2023 Salary Report for Health Care Social Workers in California

Salary Report for California Health Care Social Workers

California Rankings

Compare California to U.S.

California Health Care Social Workers earn an average of $84,690 which is 35% more than the national average salary of $62,310.

Type	California	U.S.	% Difference
Average Hourly Wage	$40.72	$29.96	35.91%
Average Annual Salary	$84,690	$62,310	35.92%

Salary Range by Education and Experience

In California, 50% of Health Care Social Workers earn between $61,610 and $101,300 a year, depending on factors such as level of education, experience, location and place of employment.

About 10% of Health Care Social Workers earn more than $126,880, a rate generally associated with highly educated and experienced Health Care Social Workers.

Approximately 10% of Health Care Social Workers earn under $47,910, a rate generally reserved for less experienced or entry level Health Care Social Workers.

Percent	Experience	Employed	Annual Salary
10%	Less than a Year	1,305	Under $47,910
15%	2 – 4 years	1,958	$47,910 – $61,610
25%	5 – 9 years	3,262	$61,610 – $79,730
25%	10 – 14 years	3,262	$79,730 – $101,300
15%	15 – 20 years	1,958	$79,730 – $126,880
10%	20+ years	1,305	Above $126,880

Adjusted for Cost-of-Living

After being adjusted for cost-of-living, Health Care Social Workers in California psychologists earn about $76,726 per year which is more than the average U.S. psychologist of $62,310.

Cost-of-living in California is 10% higher than the national average, which means California residents have an overall higher cost for food, housing, utilities and transportation compared to other states.

More cost-of-living reports for U.S. States.

Salary Compared to Related Professions

With an average annual salary of $84,690, California Health Care Social Workers tend to earn less than Industrial Organizational Psychologists ($123,090), Clinical and Counseling Psychologists ($122,790), Psychology Teachers ($114,950), Forensic Psychologists ($112,210), and School Psychologists ($96,530).

However, Health Care Social Workers tend to earn more than Marriage and Family Therapists ($59,320), Substance Abuse Counselors ($59,790), and Social Workers ($64,940).

Title	Annual Salary
Industrial Organizational Psychologists	$123,090
Clinical and Counseling Psychologists	$122,790
Psychology Teachers	$114,950
Forensic Psychologists	$112,210
School Psychologists	$96,530
Health Care Social Workers	$84,690
Social Workers	$64,940
Substance Abuse Counselors	$59,790
Marriage and Family Therapists	$59,320

Projected Demand for Psychologists in 2030

The U.S. Department of Labor projects that in California the three professions needing the most new psychologists by 2030 are Social Workers (51,800), Substance Abuse Counselors (43,500) and Marriage and Family Therapists (32,700).

The three professions in California needing highest percentage new psychologists by 2030 are Substance Abuse Counselors (17.3%), Health Care Social Workers (12.2%) and Marriage and Family Therapists (10.5%).

Title	2020	2030	Change	Yearly Openings
Social Workers	47,200	51,800	9.7%	4,970
Substance Abuse Counselors	37,100	43,500	17.3%	4,330
Marriage and Family Therapists	29,600	32,700	10.5%	3,170
Health Care Social Workers	13,100	14,700	12.2%	1,440
Forensic Psychologists	5,500	5,500	0%	360
Psychology Teachers	3,900	4,200	7.7%	410
Industrial Organizational Psychologists	1,800	1,900	5.6%	120

Salaries Ranked by California Cities

The average salary for Health Care Social Workers in California is $84,690. The top cities that pay Health Care Social Workers the most are San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward ($98,340), Vallejo-Fairfield ($96,170) and Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade ($91,270).

When adjusted for cost-of-living, the cities that pay Health Care Social Workers the highest average annual salary are San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara ($94,185), Santa Rosa ($91,852) and Yuba City ($88,955).

The following table shows the average yearly salary range for Health Care Social Workers in each city, and the average yearly salary after being adjusted for cost-of-living in that state.

The difference column shows how much more or less purchasing power a Health Care Social Workers salary will have in that area.

Area	Average Salary	COL Adjusted	Difference
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara	$105,600	$94,185	$-11,415
Santa Rosa	$100,890	$91,852	$-9,038
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward	$98,340	$83,786	$-14,554
Vallejo-Fairfield	$96,170	$88,701	$-7,469
Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade	$91,270	$86,023	$-5,247
Salinas	$90,840	$82,023	$-8,817
Yuba City	$88,510	$88,955	$445
Modesto	$87,880	$85,561	$-2,319
Napa	$83,860	$75,258	$-8,602
Fresno	$81,840	$81,971	$131
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim	$81,660	$72,982	$-8,678
Santa Cruz-Watsonville	$80,990	$74,018	$-6,972
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande	$80,400	$73,405	$-6,995
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura	$79,080	$70,987	$-8,093
Stockton-Lodi	$78,860	$75,973	$-2,887
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara	$77,980	$70,878	$-7,102
San Diego-Carlsbad	$76,400	$67,378	$-9,022
Redding	$76,320	$76,389	$69
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario	$75,270	$72,577	$-2,693
Merced	$74,390	$75,020	$630
Visalia-Porterville	$74,320	$76,171	$1,851
Madera	$73,690	$76,529	$2,839
North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California	$71,850	$71,900	$50
North Coast Region of California	$71,300	$71,350	$50
Bakersfield	$70,970	$71,557	$587
Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California	$70,420	$70,469	$49
Chico	$63,530	$62,603	$-927

Salary FAQ for California Health Care Social Workers

City and Rural Summaries

Official Data Sources for Health Care Social Workers: Salary Data | Projected Employment | Cost of Living Data