High paying social service jobs in California

Every social service occupation below is ranked by its median annual wage in California. Read the percentile range, not just the median: the gap between the 10th and 90th inside a single social service job is usually wider than the gap between two different ones, so where you land in a field matters more than which field you pick.

Cost of living: prices in California run 10.7% above the national average (2024), so a California salary is worth about 0.90× its face value in national terms. That scales every wage here by the same factor — it changes what the numbers mean, not their order. To see where a job pays a real premium, use jobs that pay more in California.

Wages: BLS OEWS, May 2025 · Cost of living: BEA regional price parities, 2024

Find social service jobs in California

OccupationMedian, California · Employed

1Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists$103,640
Bachelor's degree
$64,820 – $140,95013,900
2Healthcare Social Workers$89,660
Master's degree
$54,220 – $134,88017,690
3Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors$86,500
Master's degree
$51,890 – $136,66045,140
4Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers$79,000
Master's degree
$46,450 – $147,30019,860
5Clergy$77,710
Bachelor's degree
$42,690 – $157,0307,110
6Marriage and Family Therapists$67,300
Master's degree
$46,350 – $130,34034,970
7Child, Family, and School Social Workers$65,200
Bachelor's degree
$45,360 – $103,05060,310
8Health Education Specialists$63,610
Bachelor's degree
$49,020 – $113,17012,520
9Social Workers, All Other$63,010
Bachelor's degree
$36,160 – $132,4806,430
10Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors$59,250
Master's degree
$44,640 – $111,08075,610
11Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other$58,770
Bachelor's degree
$38,840 – $96,03016,250
12Community Health Workers$58,050
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,320 – $88,5909,500
13Social and Human Service Assistants$51,090
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,040 – $74,25058,730
14Counselors, All Other$48,850
Master's degree
$39,140 – $99,76010,770
15Rehabilitation Counselors$44,480
Master's degree
$35,940 – $69,26013,690

Bars run from the 10th to the 90th percentile; the middle half is shaded darker, and the tick is the median.

#	Occupation	MedianCalifornia	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment SpecialistsBachelor's degree	$103,640	$64,820 – $140,950	13,900
2	Healthcare Social WorkersMaster's degree	$89,660	$54,220 – $134,880	17,690
3	Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and AdvisorsMaster's degree	$86,500	$51,890 – $136,660	45,140
4	Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social WorkersMaster's degree	$79,000	$46,450 – $147,300	19,860
5	ClergyBachelor's degree	$77,710	$42,690 – $157,030	7,110
6	Marriage and Family TherapistsMaster's degree	$67,300	$46,350 – $130,340	34,970
7	Child, Family, and School Social WorkersBachelor's degree	$65,200	$45,360 – $103,050	60,310
8	Health Education SpecialistsBachelor's degree	$63,610	$49,020 – $113,170	12,520
9	Social Workers, All OtherBachelor's degree	$63,010	$36,160 – $132,480	6,430
10	Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health CounselorsMaster's degree	$59,250	$44,640 – $111,080	75,610
11	Community and Social Service Specialists, All OtherBachelor's degree	$58,770	$38,840 – $96,030	16,250
12	Community Health WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,050	$46,320 – $88,590	9,500
13	Social and Human Service AssistantsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,090	$39,040 – $74,250	58,730
14	Counselors, All OtherMaster's degree	$48,850	$39,140 – $99,760	10,770
15	Rehabilitation CounselorsMaster's degree	$44,480	$35,940 – $69,260	13,690

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in California. The rarer ones are real jobs — but a 1,190-person occupation at the top of a list answers a different question than the one most readers are asking.

More for California

Metro areas in California

Pay varies more between metros than between states — the spread inside one state is often wider than the gap between two.

By field in California

Without a degree

The same fields, narrowed to what you can enter without one. Fields missing here have too few such occupations in California to rank honestly.

High paying social service jobs in California

More for California

Metro areas in California

By field in California

Without a degree

High paying social service jobs in each state