Social and Human Service Assistants
Also called: Advocate, Clinical Assistant, Social Work Associate, Social Worker AssistantAssist 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.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 9 of its 19 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 7.4% 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, 4.3% 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 64% 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 | $35,830 | $29,660 to $42,730 | 3,370 |
| Alaska | $47,360 | $44,490 to $59,990 | 1,370 |
| Arizona | $40,730 | $36,870 to $44,730 | 7,290 |
| Arkansas | $36,770 | $29,040 to $44,500 | 3,530 |
| California | $51,090 | $46,110 to $61,450 | 58,730 |
| Colorado | $47,690 | $43,790 to $55,930 | 5,410 |
| Connecticut | $44,730 | $38,000 to $50,400 | 9,930 |
| Delaware | $40,710 | $36,600 to $45,860 | 1,050 |
| District of Columbia | $59,460 | $49,190 to $65,510 | 2,080 |
| Florida | $44,410 | $37,850 to $49,520 | 22,670 |
| Georgia | $39,480 | $33,850 to $47,720 | 7,410 |
| Guam | $38,920 | $29,300 to $49,730 | 160 |
| Hawaii | $42,400 | $37,830 to $48,110 | 2,230 |
| Idaho | $47,540 | $43,870 to $53,290 | 3,810 |
| Illinois | $46,950 | $39,310 to $57,110 | 22,220 |
| Indiana | $44,550 | $36,470 to $48,730 | 11,740 |
| Iowa | $42,480 | $36,710 to $48,050 | 5,230 |
| Kansas | $42,570 | $36,910 to $48,590 | 6,070 |
| Kentucky | $37,440 | $33,070 to $45,970 | 4,670 |
| Louisiana | $35,780 | $29,750 to $43,350 | 3,440 |
| Maine | $47,710 | $44,260 to $53,860 | 4,580 |
| Maryland | $47,210 | $42,230 to $59,130 | 7,280 |
| Massachusetts | $47,130 | $43,960 to $57,320 | 9,180 |
| Michigan | $39,160 | $36,420 to $47,350 | 12,450 |
| Minnesota | $49,940 | $45,630 to $59,880 | 11,110 |
| Mississippi | $31,200 | $27,090 to $35,690 | not published |
| Missouri | $41,780 | $36,770 to $47,050 | 6,200 |
| Montana | $38,570 | $34,990 to $45,300 | 1,200 |
| Nebraska | $38,940 | $35,820 to $43,110 | 1,460 |
| Nevada | $38,570 | $34,830 to $46,770 | 2,420 |
| New Hampshire | $46,950 | $41,840 to $53,300 | 1,860 |
| New Jersey | $48,420 | $41,240 to $58,530 | 17,270 |
| New Mexico | $46,340 | $38,220 to $54,290 | 3,050 |
| New York | $47,190 | $39,790 to $56,140 | 40,970 |
| North Carolina | $42,850 | $35,750 to $48,450 | 9,020 |
| North Dakota | $46,260 | $39,270 to $54,300 | 1,530 |
| Ohio | $38,390 | $35,090 to $46,760 | 10,970 |
| Oklahoma | $36,740 | $31,720 to $43,810 | 3,340 |
| Oregon | $51,230 | $46,130 to $59,010 | 11,260 |
| Pennsylvania | $44,050 | $37,390 to $48,530 | 24,340 |
| Puerto Rico | $31,570 | $28,270 to $36,030 | 5,560 |
| Rhode Island | $47,720 | $37,900 to $57,740 | 2,290 |
| South Carolina | $38,550 | $34,580 to $46,710 | 5,220 |
| South Dakota | $38,350 | $31,810 to $44,500 | 830 |
| Tennessee | $40,310 | $35,680 to $46,150 | 4,380 |
| Texas | $45,860 | $37,950 to $51,500 | 21,620 |
| Utah | $39,930 | $35,730 to $47,320 | 6,540 |
| Vermont | $46,640 | $43,060 to $49,940 | 1,920 |
| Virgin Islands | $37,150 | $34,990 to $40,590 | 60 |
| Virginia | $43,450 | $37,130 to $49,140 | 10,670 |
| Washington | $54,770 | $47,520 to $61,640 | 7,590 |
| West Virginia | $39,290 | $35,870 to $45,240 | 3,320 |
| Wisconsin | $47,500 | $38,600 to $60,380 | 7,750 |
| Wyoming | $45,290 | $37,210 to $50,420 | 610 |
Nationally: $45,930. 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 9 of its 19 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Assess clients' cognitive abilities and physical and emotional needs to determine appropriate interventions. | Not published |
| AI alone | Submit reports and review reports or problems with superior. | Not published |
| AI alone | Provide information or refer individuals to public or private agencies or community services for assistance. | Not published |
| AI + software | Develop and implement behavioral management and care plans for clients. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Keep records or prepare reports for owner or management concerning visits with clients. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Interview individuals or family members to compile information on social, educational, criminal, institutional, or drug history. | Not published |
See all 19 tasks
| Not much | Visit individuals in homes or attend group meetings to provide information on agency services, requirements, or procedures. | Not published |
| AI + software | Assist in locating housing for displaced individuals. | Not published |
| Not much | Advise clients regarding food stamps, child care, food, money management, sanitation, or housekeeping. | Not published |
