Community and Social Service Occupations·SOC 21-1023

Best degree programs for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers, ranked by enrollment

3 college programs and 812 schools train Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $60,280 median wage, 132,810 U.S. jobs. Federal data.

3 college programs at 812 schools train mental health and substance abuse social workers, graduating 60,845 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Social Work. The job pays a median of $60,280 (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Graduates / yr

60,845

from every feeder program

Median annual wage

$60,280

BLS OEWS May 2025

Projected growth

+9.7%

Much faster than average

Openings / yr

13,500

new plus replacement

Schools

812

with a feeder program

States with jobs

BLS reports wages

About mental health and substance abuse social workers

Assess and treat individuals with mental, emotional, or substance abuse problems, including abuse of alcohol, tobacco, and/or other drugs. Activities may include individual and group therapy, crisis intervention, case management, client advocacy, prevention, and education.

Also calledTherapistCase ManagerSocial WorkerMental Health TherapistClinicianCounselorCrisis WorkerCase TherapistAlcoholism WorkerDrug Abuse WorkerClinical TherapistBehavior Specialist

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

57,447graduates / yr

786 schools · 2 specializations · 94.4% of pipeline

Grad earnings $37,264

Health Professions And Related Programs

CIP 51.15

Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions

3,398graduates / yr

53 schools · 1 specialization · 5.6% of pipeline

Grad earnings $37,335

3 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	93.5%	786	$37,264	$26,140
2	Clinical/Medical Social Workmain feeder CIP 51.1503	3,398	5.6%	53	$37,335	$22,861
3	Social Work, Other CIP 44.0799	556	0.9%	31	$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	University of Kentucky Lexington, KY Public · 2 feeder programs	1,743	Social Work	71%	—	93%
2	Walden University Minneapolis, MN Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs	1,740	Social Work	—	—	—
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 · 1 feeder programs	625	Social Work	96%	$15,315	4%
9	Ohio State University - Main Campus Columbus, OH Public · 1 feeder programs	572	Social Work	88%	—	61%
10	Indiana University - Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN Public · 1 feeder programs	565	Social Work	54%	—	76%
11	Fordham University Bronx, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	564	Social Work	82%	$38,931	59%
12	The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Knoxville, TN Public · 2 feeder programs	563	Social Work	74%	—	42%
13	University of Denver Denver, CO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	556	Social Work	76%	$29,726	78%
14	Capella University Minneapolis, MN Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs	522	Clinical/Medical Social Work	20%	$19,369	—
15	Yeshiva University New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs	516	Social Work	83%	$39,696	56%
16	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI Public · 1 feeder programs	507	Social Work	93%	—	16%
17	Simmons University Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	490	Social Work	72%	$24,848	70%
18	University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	489	Social Work	92%	$26,873	10%
19	Florida State University Tallahassee, FL Public · 2 feeder programs	472	Clinical/Medical Social Work	86%	—	24%
20	Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA Public · 1 feeder programs	456	Social Work	69%	—	73%
21	Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA Public · 1 feeder programs	452	Social Work	63%	—	93%
22	Portland State University Portland, OR Public · 1 feeder programs	427	Social Work	53%	—	91%
23	New York University New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	379	Social Work	88%	$29,023	9%
24	California State University - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA Public · 1 feeder programs	365	Social Work	53%	—	91%
25	University of Massachusetts Global Aliso Viejo, CA Public · 1 feeder programs	355	Social Work	43%	—	—
26	Wayne State University Detroit, MI Public · 1 feeder programs	354	Social Work	58%	—	81%
27	Boston University Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs	352	Social Work	89%	$21,956	11%
28	Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global Marion, IN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	346	Social Work	35%	$18,316	—
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 · 1 feeder programs	320	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 · 2 feeder programs	313	Social Work	68%	—	90%
37	University of Washington - Seattle Campus Seattle, WA Public · 3 feeder programs	304	Clinical/Medical Social Work	85%	—	39%
38	University of Maryland, Baltimore Baltimore, MD Public · 2 feeder programs	302	Social Work	—	—	—
39	Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL Public · 2 feeder programs	296	Social Work	63%	—	66%
40	Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY Public · 1 feeder programs	296	Social Work	76%	—	49%
41	Loyola University Chicago Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs	294	Social Work	73%	$33,454	82%
42	Metropolitan State University of Denver Denver, CO Public · 1 feeder programs	293	Social Work	32%	—	99%
43	San Jose State University San Jose, CA Public · 1 feeder programs	287	Social Work	69%	—	85%
44	Arizona State University Digital Immersion Scottsdale, AZ Public · 1 feeder programs	283	Social Work	0%	—	67%
45	University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT Public · 1 feeder programs	283	Social Work	65%	—	86%
46	The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Edinburg, TX Public · 1 feeder programs	269	Social Work	51%	—	94%
47	Western New Mexico University Silver City, NM Public · 1 feeder programs	263	Social Work	32%	—	—
48	University of Houston Houston, TX Public · 1 feeder programs	261	Social Work	65%	—	74%
49	University of South Florida Tampa, FL Public · 1 feeder programs	261	Social Work	77%	—	43%
50	University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign Champaign, IL Public · 1 feeder programs	257	Social Work	85%	—	42%

