Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Median Annual Pay
$45,930
Median Hourly Pay
$22.08
10th to 90th Percentile
$34,200 to $63,290
Employed Nationally
437,860
How Much Does a Social and Human Service Assistant Make?
A social and human service assistant makes a median of $45,930 a year, which is $22.08 an hour, according to the May 2025 federal wage survey of 437,860 people in the job. A median is the middle of the pack, not a wage anyone is offering you. It means as many social and human service assistants earn under $45,930 as earn over it.
The range is the thing to understand before you take the job. The 10th percentile is $34,200 and the 25th is $38,150, so a quarter of social and human service assistants earn under about $38,000. The 75th percentile is $54,350 and the 90th is $63,290, which is $17,360 above the median. By the hour, the 10th percentile is $16.44 and the 90th is $30.43. The top of this job is $63,290 or more, and the handbook's route past that figure is more education, which the earn-more section below covers.
If you're starting out, the 25th percentile of $38,150 is the honest planning figure, because the handbook lists a high school diploma and no work experience as the typical way in. The 10th percentile, $34,200, is the floor you should ask about directly in an interview, because it is where a tenth of the people doing this work sit. An established social and human service assistant in a government agency or a high-paying metro can reach the 75th percentile, $54,350, and the sections below show which employers and places get you there.
Social and Human Service Assistant Salary by State
Social and Human Service Assistant salary by state runs from a median of $59,460 in District of Columbia to $31,200 in Mississippi, across the 50 states and the District of Columbia where the survey publishes a median. A state median is a location figure: it reflects which employers are there and what living costs, not what any one employer pays.
Highest-Paying Cities for Social and Human Service Assistants
The highest-paying cities for social and human service assistants are the metro areas below, the ten with the highest median among the 388 metro areas where the survey publishes one and at least 100 people hold the job. The second chart lists the ten metro areas that employ the most social and human service assistants, which is where most of the openings are.
Social and Human Service Assistant Salary by Industry
Social and Human Service Assistant pay by industry is set out below for every industry sector where the survey publishes a median, highest first, with the number employed in each. A high median in a sector with few jobs is a real figure but a narrow door.
What Drives Social and Human Service Assistant Pay?
What drives social and human service assistant pay is the employer type first and the location second, and neither moves it as far as you might hope. Private employers hold 337,440 of the jobs at a median of $45,110. Government as a whole pays $49,920 across 100,420 jobs, a difference of $4,810. State government pays $49,920 and local government $49,710, so it barely matters which level of government hires you. The federal government pays $60,360, but it employs 1,320 social and human service assistants nationwide, which makes that row a curiosity rather than a career plan.
By industry, the picture is lopsided. Health care and social assistance employs 281,780 social and human service assistants at a median of $44,800, which is below the national median, so the biggest employer of them is also what holds the median down. Government outside schools and hospitals employs 84,730 at $50,650. Other services employs 32,450 at $46,520, and educational services employs 17,720 at $45,310. The high sector medians belong to small corners: finance and insurance pays $59,020 across 4,750 jobs, and professional, scientific, and technical services pays $51,370 across 2,000. The handbook says the largest single employer is individual and family services, with 28 percent of the jobs, and that some social and human service assistants work evenings and weekends, so ask about the schedule in the same breath as the pay.
Location shows up more in the metro figures than in the state ones. Eau Claire, WI pays a median of $63,870 across 390 jobs. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA pays $60,650 across 1,930. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA pays $58,090 across 3,910, and San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA pays $57,580 across 7,970, which makes San Francisco the one metro on both the top-paying list and the largest-employer list. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ has 35,540 social and human service assistants, more than any other metro, at $47,860. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington and Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach both pay $45,370. At the state level, the District of Columbia posts $59,460, Washington $54,770, and Mississippi $31,200.
How Can a Social and Human Service Assistant Earn More?
A social and human service assistant can earn more in two ways the survey shows and one the handbook describes. The survey moves are employer and place. Government pays a median of $49,920 against $45,110 for private employers, and government outside schools and hospitals employs 84,730 social and human service assistants, so public agency postings are plentiful enough to target. Finance and insurance pays $59,020 across 4,750 jobs, which is a smaller door but a real one.
Moving is the other survey lever. Washington state pays $54,770, Oregon $51,230 and California $51,090. In the metros, Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue pays $58,090 across 3,910 jobs and San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont pays $57,580 across 7,970, both with thousands of people in the job. Eau Claire, WI pays $63,870 but has 390 social and human service assistants, so plan around the big metros and treat the small ones as luck.
The handbook's route up is education. It says advancement usually requires more education, and that advancement to case management or social work jobs requires a bachelor's or master's degree in human services, counseling, rehabilitation, social work, or a related field. Those are different jobs, so the move is a change of title rather than a raise inside this one. If you're working as a social and human service assistant now, the online bachelor's in general studies rankings list programs you can finish without leaving the job.
The steps into the job, and whether a general studies degree is enough to get there, are in the social and human service assistant career guide.
Common Questions About Social and Human Service Assistant Pay
How Much Does a Social and Human Service Assistant Make an Hour?
A social and human service assistant makes a median of $22.08 an hour in the May 2025 federal wage survey. The 10th percentile is $16.44 and the 90th is $30.43, with the middle half of the job earning between $18.34 and $26.13. Most social and human service assistants work full time, so the annual figure of $45,930 is what those hours add up to.
Which State Pays Social and Human Service Assistants the Most?
Social and human service assistants are paid the most in the District of Columbia, where the median is $59,460 across 2,080 jobs. Among the states, Washington leads at $54,770, then Oregon at $51,230 and California at $51,090, and California has 58,730 social and human service assistants, more than any other state. Mississippi posts the lowest median at $31,200.
Do Social and Human Service Assistants Earn More in Government or Private Work?
Social and human service assistants earn more in government than in private work, though not by much. Across all levels of government the median is $49,920 over 100,420 jobs, against $45,110 for the 337,440 jobs with private employers, a difference of $4,810. State government pays $49,920 and local government $49,710, and the federal government pays $60,360 but employs only 1,320 people in the job.
What Does Entry-Level Social and Human Service Assistant Pay Look Like?
Entry-level social and human service assistant pay looks like the 25th percentile, $38,150 a year, with the 10th percentile at $34,200. Read them as the bottom of the whole occupation, since the survey counts everyone in the job and not first-year hires alone. The handbook says the typical entry is a high school diploma with no work experience and short-term training on the job, so there is no gap between finishing school and the first paycheck to budget for.
Which Industry Pays Social and Human Service Assistants the Most?
The industry that pays social and human service assistants the most is finance and insurance, at a median of $59,020 across 4,750 jobs. Government outside schools and hospitals pays $50,650 and employs 84,730, which makes it the high-paying sector with enough openings to aim for. Health care and social assistance holds 281,780 of the jobs at a median of $44,800.
Which Cities Pay Social and Human Service Assistants the Most?
The cities that pay social and human service assistants the most are Eau Claire, WI at a median of $63,870, San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA at $60,650, and Fond du Lac, WI at $58,940. Eau Claire has 390 people in the job and Fond du Lac has 180, so the realistic targets are Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue at $58,090 with 3,910 jobs and San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont at $57,580 with 7,970.
Where Do the Figures in This Social and Human Service Assistant Salary Guide Come From?
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, SOC 21-1093
- Occupational Outlook Handbook, Social and Human Service Assistants
All sources as of .