High paying social service jobs in Maryland

Every social service occupation below is ranked by its median annual wage in Maryland. 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 Maryland run 5.0% above the national average (2024), so a Maryland salary is worth about 0.95× 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 Maryland.

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

Find social service jobs in Maryland

OccupationMedian, Maryland · Employed

1Health Education Specialists$104,470
Bachelor's degree
$56,160 – $161,4702,220
2Healthcare Social Workers$76,440
Master's degree
$40,210 – $96,3404,750
3Child, Family, and School Social Workers$76,390
Bachelor's degree
$41,240 – $105,5704,710
4Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists$76,390
Bachelor's degree
$60,010 – $96,3701,370
5Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors$75,820
Master's degree
$48,460 – $116,6506,600
6Social Workers, All Other$75,600
Bachelor's degree
$48,690 – $128,4401,270
7Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers$73,580
Master's degree
$38,100 – $104,0002,250
8Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors$59,530
Master's degree
$44,050 – $91,9809,730
9Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other$51,000
Bachelor's degree
$36,870 – $80,8402,640
10Community Health Workers$50,550
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,190 – $79,2903,030
11Social and Human Service Assistants$47,210
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,990 – $68,8907,280
12Counselors, All Other$46,840
Master's degree
$33,000 – $93,8301,750
13Rehabilitation Counselors$40,860
Master's degree
$36,590 – $67,6303,300

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

#	Occupation	MedianMaryland	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Health Education SpecialistsBachelor's degree	$104,470	$56,160 – $161,470	2,220
2	Healthcare Social WorkersMaster's degree	$76,440	$40,210 – $96,340	4,750
3	Child, Family, and School Social WorkersBachelor's degree	$76,390	$41,240 – $105,570	4,710
4	Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment SpecialistsBachelor's degree	$76,390	$60,010 – $96,370	1,370
5	Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and AdvisorsMaster's degree	$75,820	$48,460 – $116,650	6,600
6	Social Workers, All OtherBachelor's degree	$75,600	$48,690 – $128,440	1,270
7	Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social WorkersMaster's degree	$73,580	$38,100 – $104,000	2,250
8	Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health CounselorsMaster's degree	$59,530	$44,050 – $91,980	9,730
9	Community and Social Service Specialists, All OtherBachelor's degree	$51,000	$36,870 – $80,840	2,640
10	Community Health WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,550	$36,190 – $79,290	3,030
11	Social and Human Service AssistantsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,210	$36,990 – $68,890	7,280
12	Counselors, All OtherMaster's degree	$46,840	$33,000 – $93,830	1,750
13	Rehabilitation CounselorsMaster's degree	$40,860	$36,590 – $67,630	3,300

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

Metro areas in Maryland

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

By field in Maryland

Without a degree

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

High paying social service jobs in Maryland

More for Maryland

Metro areas in Maryland

By field in Maryland

Without a degree

High paying social service jobs in each state