What mental health and substance abuse social workers earn

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

Median annual wage

$60,280

Mean annual

$68,030

Median hourly

$28.98/hr

People employed

132,810

What the range looks like

10th pct$39,740Median$60,28090th pct$104,170

Top-paying states

Top-paying metro areas

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA

$109,050median

1,010 jobs

San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA

$87,550median

1,990 jobs

San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA

$98,800median

140 jobs

Vallejo, CA

$122,930median

120 jobs

Modesto, CA

$78,880median

170 jobs

Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA

$84,190median

160 jobs

Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA

$87,370median

1,310 jobs

Cheyenne, WY

$118,900median

30 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34

+9.7%

Much faster than average

Openings per year

13,500

new jobs plus replacements

Employment change

13,300

136,800 → 150,100

Typical entry education

Master's degree

Plus internship/residency

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	$79,380	14,820	1.79×	36	5,326
California	$79,000	19,860	1.28×	39	4,664
Texas	$46,630	8,220	0.68×	49	3,626
Minnesota	$75,020	3,590	1.42×	29	3,444
Kentucky	$42,570	1,360	0.80×	15	2,833
Michigan	$60,830	4,620	1.23×	31	2,655
Illinois	$49,960	3,460	0.66×	37	2,628
Ohio	$46,080	6,050	1.28×	60	2,447
Pennsylvania	$48,290	3,500	0.68×	46	2,261
Florida	$51,590	5,150	0.61×	15	2,234
Massachusetts	$62,500	7,440	2.40×	19	1,962
New Jersey	$66,590	2,420	0.66×	24	1,745
Arizona	$46,380	3,690	1.33×	17	1,719
North Carolina	$58,210	3,690	0.87×	25	1,622
Indiana	$48,300	2,490	0.91×	23	1,483
Virginia	$64,240	3,670	1.04×	14	1,299
Colorado	$65,620	1,640	0.67×	8	1,276
Tennessee	$46,500	2,220	0.79×	19	1,237
Wisconsin	$61,860	1,880	0.75×	18	1,011
Louisiana	$47,100	970	0.59×	10	923
Connecticut	$78,640	1,540	1.06×	11	905
Alabama	$41,500	740	0.41×	17	901
Maryland	$73,580	2,250	0.95×	10	830
Georgia	$52,030	1,330	0.32×	17	814
Missouri	$49,560	1,640	0.66×	21	798
Utah	$50,770	1,240	0.84×	8	789
Washington	$70,460	3,490	1.15×	10	758
Kansas	$56,330	1,620	1.32×	13	685
New Mexico	$65,640	800	1.08×	11	621
Idaho	$52,520	510	0.69×	8	607
Iowa	$48,530	1,200	0.90×	21	590
Mississippi	$48,970	920	0.93×	17	570
Oregon	$68,210	2,230	1.33×	8	551
Nevadamoderate	$62,900	1,100	0.83×	3	504
Oklahoma	$43,120	1,780	1.22×	7	477
Arkansas	$58,590	1,040	0.93×	11	461
Nebraska	$43,240	900	1.03×	10	387
West Virginia	$50,070	420	0.70×	8	344
South Carolina	$39,930	720	0.37×	5	299
District of Columbiamoderate	$73,310	510	0.85×	4	296
Maine	$57,050	1,860	3.40×	5	271
Montana	$45,160	740	1.69×	6	211
Hawaiimoderate	$54,390	—	—	3	205
Rhode Islandmoderate	$60,990	800	1.88×	4	201
North Dakota	$60,980	240	0.65×	5	189
New Hampshiremoderate	$63,900	320	0.54×	3	139
South Dakotamoderate	$48,920	230	0.60×	4	121
Delawarelimited	$60,060	510	1.22×	1	105
Vermontmoderate	$73,210	320	1.24×	3	96
Alaskalimited	$56,710	250	0.88×	2	78
Wyomingmoderate	$59,310	200	0.82×	3	74

