Community and Social Service Occupations·SOC 21-1021

Best degree programs for Child, Family, and School Social Workers, ranked by enrollment

Q: What degree do you need to become a Child?

Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Social Work, which awarded 56,891 degrees in 2024-25, 95.6% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Q: Which college majors lead to becoming a Child?

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 6 programs to this occupation. The largest are Social Work, Research and Experimental Psychology, Criminal Justice and Corrections. Together they graduate about 59,536 people a year.

Q: How much do child, family, and school social workers earn?

The median is $59,550 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $42,280 at the 10th percentile to $95,530 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Q: Is demand for child, family, and school social workers growing?

BLS projects a +3.4% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 35,100 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

Q: How many schools offer programs for this career?

836 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 6 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

Q: What other job titles do child, family, and school social workers work under?

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Case Manager, School Social Worker, Family Service Worker, Family Protection Specialist among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 21-1021.

6 college programs and 836 schools train Child, Family, and School Social Workers. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $59,550 median wage, 392,550 U.S. jobs. Federal data.

6 college programs at 836 schools train child, family, and school social workers, graduating 59,536 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Social Work. The job pays a median of $59,550 (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Graduates / yr

59,536

from every feeder program

Median annual wage

$59,550

BLS OEWS May 2025

Projected growth

+3.4%

About as fast as average

Openings / yr

35,100

new plus replacement

Schools

836

with a feeder program

States with jobs

BLS reports wages

About child, family, and school social workers

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.

Also calledCase ManagerSchool Social WorkerFamily Service WorkerFamily Protection SpecialistCaseworkerCase WorkerGroup WorkerSocial WorkerAdoption AgentChild AdvocateFamily ManagerYouth Advocate

Fields of study that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.

Public Administration And Social Service Professions

CIP 44.07

Social Work

57,709graduates / yr

786 schools · 4 specializations · 97.0% of pipeline

Grad earnings $37,264

Psychology

CIP 42.27

Research and Experimental Psychology

1,771graduates / yr

63 schools · 1 specialization · 3.0% of pipeline

Grad earnings $34,454

Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting And Related Protective Services

CIP 43.01

Criminal Justice and Corrections

56graduates / yr

15 schools · 1 specialization · 0.1% of pipeline

Grad earnings $37,408

6 degree programs that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#	Program	Graduates / yr	Share of pipeline	Schools	Grad earnings (1 yr)	Median debt
1	Social Work CIP 44.0701	56,891	95.6%	786	$37,264	$26,140
2	Developmental and Child Psychology CIP 42.2703	1,771	3.0%	63	$34,454	$21,878
3	Social Work, Other CIP 44.0799	556	0.9%	31	$37,264	$26,140
4	Youth Services/Administration CIP 44.0702	231	0.4%	22	$37,264	$26,140
5	Juvenile Corrections CIP 43.0110	56	0.1%	15	$37,408	$24,069
6	Forensic Social Work CIP 44.0703	31	0.1%	2	$37,264	$26,140

