High paying social service jobs in Pennsylvania

Every social service occupation below is ranked by its median annual wage in Pennsylvania. 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 Pennsylvania run 2.4% below the national average (2024), so a Pennsylvania salary is worth about 1.02× 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 Pennsylvania.

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

Find social service jobs in Pennsylvania

OccupationMedian, Pennsylvania · Employed

1Health Education Specialists$80,670
Bachelor's degree
$45,720 – $120,6402,690
2Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists$67,370
Bachelor's degree
$48,340 – $89,7504,310
3Marriage and Family Therapists$66,040
Master's degree
$47,050 – $91,9802,350
4Healthcare Social Workers$61,900
Master's degree
$46,770 – $83,2209,630
5Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors$60,880
Master's degree
$46,200 – $97,81013,570
6Clergy$58,300
Bachelor's degree
$31,580 – $81,3602,150
7Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other$54,770
Bachelor's degree
$43,280 – $99,3002,040
8Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors$52,010
Master's degree
$36,280 – $81,97030,620
9Child, Family, and School Social Workers$50,820
Bachelor's degree
$38,430 – $78,47016,200
10Community Health Workers$50,710
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,960 – $80,8301,970
11Rehabilitation Counselors$48,650
Master's degree
$36,230 – $77,2204,130
12Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers$48,290
Master's degree
$37,790 – $73,9403,500
13Social and Human Service Assistants$44,050
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,520 – $58,70024,340

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

#	Occupation	MedianPennsylvania	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Health Education SpecialistsBachelor's degree	$80,670	$45,720 – $120,640	2,690
2	Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment SpecialistsBachelor's degree	$67,370	$48,340 – $89,750	4,310
3	Marriage and Family TherapistsMaster's degree	$66,040	$47,050 – $91,980	2,350
4	Healthcare Social WorkersMaster's degree	$61,900	$46,770 – $83,220	9,630
5	Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and AdvisorsMaster's degree	$60,880	$46,200 – $97,810	13,570
6	ClergyBachelor's degree	$58,300	$31,580 – $81,360	2,150
7	Community and Social Service Specialists, All OtherBachelor's degree	$54,770	$43,280 – $99,300	2,040
8	Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health CounselorsMaster's degree	$52,010	$36,280 – $81,970	30,620
9	Child, Family, and School Social WorkersBachelor's degree	$50,820	$38,430 – $78,470	16,200
10	Community Health WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,710	$38,960 – $80,830	1,970
11	Rehabilitation CounselorsMaster's degree	$48,650	$36,230 – $77,220	4,130
12	Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social WorkersMaster's degree	$48,290	$37,790 – $73,940	3,500
13	Social and Human Service AssistantsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,050	$34,520 – $58,700	24,340

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

Metro areas in Pennsylvania

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

By field in Pennsylvania

Without a degree

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

High paying social service jobs in Pennsylvania

More for Pennsylvania

Metro areas in Pennsylvania

By field in Pennsylvania

Without a degree

High paying social service jobs in each state