92,430 | 1,540 |
| Delaware | $60,060 | $51,230 to $68,090 | 510 |
| District of Columbia | $73,310 | $65,360 to $104,170 | 510 |
| Florida | $51,590 | $44,450 to $62,050 | 5,150 |
| Georgia | $52,030 | $45,090 to $72,490 | 1,330 |
| Hawaii | $54,390 | $47,210 to $77,680 | not published |
| Idaho | $52,520 | $45,760 to $75,920 | 510 |
| Illinois | $49,960 | $46,290 to $69,210 | 3,460 |
| Indiana | $48,300 | $42,580 to $64,610 | 2,490 |
| Iowa | $48,530 | $44,630 to $66,180 | 1,200 |
| Kansas | $56,330 | $48,990 to $66,290 | 1,620 |
| Kentucky | $42,570 | $37,230 to $48,780 | 1,360 |
| Louisiana | $47,100 | $36,380 to $62,170 | 970 |
| Maine | $57,050 | $47,740 to $77,650 | 1,860 |
| Maryland | $73,580 | $49,440 to $94,690 | 2,250 |
| Massachusetts | $62,500 | $53,970 to $78,750 | 7,440 |
| Michigan | $60,830 | $50,140 to $74,350 | 4,620 |
| Minnesota | $75,020 | $60,080 to $85,990 | 3,590 |
| Mississippi | $48,970 | $33,700 to $62,520 | 920 |
| Missouri | $49,560 | $43,350 to $59,200 | 1,640 |
| Montana | $45,160 | $39,760 to $59,850 | 740 |
| Nebraska | $43,240 | $37,230 to $51,890 | 900 |
| Nevada | $62,900 | $47,250 to $75,940 | 1,100 |
| New Hampshire | $63,900 | $58,820 to $77,410 | 320 |
| New Jersey | $66,590 | $47,610 to $84,700 | 2,420 |
| New Mexico | $65,640 | $44,860 to $86,150 | 800 |
| New York | $79,380 | $64,430 to $95,520 | 14,820 |
| North Carolina | $58,210 | $48,150 to $67,460 | 3,690 |
| North Dakota | $60,980 | $58,790 to $65,110 | 240 |
| Ohio | $46,080 | $38,170 to $57,960 | 6,050 |
| Oklahoma | $43,120 | $37,820 to $45,410 | 1,780 |
| Oregon | $68,210 | $58,250 to $83,740 | 2,230 |
| Pennsylvania | $48,290 | $43,810 to $58,860 | 3,500 |
| Puerto Rico | $26,500 | $22,020 to $33,500 | 350 |
| Rhode Island | $60,990 | $49,340 to $110,210 | 800 |
| South Carolina | $39,930 | $34,770 to $49,720 | 720 |
| South Dakota | $48,920 | $44,250 to $61,900 | 230 |
| Tennessee | $46,500 | $42,780 to $55,310 | 2,220 |
| Texas | $46,630 | $41,080 to $57,320 | 8,220 |
| Utah | $50,770 | $42,040 to $79,540 | 1,240 |
| Vermont | $73,210 | $65,050 to $81,890 | 320 |
| Virginia | $64,240 | $53,620 to $80,390 | 3,670 |
| Washington | $70,460 | $56,050 to $84,500 | 3,490 |
| West Virginia | $50,070 | $47,270 to $57,830 | 420 |
| Wisconsin | $61,860 | $49,720 to $75,360 | 1,880 |
| Wyoming | $59,310 | $49,770 to $83,340 | 200 |
Nationally: $60,280. 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 7 of its 13 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Collaborate with counselors, physicians, or nurses to plan or coordinate treatment, drawing on social work experience and patient needs. | Not published |
| AI + software | Monitor, evaluate, and record client progress with respect to treatment goals. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Counsel clients in individual or group sessions to assist them in dealing with substance abuse, mental or physical illness, poverty, unemployment, or physical abuse. | 0.01% |
| AI + software | Modify treatment plans according to changes in client status. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Interview clients, review records, conduct assessments, or confer with other professionals to evaluate the mental or physical condition of clients or patients. | Not published |
| Not much | Assist clients in adhering to treatment plans, such as setting up appointments, arranging for transportation to appointments, or providing support. | Not published |
See all 13 tasks
| AI alone | Educate clients or community members about mental or physical illness, abuse, medication, or available community resources. | Not published |
| Not much | Counsel or aid family members to assist them in understanding, dealing with, or supporting the client or patient. | Not published |
| AI + software | Increase social work knowledge by reviewing current literature, conducting social research, or attending seminars, training workshops, or classes. | Not published |
| AI alone | Refer patient, client, or family to community resources for housing or treatment to assist in recovery from mental or physical illness, following through to ensure service efficacy. | Not published |
| Not much | Supervise or direct other workers who provide services to clients or patients. | Not published |
| AI + software | Plan or conduct programs to prevent substance abuse, combat social problems, or improve health or counseling services in community. | Not published |
| Not much | Develop or advise on social policy or assist in community development. | 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. 3 of the 13 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 13 tasks fall under 15 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.
- #4 Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise
- #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 | |||
| Confer with healthcare or other professionals about patient care | |||
| Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise | |||
| Research historical or social issues | |||
| Assist others to access additional services or resources | |||
| Teach academic or vocational subjects | |||
| Advise others on educational or vocational matters | |||
| Interview people to obtain information |
Show all 15 activities
| Monitor health conditions of humans or animals | |||
| Collect information about patients or clients | |||
| Develop patient or client care or treatment plans | |||
| Assist individuals with special needs | |||
| Supervise personnel activities | |||
| 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
- Advice or a recommendation41%
- A document or report12%
- A plan or strategy10%
- An explanation or answer9%
- An email or message4%
How they worked with Claude
8% 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 mental health and substance abuse 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 7,152 moves out
- 1 Registered Nurses High +5.6% 9%
- 2 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 7%
- 3 Medical and Health Services Managers High +24.2% 6%
- 4 Postsecondary Teachers, All Other Very high +2.0% 5%
- 5 Mental Health Counselors 5%
Where people moved in from
of 6,598 moves in
- 1 Registered Nurses High +5.6% 9%
- 2 Mental Health Counselors 6%
- 3 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 4 Medical and Health Services Managers High +24.2% 4%
- 5 Office Clerks, General Very high -6.0% 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
- 19% bachelor's
- 77% master's
- 4% post-master's certificate
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 23 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 2% high school
- 5% some college
- 3% associate's
- 16% bachelor's
- 70% master's
- 2% professional degree
- 2% doctorate
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 459 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
3 programs: Social Work, Social Work, Other and Clinical/Medical Social Work.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
94.3% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a license | 51.1% | 19.1% |
| a certification | <0.5% | 5.8% |
| 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
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/21-1023.00