California social worker salaries by employer, 2025

23,185 people worked as social workers for 96 counties, cities and public hospital districts in California in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $105,739.

What is the average social worker salary in California?

Lowest-paying employer

$63,776

Imperial County
County government

Average total pay, full-year California social workers1

$105,739

average base pay $94,478

Highest-paying employer

$150,771

Alameda Health System
Hospital district in Alameda County

Highest- and lowest-paying among the 50 employers with at least 10 full-year social workers. The lists below include every employer with at least 5.

Social workers
23,185
18,744 of them worked the full year
Employers
96
71 with 5 or more social workers, in 56 counties
Median total pay
$102,651
the middle social worker: half earned more, half less
Overtime
$4,970
average per full-year social worker

Employers also paid an average of $15,906 into pensions and $18,243 for health, dental and vision cover per full-year social worker, on top of wages.1

What stands out in California social worker pay

Which California employers pay social workers the most?

By average total pay of full-year social workers, among employers with at least 5 of them.

Highest average total pay

  1. Alameda Health SystemHospital district in Alameda County
    29 full-year social workers    $150,771
  2. Santa Clara CountyCounty government
    779 full-year social workers    $145,566
  3. San Mateo CountyCounty government
    187 full-year social workers    $137,387
  4. San FranciscoCity government
    513 full-year social workers    $129,691
  5. Napa CountyCounty government
    53 full-year social workers    $128,363
  6. Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare DistrictHospital district in Monterey County
    8 full-year social workers    $127,279
  7. Alameda CountyCounty government
    383 full-year social workers    $124,676
  8. Marin CountyCounty government
    97 full-year social workers    $124,026
  9. Solano CountyCounty government
    110 full-year social workers    $123,723
  10. Yolo CountyCounty government
    62 full-year social workers    $123,300

California average, $105,739

Highest social worker salaries in California: the top employers by total pay, base pay and starting salary

Compare social worker pay at every California employer

Official pay range across each employer's social worker titles, and what full-year social workers earned. Click a column to sort it.

Showing 1 to 25 of 71 employers, highest average total pay first.

Alameda Health SystemAlameda CountyAlameda$150,771$61,549 to $244,68875MedicalNot reported
Santa Clara CountySanta Clara CountySanta Clara$145,566$87,747 to $146,8111,035General2% at 62
San Mateo CountySan Mateo CountySan Mateo$137,387$81,848 to $166,920275General2% at 62
San FranciscoSan Francisco CountySan Francisco$129,691$74,984 to $159,874632General2.3% at 65
Napa CountyNapa CountyNapa$128,363$87,705 to $171,23493General2% at 62
Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare DistrictMonterey CountyMonterey$127,279$112,424 to $204,13114MedicalNot reported
Alameda CountyAlameda CountyAlameda$124,676$34,320 to $148,179487Children's2.5% at 67
Marin CountyMarin CountyMarin$124,026$88,130 to $148,845122General2% at 62
Solano CountySolano CountySolano$123,723$66,349 to $131,907223Children's2% at 62
Yolo CountyYolo CountyYolo$123,300$61,256 to $123,55293Children's2% at 62
Contra Costa CountyContra Costa CountyContra Costa$118,258$81,578 to $139,833380Children's2.5% at 67
Monterey CountyMonterey CountyMonterey$116,898$68,848 to $139,364411General2% at 62
Washington Township Health Care DistrictAlameda CountyAlameda$116,313$97,602 to $179,9208MedicalNot reported
Sonoma CountySonoma CountySonoma$114,547$73,154 to $133,388288GeneralNot reported
Los Angeles CountyLos Angeles CountyLos Angeles$112,967$50,010 to $128,8998,128Children's2% at 62
Santa Cruz CountySanta Cruz CountySanta Cruz$109,828$65,000 to $132,454138General2% at 62
Amador CountyAmador CountyAmador$104,370$59,696 to $100,44321General2% at 62
Los AngelesLos Angeles CountyLos Angeles$101,231$75,627 to $153,94814General2% at 60
Ventura CountyVentura CountyVentura$100,216$2,080 to $246,891376Children's2% at 62
Nevada CountyNevada CountyNevada$98,916$61,196 to $134,09030General2% at 62
Sacramento CountySacramento CountySacramento$98,518$77,966 to $109,829753Children's2.5% at 67
Orange CountyOrange CountyOrange$98,479$60,403 to $121,3681,570General1.62% at 65
San Diego CountySan Diego CountySan Diego$97,669$58,136 to $115,3981,389Children's1.62% at 65
San Joaquin CountySan Joaquin CountySan Joaquin$97,375$53,318 to $211,028425General2% at 62
El Dorado CountyEl Dorado CountyEl Dorado$96,632$58,032 to $114,19293General2% at 62

