Child, Family, and School Social Workers

Median salary

$59,550

Average salary

$64,000

Employment

392,550

Projected growth

3.4% growth

Annual openings

35,100

Typical entry education

Bachelor's degree

What Child, Family, and School Social Workers Do

Provide social services and assistance to improve the social and psychological functioning of children and their families and to maximize the family well-being and the academic functioning of children. May assist parents, arrange adoptions, and find foster homes for abandoned or abused children. In schools, they address such problems as teenage pregnancy, misbehavior, and truancy. May also advise teachers.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: None
Self-employed: 0.2%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 4 of 5

Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed

Experience: A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations.
Education: Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Job training: Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 4.3/5
Psychologyimportance 4.1/5
Therapy and Counselingimportance 4.1/5
English Languageimportance 3.8/5
Administrativeimportance 3.6/5
Sociology and Anthropologyimportance 3.4/5
Education and Trainingimportance 3.3/5
Law and Governmentimportance 3.1/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

E-Mail5.0/5
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams5.0/5
Contact With Others5.0/5
Telephone Conversations4.8/5
Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team4.8/5
Conflict Situations4.5/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers97% skill match
Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists97% skill match
Healthcare Social Workers97% skill match
Physical Therapists97% skill match
Psychiatrists96% skill match
Nurse Practitioners96% skill match
Insurance Sales Agents96% skill match
Musicians and Singers96% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

Social Perceptivenessimportance 4.1/5
Service Orientationimportance 4.0/5
Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 4.0/5
Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.9/5
Coordinationimportance 3.8/5
Persuasionimportance 3.8/5
Negotiationimportance 3.8/5
Time Managementimportance 3.8/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Hot Technologies

Other Software Used

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

Empathy
Cooperation
Sincerity
Dependability
Integrity
Social Orientation
Stress Tolerance

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

SocialHigh
ConventionalMedium
InvestigativeMedium
EnterprisingLow
ArtisticLow
RealisticLow

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where child, family, and school social workers make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).

1Brownsville-Harlingen, TX3.92× national avg
2Springfield, IL3.28× national avg
3Merced, CA2.49× national avg
4Bay City, MI2.45× national avg
5Modesto, CA2.35× national avg

Possible Career Moves

A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.

Marriage and Family TherapistsAdvancement
Healthcare Social WorkersAdvancement
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social WorkersLateral Move
Social and Community Service ManagersCareer Change

See the full career path from Child, Family, and School Social Workers →

Related Education Programs

Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.