Top 50 schools by graduates into this job

Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#	School	Graduates / yr	Top feeder program	Grad rate	Net price	Acceptance
1	Walden University Minneapolis, MN Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs	1,853	Social Work	—	—	—
2	University of Kentucky Lexington, KY Public · 1 feeder programs	1,355	Social Work	71%	—	93%
3	The University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX Public · 1 feeder programs	895	Social Work	54%	—	80%
4	Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs	765	Social Work	84%	—	58%
5	Aurora University Aurora, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	745	Social Work	60%	$18,431	81%
6	Grand Canyon University Phoenix, AZ Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	731	Social Work	43%	$21,535	79%
7	CUNY Hunter College New York, NY Public · 1 feeder programs	643	Social Work	57%	—	54%
8	Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	632	Social Work	96%	$15,315	4%
9	New York University New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	610	Social Work	88%	$29,023	9%
10	Fordham University Bronx, NY Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	589	Social Work	82%	$38,931	59%
11	Ohio State University - Main Campus Columbus, OH Public · 1 feeder programs	572	Social Work	88%	—	61%
12	Indiana University - Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN Public · 1 feeder programs	565	Social Work	54%	—	76%
13	The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Knoxville, TN Public · 2 feeder programs	563	Social Work	74%	—	42%
14	University of Denver Denver, CO Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	558	Social Work	76%	$29,726	78%
15	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI Public · 1 feeder programs	507	Social Work	93%	—	16%
16	Yeshiva University New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	502	Social Work	83%	$39,696	56%
17	University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs	490	Social Work	92%	$26,873	10%
18	Simmons University Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	483	Social Work	72%	$24,848	70%
19	Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA Public · 1 feeder programs	456	Social Work	69%	—	73%
20	Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA Public · 1 feeder programs	452	Social Work	63%	—	93%
21	Portland State University Portland, OR Public · 1 feeder programs	427	Social Work	53%	—	91%
22	Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	371	Social Work	91%	$21,126	16%
23	California State University - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA Public · 1 feeder programs	365	Social Work	53%	—	91%
24	University of Massachusetts Global Aliso Viejo, CA Public · 1 feeder programs	355	Social Work	43%	—	—
25	Wayne State University Detroit, MI Public · 1 feeder programs	354	Social Work	58%	—	81%
26	Boston University Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	352	Social Work	89%	$21,956	11%
27	Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global Marion, IN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	346	Social Work	35%	$18,316	—
28	Metropolitan State University of Denver Denver, CO Public · 2 feeder programs	341	Social Work	32%	—	99%
29	University of Oklahoma - Norman Campus Norman, OK Public · 1 feeder programs	338	Social Work	75%	—	77%
30	Boise State University Boise, ID Public · 1 feeder programs	329	Social Work	60%	—	87%
31	University of Central Florida Orlando, FL Public · 1 feeder programs	321	Social Work	78%	—	40%
32	University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA Public · 2 feeder programs	321	Social Work	85%	—	58%
33	California State University - Long Beach Long Beach, CA Public · 1 feeder programs	317	Social Work	69%	—	46%
34	Liberty University Lynchburg, VA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	317	Social Work	65%	$28,911	99%
35	University of Nevada - Reno Reno, NV Public · 1 feeder programs	317	Social Work	61%	—	74%
36	Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZ Public · 3 feeder programs	315	Social Work	68%	—	90%
37	Loyola University Chicago Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	298	Social Work	73%	$33,454	82%
38	Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY Public · 1 feeder programs	296	Social Work	76%	—	49%
39	San Jose State University San Jose, CA Public · 1 feeder programs	287	Social Work	69%	—	85%
40	Arizona State University Digital Immersion Scottsdale, AZ Public · 2 feeder programs	285	Social Work	0%	—	67%
41	University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	284	Social Work	97%	$22,055	5%
42	University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT Public · 1 feeder programs	283	Social Work	65%	—	86%
43	University of Maryland, Baltimore Baltimore, MD Public · 1 feeder programs	282	Social Work	—	—	—
44	The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Edinburg, TX Public · 1 feeder programs	269	Social Work	51%	—	94%
45	Western New Mexico University Silver City, NM Public · 1 feeder programs	263	Social Work	32%	—	—
46	University of Houston Houston, TX Public · 2 feeder programs	262	Social Work	65%	—	74%
47	University of South Florida Tampa, FL Public · 1 feeder programs	261	Social Work	77%	—	43%
48	University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign Champaign, IL Public · 1 feeder programs	257	Social Work	85%	—	42%
49	University of Kansas Lawrence, KS Public · 1 feeder programs	253	Social Work	69%	—	93%
50	University of Louisville Louisville, KY Public · 1 feeder programs	253	Social Work	61%	—	79%

What child, family, and school social workers earn

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual wage

$59,550

Mean annual

$64,000

Median hourly

$28.63/hr

People employed

392,550

What the range looks like

10th pct$42,280Median$59,55090th pct$95,530

Top-paying states

Top-paying metro areas

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA

$87,600median

2,120 jobs

Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT

$81,830median

450 jobs

Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT

$79,920median

2,200 jobs

San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA

$72,020median

5,840 jobs

Waterbury-Shelton, CT

$77,710median

430 jobs

Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT

$78,970median

1,140 jobs

New Haven, CT

$78,970median

810 jobs

Salisbury, MD

$81,520median

120 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34

+3.4%

About as fast as average

Openings per year

35,100

new jobs plus replacements

Employment change

13,400

399,900 → 413,300

Typical entry education

Bachelor's degree

Where the jobs are, state by state

Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.

