Social Worker Salary
Official ONS earnings for the UK, covering 105,000 jobs.
Median salary
£42,708
gross, per year
▲ 4.9% change on the previous year
Mean
£41,623
Jobs measured
105,000
What most social workers actually earn
Half of social workers earn between £35,841 and £48,907. Earning above £48,907 puts you in the top quarter of the profession.
The full pay range
Each bar is the salary at that percentile — the 25th means a quarter of social workers earn less than this.
Social Worker salary by region
11 of 11 GB regions have a published figure for this occupation.
| Region | Median | Mean |
|---|---|---|
| London | £46,435 | £47,067 |
| Scotland | £44,428 | £42,737 |
| North West | £42,829 | £42,638 |
| North East | £42,179 | £40,327 |
| Wales | £42,029 | £40,502 |
| South West | £41,199 | £38,619 |
| South East | £41,026 | £39,733 |
| East | £40,836 | £41,161 |
| West Midlands | £40,415 | £39,120 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | £38,170 | £36,820 |
| East Midlands | £37,044 | £36,070 |
Where this figure comes from
- ONS occupation group
- Social workers
- SOC 2020 code
- 2461
- Measure
- Gross annual pay, all employees
- Edition
- ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Figures are estimates from a survey of PAYE jobs and are not financial advice.
Social Worker salary FAQs
What is the average Social Worker salary in UK?
The median is £42,708 a year and the mean is £41,623, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings.
What is a good Social Worker salary?
Half of social workers earn between £35,841 and £48,907. Anything above £48,907 is in the top quarter for the role.
Is this figure official?
Yes. It comes from the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, an accredited official statistic based on employer PAYE records, covering 105,000 jobs in this occupation.
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