| Not much | Oversee day-to-day group activities of residents in institution. | Not published |
| Not much | Consult with supervisor concerning programs for individual families. | Not published |
| AI alone | Assist clients with preparation of forms, such as tax or rent forms. | Not published |
| Not much | Observe and discuss meal preparation and suggest alternate methods of food preparation. | 0.01% |
| Not much | Transport and accompany clients to shopping areas or to appointments, using automobile. | Not published |
| Not much | Observe clients' food selections and recommend alternate economical and nutritional food choices. | 0.02% |
| Not much | Demonstrate use and care of equipment for tenant use. | Not published |
| AI alone | Explain rules established by owner or management, such as sanitation or maintenance requirements or parking regulations. | under 0.01% |
| AI alone | Assist in planning food budgets, using charts or sample budgets. | Not published |
| AI alone | Inform tenants of facilities, such as laundries or playgrounds. | 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. 5 of the 19 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 19 tasks fall under 19 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.
- #5 Provide information or assistance to the public
- #11 Provide information to guests, clients, or customers
- #12 Explain regulations, policies, or procedures
- and 3 more, in the table below
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present research or technical information | |||
| Assist others to access additional services or resources | |||
| Advise others on healthcare or wellness issues | |||
| Monitor health conditions of humans or animals | |||
| Assist individuals with special needs | |||
| Provide information or assistance to the public | |||
| Provide information to guests, clients, or customers | |||
| Explain regulations, policies, or procedures |
Show all 19 activities
| Provide support or encouragement to others | |||
| Monitor individual behavior or performance | |||
| Teach life skills | |||
| Interview people to obtain information | |||
| Maintain operational records | |||
| Develop patient or client care or treatment plans | |||
| Examine people or animals to assess health conditions or physical characteristics | |||
| Train others to use equipment or products | |||
| Confer with healthcare or other professionals about patient care | |||
| Administer diagnostic tests to assess patient health | |||
| Transport patients or clients |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- A recipe or meal plan28%
- Advice or a recommendation26%
- A document or report10%
- An explanation or answer10%
- A plan or strategy6%
How they worked with Claude
10% 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 social and human service assistants 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 97,147 moves out
- 1 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 2 Registered Nurses High +5.6% 4%
- 3 Mental Health Counselors 3%
- 4 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 3%
- 5 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 94,158 moves in
- 1 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 5%
- 2 Registered Nurses High +5.6% 4%
- 3 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
- 4 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 3%
- 5 Office Clerks, General Very high -6.0% 3%
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
- 10% high school
- 16% some college
- 18% associate's
- 39% bachelor's
- 1% post-bachelor's certificate
- 7% master's
- 4% post-master's certificate
- 4% research doctorate
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 21 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 4% less than high school
- 15% high school
- 22% some college
- 10% associate's
- 35% bachelor's
- 12% master's
- 1% professional degree
- 1% doctorate
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 2,530 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
2 programs: Developmental Services Worker and Human Services, General.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
65.4% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a license | 4.1% | 19.1% |
| a certification | 1.8% | 5.8% |
| an educational certificate | <0.5% | 2.8% |
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
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 6 registered apprenticeships in this occupation. Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Social and Human Service Assistants” there.
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/21-1093.00