Highest Paying Jobs in SW

The highest paying jobs in Social Work include Clinical Social Work roles in Hospitals, Human Service Agencies, Clinics, and Schools. If you are interested in working in social work, be sure to find out if it is the career for you. Is social work a good career choice based on my abilities, interests, and salary requirements?
Professional social workers seek to find solutions advocating to meet their client’s needs. They are often the primary connection between those individuals in need and government social service agencies that have resources to help.
5 Highest-Paying Jobs in Social Work
- Corporate Social Responsibility Manager – Median Salary: $80,200
- Social Policy Analyst – Median Salary: $74,700
- Medical Social Worker – Median Salary: $65,300
- Child and Family Therapist – Median Salary: $63,000
- Human Resources Coordinator/Specialist – Median Salary: $48,300
Keep reading for the in-depth analysis below!
Work Environments Clinical Social Workers
Clinical social workers help others work through challenging life events. One of the benefits of being a social worker is that a social worker’s talents and skills offer them a career choice across various work environments that may include the ones listed below.
- Hospitals
- Human Service Agencies
- Clinics
- Schools
Job Descriptions for Clinical Social Work
When considering the various clinical social work jobs, consider the description for each. Primarily through clinical social workers can expect these responsibilities and duties to be a part of their job description.
- Assessing clients through skilled interviewing techniques.
- Judging what may be available options & community resources.
- Organizing assistance.
- Monitoring & verifying the client’s situation.
- Remaining compliant with federal, state, and local guidelines.
- Maintaining professionalism and client confidentiality.
The following offers a look at some of the salaries and benefits for a social worker in a diverse field of occupations. These social work career options provide insight into the many varied social worker benefits.
1. Corporate Social Responsibility Manager
A corporate social responsibility manager is one of the best-paying clinical social work jobs. With a yearly median salary of $80,200, the benefits for a social worker who oversees the creation and monitoring of a company or organization’s objectives for social responsibility.
A corporate social responsibility manager has diverse job duties, which will be contingent upon the company’s mission and size but will often include the development and management of company-wide social responsibility policies and guidelines.
Median Salary: $80,200
2. Social Policy Analyst
A social policy analyst is among the top-paying jobs for clinical social workers. A social policy analyst’s primary professional function is to study and then solve society’s social issues that include poverty, violence, discrimination, and crime, to name a few.
One of the benefits for a social worker who works as a social policy analyst is the impressive median salary of $74,700 per year. A social policy analyst often works for government agencies or in a consulting capacity in a think tank. They gather data, reveal problems, and revise social policies that no longer serve the public good.
Median Salary: $74,700
3. Medical Social Worker
A medical social worker is one of the available clinical social work jobs for those interested in the many and diverse areas of public health. With an annual median salary of $65,300, medical clinical social workers can specialize in geriatrics, mental health, or palliative care, among others. In addition, social workers benefit from this type of position if they find it rewarding to help prepare patients to transition to or from diverse settings and environments.
Some of the issues a medical social worker will face include counseling, discharge planning, and referrals. Medical social workers can work in hospitals clinics, with some that travel to a client’s home, if necessary.
Median Salary: $65,300
4. Child and Family Therapist
Clinical social workers who work with children and families have an annual median salary of $63,000. A child & family therapist specializes in treating children and other relevant family issues created within or have to do with a family unit. These social workers work with clients, and over time, they monitor their client’s progress and revise treatments to meet their client’s evolving needs.
A child & family therapist seeks to improve the family’s quality of life through various treatment techniques. Some of the issues that may present in a child and family therapist’s professional realm would include drug and alcohol abuse, anorexia, or obesity, to name a few. To become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, you need a master’s degree or higher in most states. There are traditional and online LCSW master’s programs.
Median Salary: $63,000
5. Human Resources Coordinator or Specialist
A Human Resource Coordinator is a great option for clinical social workers who want to work within the business realm. A human resource coordinator or specialist is responsible for an organization or company’s employee health and retirement plans. With a median annual salary of 48,300, a human resource coordinator offers social work benefits working as a liaison between employees and insurance providers.
A Human Resource Coordinator seeks to resolve problems related to employee benefits but must comply with both state & federal regulations. Therefore, HR social workers also maintain state and federal law records.
Median Salary: $48,300
Related: