Social Worker Salary in London
Official ONS earnings for London, covering 13,000 jobs.
Median salary — London
£46,435
gross, per year
▲ 4.3% change on the previous year
Mean
£47,067
Jobs measured
13,000
What most social workers actually earn
Half of social workers in London earn between £35,670 and £50,395. Earning above £50,395 puts you in the top quarter of the profession.
ONS suppresses the detailed spread for this occupation at regional level, so this range describes the wider “Welfare Professionals” group in London.
The full pay range
Each bar is the salary at that percentile — the 25th means a quarter of social workers earn less than this.
How London ranks for social worker pay
1st
of 11 GB regions with a published figure
London pays social workers more than anywhere else ONS measures — £9,391 above East Midlands, the lowest of the 11.
Ranking compares published regional medians for the same occupation. It says nothing about cost of living — a higher median doesn't survive contact with rent. The cost of living calculator is the honest next step.
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 London?
The median is £46,435 a year and the mean is £47,067, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings.
What is a good Social Worker salary?
Half of social workers earn between £35,670 and £50,395. Anything above £50,395 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 13,000 jobs in this occupation.
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