"Fewer than 5": fewer than 5 social workers worked the full year, too few for an average. "Not reported": the employer reported no pay range, so we can't tell who worked the full year. Employers with fewer than 5 social workers aren't listed.

How much do school social workers earn in California?

798 people worked as social workers for 104 California school employers in 2024, the latest year schools have reported. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $112,718; the middle one earned $113,014.3

School employers report to the State Controller voluntarily: 438 did for 2024, and Los Angeles Unified, San Diego Unified, Elk Grove Unified and San Francisco Unified aren't among them. These figures are a year older than the county and city figures above, so they're kept apart from them.

Average total pay of full-year school social workers, at every school employer with at least 5 of them. "Fewer than 5" means fewer than 5 worked the full year.

Every California employer with a social worker pay page, by county

71 employers with at least 5 social workers. Open a county to see its employers. Employers without an average had fewer than 5 full-year social workers, or their records don't show who worked the full year. The map shades each county by the average total pay of full-year social workers across its employers; click a county to open its list.

Average total pay, full-year social workers, 2025under $81,000$81,000 to $87,000$87,000 to $97,000$97,000 to $115,000$115,000 or moreLeft outNo employer in the dataEach shade holds about a fifth of the counties. Outlines: US Census Bureau.

Questions about social worker pay in California

How much do social workers make in California?

Full-year social workers in California earned an average of $105,739 in 2025. The middle social worker earned $102,651: half earned more, half less.

Which California employer pays social workers the most?

Among employers with at least 10 full-year social workers, Alameda Health System has the highest average total pay, $150,771, followed by Santa Clara County ($145,566) and San Mateo County ($137,387).

Which California employer pays social workers the least?

Among employers with at least 10 full-year social workers, Imperial County has the lowest average total pay, $63,776, followed by Tuolumne County ($71,809) and Tehama County ($73,063).

Which kind of social worker earns the most in California?

By average total pay of full-year staff: medical social workers $119,800, children's social workers $114,660, mental health social workers $110,386 and general social workers $96,501.

How much do school social workers make in California?

School social workers who worked the full year earned an average of $112,718 in 2024, the latest year school employers have reported. The figure covers the 438 school employers that reported to the State Controller, which don't include Los Angeles Unified, San Diego Unified, Elk Grove Unified and San Francisco Unified.

Who employs social workers in California?

Mostly counties, which run child welfare, adult services and mental health. Public hospital districts employ medical social workers. The largest employer is Los Angeles County, with 8,128 social workers.

Sources for the California social worker figures

Every person who held a social worker position at any point in 2025 counts toward the headcount. Pay figures use only people who worked roughly the full year: those whose regular pay reached at least 90% of the bottom of their official range. Total pay is gross wages before tax, including overtime, lump sums and other pay. Every figure covers at least 5 people.

  1. State Controller's Office, Government Compensation in California, 2025: positions, official pay ranges, wages, pension formulas and employer contributions as reported by each city, county and special district.
  2. Association of Bay Area Governments, Our Members: the nine Bay Area counties.
  3. State Controller's Office, Government Compensation in California, 2024, K-12 Education: positions, official pay ranges and wages of school social workers, as reported voluntarily by school employers.

How we read the data