Social Worker Salary in Wales
Official ONS earnings for Wales, covering 7,000 jobs.
Median salary — Wales
£42,029
gross, per year, all employees
▲ 5.7% change on the previous year
Mean
£40,502
Jobs measured
7,000
What a typical social worker takes home
On the median of £42,029, 2026/27 tax year, England, Wales and Northern Ireland rates, no pension or student loan.
Take-home a month
£2,815
Take-home a year
£33,780
Income Tax
£5,892
National Insurance
£2,357
What most social workers actually earn
Half of social workers across the UK earn between £35,841 and £48,907. Earning above £48,907 puts you in the top quarter of the profession.
This range is UK-wide — ONS publishes no regional breakdown of the spread for this occupation.
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 Wales ranks for social worker pay
4th
of 6 GB regions with a published figure
London tops the table on £46,435 and East sits at the bottom on £40,836. Wales is £4,406 short of the top.
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 Wales?
The median is £42,029 a year and the mean is £40,502, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Those cover all employees; ASHE publishes no full-time split at regional level.
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, so there is no separate rate for Wales.
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.
Do social workers in Wales earn more than the UK average?
The median in Wales is £42,029 against £42,708 across the UK, 1.6% lower, which places it 4th highest of the 6 GB regions with a precise estimate.
Has social worker pay gone up in the last year?
ASHE puts the year-on-year change in the median at +5.7% for this occupation in Wales. That compares the latest survey with the one before it and is not adjusted for inflation.
How many social workers are there in Wales?
ASHE counts around 7,000 employee jobs in “Social workers” (SOC 2461) in Wales. 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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