PublicPay

Social Work federal salary series 0185

Full-time federal employees in the Social Work series earned a median of $111,219 in annualized adjusted basic pay in September 2026, 1% above the all-federal median of $109,641. The middle half earned between $97,087 and $126,068.

Median pay
$111,219
full-time, September 2026
Middle 50%
$97,087–$126,068
25th–75th percentile
Employees
23,039
in this series, all schedules
Change in median
+2%
vs. September 2025
Pay distribution, full-time employees with published pay, September 2026
Social Work
All federal (full-time)

What shapes social work pay

The most common grade with published pay is GS-12 (11,415 employees, median $119,253). The largest employer of this series with published pay is the Department of Veterans Affairs (21,120 employees). Among states with at least 30 full-time employees with published pay, the median is highest in California ($133,812) and lowest in North Dakota ($89,618), a gap that partly reflects locality pay differences. Federal pay depends mostly on grade and step, plus a locality adjustment for where the job is located; see the GS pay scale explainer.

Social Work pay by grade

Grades with at least 30 full-time employees with published pay. GS grades are listed first; other pay plans follow.

Social Work pay by grade
Pay plan–grade Employees Median pay Middle 50%
GS-9 740 $73,596 $69,141–$78,764
GS-11 7,707 $95,693 $89,309–$103,559
GS-12 11,415 $119,253 $110,291–$129,369
GS-13 1,970 $137,890 $128,585–$149,911
GS-14 377 $165,234 $153,595–$177,973
GS-15 37 $193,311 $180,565–$213,966

middle 50% (25th–75th percentile) 10th–90th percentile median all-federal median ($109,641)

Social Work pay by agency

Social Work pay by agency
Agency Employees Median pay Middle 50%
Department of Veterans Affairs 21,120 $111,370 $97,124–$126,068
Department of Health and Human Services 95 $107,676 $99,142–$123,768
Department of the Interior 49 $107,411 $95,993–$124,177
Department of Justice 48 $99,550 $87,960–$105,845

middle 50% (25th–75th percentile) 10th–90th percentile median all-federal median ($109,641)

Social Work pay by state

The 10 states with the most employees in this series and published pay.

Social Work pay by state
State Employees Median pay Middle 50%
California 1,967 $133,812 $114,695–$149,106
Florida 1,584 $109,461 $96,864–$120,260
Texas 1,533 $122,281 $104,809–$138,184
New York 901 $100,804 $92,458–$114,413
Ohio 858 $104,829 $95,297–$118,308
Pennsylvania 793 $104,838 $91,384–$118,526
North Carolina 761 $110,285 $95,897–$121,706
Georgia 707 $118,763 $102,616–$131,698
Illinois 688 $109,031 $93,811–$119,253
Michigan 647 $107,417 $93,776–$115,802

middle 50% (25th–75th percentile) 10th–90th percentile median all-federal median ($109,641)

Compare social work pay across all states and agencies →

Change since September 2025

The median moved +2.0% from $109,011 in September 2025 to $111,219 in September 2026. Headcount went from 23,125 to 23,039 (−0.4%). A change in the median reflects both pay adjustments and who joined or left the workforce, so it is not the same as a pay raise.

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