Social Work Degrees, Demand, and Licensing

South Dakota had 15.6 projected annual openings per recent social-work degree, followed by Washington at 3.18 and Oklahoma at 3.04. The denominator is the 2021–22 through 2023–24 average of first-major bachelor’s and master’s degrees. This is a descriptive ratio, not a shortage measure.

Selected social-work degrees rose from 53,750 in 2021–22 to 54,305 in 2023–24. Master’s awards increased while bachelor’s awards declined, leaving master’s degrees at 63.3% of the selected 2023–24 total. Three observations do not establish a long-run trend.

Broader-field Scorecard benchmarks are higher for master’s than bachelor’s recipients, but the source does not expose the cohort year or dated release. National projected growth ranges from 3.4% for child, family, and school social workers to 9.7% for mental-health and substance-abuse social workers. May 2025 median wages range from $59,550 to $67,880.

CareerOneStop contains 445 license records linked to the three selected occupations and their jurisdictions; records do not establish eligibility or program compliance. Anthropic’s national product observations were near zero for the three roles and cannot measure state adoption or predict employment effects.

South Dakota has the widest openings-to-degree gap

South Dakota has 15.6 projected annual openings per recent Social Work degree.

Washington follows at 3.18, and Oklahoma follows at 3.04.

The comparison covers the 50 states and District of Columbia. Each had complete projections and a positive three-cycle degree baseline.

The ratio divides 2024–34 projected annual openings by recent annual degree production.

Degree production is the 2021–22 through 2023–24 average for first-major bachelor’s and master’s Social Work degrees.

This ratio is not a shortage measure. It does not measure vacancies, hiring, graduate movement, or worker availability.

Degree production shifted toward master’s degrees

Colleges reported 53,750 selected Social Work degrees in 2021–22 and 54,305 in 2023–24.

Master’s degrees increased from 32,012 to 34,350. Bachelor’s degrees declined from 21,738 to 19,955.

Master’s degrees represented 63.3% of the selected 2023–24 total.

These three observations do not establish a sustained pattern.

IPEDS used revised releases dated December 7, 2023; November 22, 2024; and December 30, 2025.

Earnings differ by credential level

The College Scorecard benchmark reports one-year median earnings of $31,945 for bachelor’s degrees and $46,516 for master’s degrees.

Four-year median earnings are $51,748 for bachelor’s degrees and $66,253 for master’s degrees.

These outcomes come from the broader Social Work field family. They are not direct estimates for the exact degree field.

The available College Scorecard benchmark does not provide its cohort year or dated release.

National outlook and wages vary across social-work roles

The 2024–34 national projections show 3.4% growth for child, family, and school social workers.

Projected growth is 7.7% for healthcare social workers and 9.7% for mental health and substance abuse social workers.

May 2025 national median annual wages were:

• $59,550 for child, family, and school social workers.
• $67,880 for healthcare social workers.
• $60,280 for mental health and substance abuse social workers.

The state comparison uses 2024–34 Projections Central records for the same three occupations.

The career mapping is intentionally narrow

The official CIP 2020–SOC 2018 crosswalk connects Social Work with nine occupations.

The chart uses three occupations explicitly titled social workers. It excludes mapped managers, counselors, probation officers, and postsecondary teachers.

These structural links show careers the field can prepare students for. They do not show graduate destinations.

Licensing records require state-specific review

The CareerOneStop release contains 445 license records linked to the three selected occupations and their jurisdictions.

The bulk source was updated on October 14, 2024, and retrieved on August 20, 2026.

These records do not establish that a college program meets licensing rules or that an individual qualifies.

Observed AI use remains separate from workforce projections

Anthropic’s June 26, 2026 release covers observed Claude use from May 1 through June 1, 2026.

Claude.ai usage observations were 0.04% for child, family, and school social workers.

They were 0% for healthcare social workers and 0.01% for mental health and substance abuse social workers.

These observations do not measure state adoption or predict employment effects.