Highest social worker salaries in California, by employer, 2025

Alameda Health System pays California's highest average total pay for social workers: $150,771 for those who worked the full year in 2025, against a state average of $105,739.

Where do social workers earn the most in California?

The 15 employers with the highest average total pay of full-year social workers.

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
  11. Contra Costa CountyCounty government
    290 full-year social workers    $118,258
  12. Monterey CountyCounty government
    340 full-year social workers    $116,898
  13. Washington Township Health Care DistrictHospital district in Alameda County
    8 full-year social workers    $116,313
  14. Sonoma CountyCounty government
    228 full-year social workers    $114,547
  15. Los Angeles CountyCounty government
    7,141 full-year social workers    $112,967

Which California employers pay new social workers the most?

The bottom of the official pay range for each employer's entry-level social worker title, as reported.

Highest starting salary

  1. Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare DistrictHospital district in Monterey County
    8 full-year social workers    $112,424
  2. Washington Township Health Care DistrictHospital district in Alameda County
    8 full-year social workers    $97,602
  3. Monterey CountyCounty government
    340 full-year social workers    $92,015
  4. Marin CountyCounty government
    97 full-year social workers    $88,130
  5. Palomar Health DistrictHospital district in San Diego County
    2 full-year social workers    $87,984
  6. Santa Clara CountyCounty government
    779 full-year social workers    $87,747
  7. Napa CountyCounty government
    53 full-year social workers    $87,705
  8. San Mateo CountyCounty government
    187 full-year social workers    $81,848
  9. Contra Costa CountyCounty government
    290 full-year social workers    $81,578
  10. Kaweah Delta Health Care DistrictHospital district in Tulare County
    3 full-year social workers    $80,954
  11. Sacramento CountyCounty government
    544 full-year social workers    $77,966
  12. Los AngelesCity government
    9 full-year social workers    $75,627
  13. San FranciscoCity government
    513 full-year social workers    $74,984
  14. Sonoma CountyCounty government
    228 full-year social workers    $73,154
  15. Imperial Valley Healthcare DistrictHospital district in Imperial County$70,616

Which kind of social worker earns the most in California?

Across all employers, the average total pay of full-year social workers was $119,800 for medical, $114,660 for children's, $110,386 for mental health and $96,501 for general social workers. General includes social workers whose unit isn't named in the data.

Medical social workers
$119,800
average total pay, 526 full-year
Children's social workers
$114,660
average total pay, 7,680 full-year
Mental health social workers
$110,386
average total pay, 1,544 full-year
General social workers
$96,501
average total pay, 8,994 full-year

Highest pay for medical social workers

  1. Alameda Health System$142,885
  2. Santa Clara County$137,713
  3. San Francisco$131,275
  4. Monterey County$128,540
  5. Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare District$127,279

Highest pay for children's social workers

  1. San Mateo County$164,134
  2. San Francisco$153,218
  3. Napa County$137,437
  4. Alameda County$136,068
  5. Solano County$132,347

Highest pay for mental health social workers

  1. Alameda Health System$171,472
  2. Santa Clara County$132,265
  3. San Mateo County$130,130
  4. Monterey County$121,866
  5. Marin County$118,592

Highest pay for general social workers (unit not named)

  1. Santa Clara County$148,726
  2. Napa County$125,414
  3. San Mateo County$125,002
  4. Marin County$120,076
  5. Yolo County$118,094

Which California counties pay social workers the most?

Average total pay of full-year social workers across every employer in the county, for the 55 counties with at least 5 of them. The dashed line marks the California average of $105,739.

  1. Santa Clara$145,566
  2. San Mateo$137,387
  3. San Francisco$129,691
  4. Napa$128,363
  5. Alameda$125,704
  6. Marin$124,026
  7. Solano$123,723
  8. Yolo$123,300
  9. Contra Costa$118,258
  10. Monterey$117,032
  11. Sonoma$114,547
  12. Los Angeles$112,879
  13. Santa Cruz$109,828
  14. Amador$104,370
  15. Ventura$100,216
  16. Inyo$99,540
  17. Nevada$98,916
  18. Sacramento$98,518
  19. Orange$98,439
  20. San Diego$97,698
  21. San Joaquin$97,375
  22. El Dorado$96,632
  23. San Luis Obispo$96,583
  24. Santa Barbara$95,019
  25. Yuba$90,737
  26. Mono$90,577
  27. Lake$90,384
  28. San Bernardino$90,240
  1. Humboldt$89,660
  2. Kings$88,405
  3. Mendocino$88,403
  4. Glenn$88,049
  5. Riverside$87,427
  6. Madera$86,398
  7. Kern$85,450
  8. Siskiyou$83,325
  9. Tulare$83,114
  10. Fresno$82,955
  11. Mariposa$82,575
  12. San Benito$82,545
  13. Plumas$82,446
  14. Sierra$81,916
  15. Butte$81,028
  16. Del Norte$80,861
  17. Merced$78,222
  18. Sutter$77,742
  19. Calaveras$77,435
  20. Colusa$76,546
  21. Shasta$74,788
  22. Trinity$73,782
  23. Stanislaus$73,576
  24. Tehama$73,063
  25. Tuolumne$71,809
  26. Modoc$64,520
  27. Imperial$63,776

Questions about the highest social worker salaries in California

Which California employer pays social workers the most?

Alameda Health System, where full-year social workers earned an average of $150,771 in 2025. Santa Clara County ($145,566) and San Mateo County ($137,387) follow.

Where do new social workers earn the most in California?

The highest starting salary, the bottom of the official range for the entry-level social worker title, is at Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare District: $112,424. Washington Township Health Care District ($97,602) and Monterey County ($92,015) follow.

Which California county pays social workers the most?

Santa Clara County, where full-year social workers across all employers earned an average of $145,566, followed by San Mateo County ($137,387) and San Francisco County ($129,691).

Where do medical social workers earn the most in California?

At Alameda Health System, where full-year medical social workers earned an average of $142,885 in 2025. Santa Clara County ($137,713) and San Francisco ($131,275) follow.

Where do children's social workers earn the most in California?

At San Mateo County, where full-year children's social workers earned an average of $164,134 in 2025. San Francisco ($153,218) and Napa County ($137,437) follow.

Where do mental health social workers earn the most in California?

At Alameda Health System, where full-year mental health social workers earned an average of $171,472 in 2025. Santa Clara County ($132,265) and San Mateo County ($130,130) follow.

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.

Sources for the California social worker rankings

Pay figures cover 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. Starting salaries are the bottom of each employer's official range for its entry title, as reported. Rankings and medians are our own arithmetic on these figures.

  1. State Controller's Office, Government Compensation in California, 2025: positions, official pay ranges and wages as reported by each city, county and special district.

How we read the data