This occupation state by state: pay, jobs, and schools
State	Median pay	Jobs	Concentration	Schools	Graduates / yr
New York	$65,100	30,170	1.23×	40	5,706
California	$65,200	60,310	1.31×	40	4,699
Texas	$55,680	21,670	0.61×	51	3,771
Minnesota	$67,450	6,540	0.88×	29	3,387
Illinois	$63,220	19,860	1.29×	38	2,629
Michigan	$59,270	15,760	1.42×	34	2,474
Ohio	$51,520	16,050	1.15×	60	2,464
Kentucky	$59,100	8,470	1.68×	15	2,462
Pennsylvania	$50,820	16,200	1.06×	47	2,355
Massachusetts	$75,570	10,900	1.19×	23	2,128
New Jersey	$76,280	7,360	0.68×	25	1,819
Arizona	$50,150	7,560	0.92×	17	1,721
Florida	$56,550	14,000	0.56×	17	1,526
North Carolina	$59,610	13,010	1.04×	24	1,517
Indiana	$50,470	6,690	0.83×	23	1,365
Colorado	$63,720	8,200	1.13×	8	1,315
Virginia	$61,330	9,410	0.91×	14	1,299
Tennessee	$56,310	7,870	0.95×	22	1,273
Wisconsin	$59,280	5,710	0.77×	19	1,015
Maryland	$76,390	4,710	0.67×	13	960
Louisiana	$56,800	1,110	0.23×	10	923
Connecticut	$78,970	5,230	1.22×	11	889
Alabama	$46,660	4,220	0.79×	17	881
Georgia	$47,510	7,110	0.58×	17	828
Utah	$52,000	1,930	0.44×	8	791
Missouri	$48,520	9,620	1.30×	21	739
Kansas	$54,300	3,190	0.88×	13	700
Idaho	$59,840	810	0.38×	8	607
Iowa	$52,250	3,410	0.87×	22	586
Oregon	$64,130	6,630	1.33×	10	576
Washington	$74,480	10,720	1.20×	10	560
Mississippi	$46,530	3,310	1.13×	18	509
Nevadamoderate	$61,080	4,030	1.03×	3	504
Arkansas	$43,330	1,150	0.35×	11	477
Oklahoma	$43,950	6,500	1.51×	7	477
New Mexico	$56,160	2,990	1.36×	8	408
West Virginia	$52,220	2,380	1.34×	8	346
South Carolina	$51,800	5,520	0.95×	5	299
District of Columbiamoderate	$73,550	2,430	1.37×	4	296
Maine	$63,290	2,000	1.24×	6	276
Nebraska	$47,770	4,830	1.87×	7	257
Rhode Islandmoderate	$69,870	2,450	1.93×	4	216
Montana	$56,780	1,250	0.96×	6	211
Hawaiimoderate	$68,270	1,170	0.74×	3	205
North Dakota	$64,560	870	0.80×	6	190
New Hampshiremoderate	$71,010	1,700	0.99×	3	139
Delawarelimited	$48,520	910	0.74×	1	105
Vermontmoderate	$67,340	640	0.84×	3	96
Alaskalimited	$62,630	1,260	1.53×	2	94
Wyomingmoderate	$56,420	710	1.00×	3	74
South Dakotamoderate	$51,100	2,050	1.77×	4	22

Skills and tools

From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.

