Social Workers vs Substance Abuse
Social Workers earns $2,430 more at the middle. Every figure is US government data you can check.
| Social Workers | Substance Abuse | |
|---|---|---|
| Pay in the middle median annual wage, May 2025 | $61,780 | $59,350 |
| Pay range 10th to 90th percentile | not published to not published | $38,940 to $97,590 |
| Years of school you pay for our own estimate from published entry requirements, not a BLS figure | 4 | 6 |
| Typical entry education | See How to Become One | Master's degree |
| Jobs opening up each year | 69,100 | 50,500 |
| Growth by 2035 | 6.2% | 18.4% |
| People doing it now | 816,100 | 533,400 |
| Where the pay is highest and lowest state medians, not adjusted for cost of living or taxes | $78,970 in Connecticut down to $43,330 in Arkansas | not published by state |
Also compared: Accountants vs Social Workers Accountants vs Substance Abuse Graphic Designers vs Social Workers Graphic Designers vs Substance Abuse High School Teachers vs Social Workers High School Teachers vs Substance Abuse
Jobs that use what you already know
Same skills, same knowledge, same daily tasks. Most of these are not on this site.
Social Workers covers 4 separate job codes. “3 of 4” means 3 of those 4 name that job as closely related.
Social Workers
- Marriage and Family Therapists3 of 4
- Rehabilitation Counselors3 of 4
- Social and Human Service Assistants2 of 4
- Community Health Workers2 of 4
- Health Education Specialists2 of 4
- Mental Health Counselors2 of 4
Substance Abuse
- Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers2 of 2
- Marriage and Family Therapists2 of 2
- Clinical and Counseling Psychologists2 of 2
- Rehabilitation Counselors2 of 2
- Healthcare Social Workers2 of 2
- Child, Family, and School Social Workers2 of 2
What these usually take: Graduate school — a master's, or a doctorate.
O*NET 30.3 Database, U.S. Department of Labor. These are jobs that use similar skills, knowledge and daily tasks. It is a measure of how alike two jobs are — not a record of people moving between them.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational employment and wage data, May 2025, and employment projections 2025-35. Years of school is our own estimate from published entry requirements, not a BLS figure. State medians are not adjusted for cost of living or taxes, and that difference could be large either way. No advice, just data.