High paying social service jobs in Illinois

Every social service occupation below is ranked by its median annual wage in Illinois. 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 Illinois run 0.0% below the national average (2024), so a Illinois salary is worth about 1.00× 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 Illinois.

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

Find social service jobs in Illinois

OccupationMedian, Illinois · Employed

1Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists$74,390
Bachelor's degree
$49,330 – $107,7102,590
2Healthcare Social Workers$64,270
Master's degree
$47,290 – $96,9704,910
3Child, Family, and School Social Workers$63,220
Bachelor's degree
$47,120 – $105,66019,860
4Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors$62,420
Master's degree
$44,890 – $110,58013,580
5Clergy$61,820
Bachelor's degree
$36,760 – $86,3902,200
6Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors$60,730
Master's degree
$43,010 – $109,10020,250
7Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers$49,960
Master's degree
$39,910 – $79,0503,460
8Rehabilitation Counselors$49,350
Master's degree
$37,280 – $75,0204,140
9Community Health Workers$49,240
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,040 – $65,5402,040
10Social and Human Service Assistants$46,950
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,030 – $72,78022,220
11Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other$40,900
Bachelor's degree
$33,050 – $61,3602,750

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

#	Occupation	MedianIllinois	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment SpecialistsBachelor's degree	$74,390	$49,330 – $107,710	2,590
2	Healthcare Social WorkersMaster's degree	$64,270	$47,290 – $96,970	4,910
3	Child, Family, and School Social WorkersBachelor's degree	$63,220	$47,120 – $105,660	19,860
4	Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and AdvisorsMaster's degree	$62,420	$44,890 – $110,580	13,580
5	ClergyBachelor's degree	$61,820	$36,760 – $86,390	2,200
6	Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health CounselorsMaster's degree	$60,730	$43,010 – $109,100	20,250
7	Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social WorkersMaster's degree	$49,960	$39,910 – $79,050	3,460
8	Rehabilitation CounselorsMaster's degree	$49,350	$37,280 – $75,020	4,140
9	Community Health WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,240	$39,040 – $65,540	2,040
10	Social and Human Service AssistantsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,950	$35,030 – $72,780	22,220
11	Community and Social Service Specialists, All OtherBachelor's degree	$40,900	$33,050 – $61,360	2,750

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Illinois. 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 Illinois

Metro areas in Illinois

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

By field in Illinois

Without a degree

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

High paying social service jobs in Illinois

More for Illinois

Metro areas in Illinois

By field in Illinois

Without a degree

High paying social service jobs in each state