High paying social service jobs in Massachusetts

Every social service occupation below is ranked by its median annual wage in Massachusetts. 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 Massachusetts run 5.8% above the national average (2024), so a Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts.

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

Find social service jobs in Massachusetts

OccupationMedian, Massachusetts · Employed

1Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists$94,590
Bachelor's degree
$61,160 – $114,6601,200
2Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors$79,930
Master's degree
$59,460 – $117,63011,460
3Healthcare Social Workers$76,440
Master's degree
$51,270 – $102,0707,220
4Child, Family, and School Social Workers$75,570
Bachelor's degree
$48,140 – $104,06010,900
5Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers$62,500
Master's degree
$48,260 – $100,6707,440
6Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors$59,890
Master's degree
$43,180 – $96,20018,190
7Health Education Specialists$57,510
Bachelor's degree
$37,460 – $142,8602,420
8Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other$57,360
Bachelor's degree
$39,000 – $86,2601,480
9Community Health Workers$55,560
High school diploma or equivalent
$42,910 – $74,8402,970
10Rehabilitation Counselors$47,320
Master's degree
$38,770 – $101,7605,760
11Social and Human Service Assistants$47,130
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,440 – $63,6709,180

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

#	Occupation	MedianMassachusetts	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment SpecialistsBachelor's degree	$94,590	$61,160 – $114,660	1,200
2	Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and AdvisorsMaster's degree	$79,930	$59,460 – $117,630	11,460
3	Healthcare Social WorkersMaster's degree	$76,440	$51,270 – $102,070	7,220
4	Child, Family, and School Social WorkersBachelor's degree	$75,570	$48,140 – $104,060	10,900
5	Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social WorkersMaster's degree	$62,500	$48,260 – $100,670	7,440
6	Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health CounselorsMaster's degree	$59,890	$43,180 – $96,200	18,190
7	Health Education SpecialistsBachelor's degree	$57,510	$37,460 – $142,860	2,420
8	Community and Social Service Specialists, All OtherBachelor's degree	$57,360	$39,000 – $86,260	1,480
9	Community Health WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$55,560	$42,910 – $74,840	2,970
10	Rehabilitation CounselorsMaster's degree	$47,320	$38,770 – $101,760	5,760
11	Social and Human Service AssistantsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,130	$39,440 – $63,670	9,180

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

Metro areas in Massachusetts

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

By field in Massachusetts

Without a degree

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

High paying social service jobs in Massachusetts

More for Massachusetts

Metro areas in Massachusetts

By field in Massachusetts

Without a degree

High paying social service jobs in each state