Social Worker Salary
Official ONS earnings for the UK, covering 105,000 jobs.
Median salary
£42,708
gross, per year, all employees
▲ 4.9% change on the previous year
Full-time only
£44,550
Part-time only
£26,470
Mean
£41,623
Jobs measured
105,000
What a typical social worker takes home
On the median of £42,708, 2026/27 tax year, England, Wales and Northern Ireland rates, no pension or student loan.
Take-home a month
£2,856
Take-home a year
£34,269
Income Tax
£6,028
National Insurance
£2,411
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 the UK?
The median is £42,708 a year and the mean is £41,623, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Those cover all employees; full-time employees alone have a median of £44,550 and part-time employees £26,470.
How much does a social worker earn per hour?
Across the UK the median hourly rate is £23.21 excluding overtime. ASHE publishes hourly pay by occupation nationally only.
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.
What is the starting salary for a social worker?
ASHE does not record experience, so there is no official starting salary. What it does show is that the lowest-paid 10% of social workers earn under £24,877 and the lowest quarter under £35,841 — the range a new entrant is most likely to be offered.
How much do the highest-paid social workers earn?
The top 10% of social workers earn more than £54,862 a year, and the top quarter more than £48,907. ASHE does not publish figures above the 90th percentile.
Which part of the UK pays social workers the most?
London, at a median of £46,435, is the highest of the 6 GB regions with a precise ONS estimate; East is the lowest at £40,836. Regions where ONS marks the figure as imprecise are not ranked.
Has social worker pay gone up in the last year?
ASHE puts the year-on-year change in the median at +4.9% for this occupation in the UK. That compares the latest survey with the one before it and is not adjusted for inflation.
How many social workers are there in the UK?
ASHE counts around 105,000 employee jobs in “Social workers” (SOC 2461) in the UK. Self-employed work is not included.
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.
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