What they do day to day

Maintain case history records and prepare reports.
Interview clients individually, in families, or in groups, assessing their situations, capabilities, and problems to determine what services are required to meet their needs.
Serve as liaisons between students, homes, schools, family services, child guidance clinics, courts, protective services, doctors, and other contacts to help children who face problems, such as disabilities, abuse, or poverty.
Develop and review service plans in consultation with clients and perform follow-ups assessing the quantity and quality of services provided.
Address legal issues, such as child abuse and discipline, assisting with hearings and providing testimony to inform custody arrangements.
Counsel parents with child rearing problems, interviewing the child and family to determine whether further action is required.
Consult with parents, teachers, and other school personnel to determine causes of problems, such as truancy and misbehavior, and to implement solutions.
Arrange for medical, psychiatric, and other tests that may disclose causes of difficulties and indicate remedial measures.

Skills

Active Listening4.9
Speaking4.5
Critical Thinking4.1
Reading Comprehension4.0
Monitoring3.9
Writing3.8
Active Learning3.4
Learning Strategies3.1

Knowledge areas

Customer and Personal Service4.3
Therapy and Counseling4.1
Psychology4.1
English Language3.8
Administrative3.6
Sociology and Anthropology3.4

Abilities

Oral Expression4.6
Oral Comprehension4.4
Problem Sensitivity4.3
Written Comprehension4.1
Written Expression4.1
Speech Clarity4.0

Core activities

Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships4.7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.7
Documenting/Recording Information4.6
Getting Information4.6
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events4.5
Communicating with People Outside the Organization4.5

Tools and technology

hotmarks an O*NET hot technology

Microsoft AccesshotMicrosoft ExcelhotMicrosoft Office softwarehotMicrosoft OutlookhotMicrosoft PowerPointhotMicrosoft WordhotEasyCBMPatient electronic medical record EMR softwareStudent information systems SIS softwareWeb browser software

How to get in

How to become a Child

Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0

Typical entry education: Bachelor's degree

Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 8 majors mapped to Child, Family, and School Social Workers6 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+

42.2703Developmental and Child Psychology
42.2710Developmental and Adolescent Psychology(no graduates reported)
43.0110Juvenile Corrections
44.0701Social Work
44.0702Youth Services/Administration
44.0703Forensic Social Work
44.0799Social Work, Other
51.1510Infant/Toddler Mental Health Services(no graduates reported)

Related careers

Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.

21-1022

Healthcare Social Workers

$67,880187,630 jobs+7.7%

21-1013

Marriage and Family Therapists

$66,94066,740 jobs+12.6%

21-1023

Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers

$60,280132,810 jobs+9.7%

21-1015

Rehabilitation Counselors

$46,85094,740 jobs+1.4%

21-1093

Social and Human Service Assistants

$45,930437,860 jobs+6.4%

11-9151

Social and Community Service Managers

$80,390209,330 jobs+6.4%

Common questions

What degree do you need to become a Child?+

Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Social Work, which awarded 56,891 degrees in 2024-25, 95.6% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Child?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 6 programs to this occupation. The largest are Social Work, Research and Experimental Psychology, Criminal Justice and Corrections. Together they graduate about 59,536 people a year.

How much do child, family, and school social workers earn?+

The median is $59,550 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $42,280 at the 10th percentile to $95,530 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Is demand for child, family, and school social workers growing?+

BLS projects a +3.4% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 35,100 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career?+

836 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 6 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

What other job titles do child, family, and school social workers work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Case Manager, School Social Worker, Family Service Worker, Family Protection Specialist among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 21-1021.

↑ Zoom outAll occupations Community and Social Service Occupations

Child, Family, and School Social Workers by stateNew York California Texas Minnesota Illinois Michigan Ohio Kentucky Pennsylvania Massachusetts New Jersey Arizona

Programs that lead hereSocial Work Research and Experimental Psychology Criminal Justice and Corrections

About the data on this page

Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024-25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).

BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025
Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
Official source →
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34
Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
Official source →
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)
Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
Official source →
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohorts
Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Official source →
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest available
Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
Official source →
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018
Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
Official source →
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3
Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA

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