Facts

• The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) determined the 2009 average wage for the social work profession to be $50,470 per year. Social workers in Alaska earned slightly below their cross-country colleagues, with a statewide annual average salary of $47,330, a difference of $3,140 per year. One segment of Alaska's social workers, medical and public health social workers, did earn at a higher-than-average rate, averaging $51,480 per year. Alaska's lowest-paid segment of social workers was its child, family and school group, averaging annual salaries of $44,330 per year. Also lower on the scale was the state's mental health and substance abuse social workers, averaging $45,190 per year.
  
  

Range

• A segment of Alaska's 1,670 social workers (as of May 2009) did earn salaries above the national average. For the state's 90th percentile of earners, salaries averaged as high as $75,770 per year in the medical and public health social worker category. Social workers in the state's "other" category placed second, with 90th percentile salaries of $75,460 per year. The 90th percentile salary for the mental health and substance abuse workers was $73,250 per year, followed by child, family and school social workers earning a maximum of $63,920 per year. But the ranges varied; although child, family and school social workers earned the lowest 90th percentile salary, they did not earn the lowest 10th percentile wage -- that salary of $22,890 went to social workers in the "other" category. Child, family and school social workers came in second on the 10th percentile earnings, with $27,200. Mental health and substance abuse workers earning at the lowest percentile in their category earned $34,470 per year, with the lowest-earning medical and public health social workers earning approximately $38,690 per year.
  
  

Considerations

• Alaskans seeking salaries as social workers must enroll in a minimum of a bachelor's degree program in social work, though many employers may require a master's or doctorate. The Council on Social Work Education accredits hundreds of social work degree programs across the country. Prior to practicing as a social worker, prospective Alaskans must undertake approximately two years of supervised clinical experience to gain their licenses. Alaskans who seek higher degrees, such as the Master of Social Work, may receive higher pay and additional benefits, plus more job opportunities.
  
  

Outlook

• The BLS predicts a continued 16 percent growth rate of social worker employment across the country, adding a total of 103,400 jobs through 2018, with the most growth, 22 percent or 31,100 jobs, expected to come from the medical and public health social worker category. The second-highest predicted category, mental health and substance abuse social workers, will bring 26,800 jobs and expand the field by 20 percent.