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

Counsel clients in individual or group sessions to assist them in dealing with substance abuse, mental or physical illness, poverty, unemployment, or physical abuse.
Collaborate with counselors, physicians, or nurses to plan or coordinate treatment, drawing on social work experience and patient needs.
Monitor, evaluate, and record client progress with respect to treatment goals.
Interview clients, review records, conduct assessments, or confer with other professionals to evaluate the mental or physical condition of clients or patients.
Supervise or direct other workers who provide services to clients or patients.
Modify treatment plans according to changes in client status.
Assist clients in adhering to treatment plans, such as setting up appointments, arranging for transportation to appointments, or providing support.
Educate clients or community members about mental or physical illness, abuse, medication, or available community resources.

Skills

Active Listening4.1
Speaking4.1
Monitoring4.0
Reading Comprehension4.0
Critical Thinking4.0
Writing3.8
Learning Strategies3.8
Active Learning3.3

Knowledge areas

Therapy and Counseling4.8
Psychology4.7
English Language3.9
Customer and Personal Service3.8
Education and Training3.7
Sociology and Anthropology3.6

Abilities

Oral Comprehension4.5
Oral Expression4.3
Written Expression4.1
Problem Sensitivity4.1
Written Comprehension4.1
Inductive Reasoning4.0

Core activities

Documenting/Recording Information4.6
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.6
Assisting and Caring for Others4.6
Making Decisions and Solving Problems4.5
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships4.5
Getting Information4.3

Tools and technology

hotmarks an O*NET hot technology

Adobe AcrobathotMicrosoft ExcelhotMicrosoft Office softwarehotMicrosoft OutlookhotMicrosoft PowerPointhotMicrosoft SharePointhotMicrosoft WordhotAdobe PageMakerClient records softwareCorel WordPerfect Office Suite

How to get in

How to become a Mental Health

Job zone 5 of 5 · SVP 8.0 and above

Typical entry education: Master's degree
On-the-job training: Internship/residency

Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).

Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.

Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 3 majors mapped to Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers3 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+

44.0701Social Work
44.0799Social Work, Other
51.1503Clinical/Medical Social Work

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%

21-1015

Rehabilitation Counselors

$46,85094,740 jobs+1.4%

19-3033

Clinical and Counseling Psychologists

$100,58075,990 jobs+11.2%

21-1021

Child, Family, and School Social Workers

$59,550392,550 jobs+3.4%

29-1141

Registered Nurses

$97,5503,379,720 jobs+4.9%

Common questions

What degree do you need to become a Mental Health?+

Master'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, 93.5% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Mental Health?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 3 programs to this occupation. The largest are Social Work, Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions. Together they graduate about 60,845 people a year.

How much do mental health and substance abuse social workers earn?+

The median is $60,280 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $39,740 at the 10th percentile to $104,170 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 mental health and substance abuse social workers growing?+

BLS projects a +9.7% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, much faster than average, with roughly 13,500 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career?+

812 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 3 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 mental health and substance abuse social workers work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Therapist, Case Manager, Social Worker, Mental Health Therapist among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 21-1023.

↑ Zoom outAll occupations Community and Social Service Occupations

Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers by stateNew York California Texas Minnesota Kentucky Michigan Illinois Ohio Pennsylvania Florida Massachusetts New Jersey

Programs that lead hereSocial Work Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions

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

All Clema data sources and release dates →

Explore every U.S. college in one conversation

Clema turns plain-language questions into sourced answers across every U.S. institution — earnings, aid, acceptance, graduation, safety, and athletics from IPEDS, College Scorecard, and 10+ federal datasets, built in.

Try for free Book a demo

Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card