Healthcare Social Workers
Also called: AIDS Social Worker, Bereavement Counselor, Case Manager, Case Worker, Caseworker, Certified Health Care Social Worker, Certified Social Worker in Health Care (C-SWHC), Client Advocate
Provide individuals, families, and groups with the psychosocial support needed to cope with chronic, acute, or terminal illnesses.
What healthcare social workers do
Typical tasks
- Advocate for clients or patients to resolve crises.
- Educate clients about end-of-life symptoms and options to assist them in making informed decisions.
- Collaborate with other professionals to evaluate patients' medical or physical condition and to assess client needs.
- 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.
- Utilize consultation data and social work experience to plan and coordinate client or patient care and rehabilitation, following through to ensure service efficacy.
- Monitor, evaluate, and record client progress according to measurable goals described in treatment and care plan.
- Identify environmental impediments to client or patient progress through interviews and review of patient records.
- Counsel clients and patients in individual and group sessions to help them overcome dependencies, recover from illness, and adjust to life.
- Plan discharge from care facility to home or other care facility.
- Organize support groups or counsel family members to assist them in understanding, dealing with, and supporting the client or patient.
- Modify treatment plans to comply with changes in clients' status.
- Supervise and direct other workers providing services to clients or patients.
Typical path into the job (BLS)
Healthcare Social Workers salary
The median annual wage for healthcare social workers is $67,880 (BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national). The lowest 10 percent earn less than $46,220 and the highest 10 percent earn more than $100,360. The mean annual wage is $71,790.
The mean hourly wage of $34.00 is 4.7× the federal minimum wage of $7.25. State minimums are higher in most large states. Minimum wage by state →
How does your pay compare with people your age?
Your numbers are not sent or stored. The comparison uses this occupation's BLS wage percentiles, adjusted for age with BLS median weekly earnings by age group (Q3 2026).
Pay by percentile
Annual wage percentiles from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Percentiles are a good proxy for pay by experience.
Projected pay for Healthcare Social Workers (3, 5 and 10 years)est.
Today $67,880 → in 3 years $74,900 → in 5 years $80,000 → in 10 years $94,300 (10-year range $81,100–$109,500). The model assumes pay growth of +3.4% per year.
What drives the annual growth rate
Projected pay = current pay × (1 + annual growth)^years. The annual growth rate starts from a base wage-growth rate and adds or subtracts labor demand (BLS projected employment growth), wage momentum and AI replacement risk for each occupation. Projections are not guarantees. How it is calculated →
Outlook score for Healthcare Social Workers
Each component is a percentile rank among all occupations in the same country (0–100). Weights: labor demand 25, wage momentum / openings 15, pay level 15, AI resistance 25, aging workforce 10 (Japan only), entry barrier 10.
Will AI replace Healthcare Social Workers? AI replacement risk
How AI is changing this job
A written analysis for this occupation is being prepared.
AI replacement risk compares the parts of a job that are easy to hand to AI or software (processing information, documentation, repetitive computer work) with the parts that are hard to automate (physical work, working closely with people, judgment in unpredictable settings), using O*NET work activities, work context, skills and knowledge. The result is a relative position among all occupations in the country, scaled to 0–100%. Methodology →
Labor demand for Healthcare Social Workers
Employment projections are from the BLS Employment Projections program (2025–35). Annual openings include both new jobs and replacement of workers who leave the occupation.
The same job in Japan
| Healthcare Social Workers United States | 介護支援専門員/ケアマネジャー Japan | 医療ソーシャルワーカー Japan | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median / average pay | $67,880 | ¥4.41M ≈ $28,066 | ¥4.42M ≈ $28,086 |
| Pay in 10 years (est.) | $94,300 | ¥6.23M | ¥6.15M |
| Outlook score | 70 | 71 | 70 |
| AI replacement risk | 34% Low | 33% Low | 26% Low |
| Workers | 188K | — | — |
Matched by occupation (SOC code). Yen converted at 157.25 JPY/USD for reference; Japanese figures are averages, U.S. figures are medians, and the surveys define occupations differently.
Skills, education and requirements for Healthcare Social Workers
Key skills
O*NET skill level ratings (0–7).
Key knowledge areas
What the work involves
Important abilities
Education of workers
Training before entry
Related work experience
Job Zone 5 — extensive preparation needed (O*NET)
Difficulty of entry: ★★★☆☆ Moderate (from education, training, experience and Job Zone)
How to become healthcare social workers
A step-by-step guide for this occupation is being prepared. The education, training and experience data above show the typical path.
Career path and how to earn more as healthcare social workers
Career-path guidance is being prepared. Pay by percentile is shown in the Pay section.