Social Worker Salary in Scotland
Official ONS earnings for Scotland, covering 13,000 jobs.
Median salary — Scotland
£44,428
gross, per year
▲ 3.4% change on the previous year
Mean
£42,737
Jobs measured
13,000
What most social workers actually earn
Half of social workers in Scotland earn between £35,806 and £46,032. Earning above £46,032 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 Scotland.
The full pay range
Each bar is the salary at that percentile — the 25th means a quarter of social workers earn less than this.
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 Scotland?
The median is £44,428 a year and the mean is £42,737, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings.
What is a good Social Worker salary?
Half of social workers earn between £35,806 and £46,032. Anything above £46,032 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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