Headline risk
3%
Very Low RiskHealthcare social workers
United States AI Work Index tracks this occupation on the shared structural baseline and then layers on local demand resilience, wages, and confidence.
Why This Score
Share of job tasks that overlap with current AI capabilities
Median annual wage
Projected employment change over 10 years
Typical preparation needed for this occupation
Occupation profile
Provide individuals, families, and groups with the psychosocial support needed to cope with chronic, acute, or terminal illnesses. Services include advising family caregivers. Provide patients with information and counseling, and make referrals for other services. May also provide case and care management or interventions designed to promote health, prevent disease, and address barriers to access to healthcare.
Task evidence
100% weighted task match · 7% effective coverage
Scores combine AI task overlap, human advantages, and local demand. How it works
United States Now
Median Wage
USD 68,090
Employment 2024
193.2K
Projected Change (2024–34)
7.7%
Openings (2024–34)
18.4K
Wage distribution
Demand outlook
Overall employment of social workers is projected to grow 6 percent from 2024 to 2034, faster than the average for all occupations.
Role Profile
Tasks
- 1. Advocate for clients or patients to resolve crises. AI use: 0%
- 2. Educate clients about end-of-life symptoms and options to assist them in making informed decisions. AI use: 0%
- 3. Collaborate with other professionals to evaluate patients' medical or physical condition and to assess client needs. AI use: 0%
- 4. Refer patient, client, or family to community resources to assist in recovery from mental or physical illness and to provide access to services such as financial assistance, legal aid, housing, job placement or education. AI use: 0%
- 5. Utilize consultation data and social work experience to plan and coordinate client or patient care and rehabilitation, following through to ensure service efficacy. AI use: 0%
- 6. Identify environmental impediments to client or patient progress through interviews and review of patient records. AI use: 0%
Technologies
Requirements
Work context
Worker profile
Median age 43.5 · 118K employed
Under 25: 8% · 25–54: 70% · 55+: 20%
Related
No direct US role match is available yet for this occupation.
Source coverage
11/11 source families · O*NET 30.2 / OEWS 2024 / ORS 2025 / OOH 2025-08-28 / Projections 2024-34 / CPS 2025 / Anthropic task penetration
Mapping quality
major_group_fallback · employment series present
Narrative & sources
Social workers help people prevent and cope with problems in their everyday lives.
Social workers are employed in a variety of settings, including child welfare and human service agencies, healthcare providers, and schools. Most work full time, and some work evenings, weekends, and holidays.
Social workers typically need a bachelor’s or master’s degree in social work. They also may need a license; specific requirements vary by state.
The median annual wage for social workers was $61,330 in May 2024.
Overall employment of social workers is projected to grow 6 percent from 2024 to 2034, faster than the average for all occupations.
Published limitations
This page shows the local country layer, not realised individual job outcomes. The global structural baseline is shared across countries; only the local demand and wage layer changes here.
Built from O*NET occupation descriptions, task statements, technology skills, work context, Job Zones, Anthropic task penetration, BLS OEWS wages, BLS projection tables, BLS ORS requirements, BLS OOH narrative content, BLS skills data, and BLS CPS occupation age tables.