High paying social service jobs in Tennessee

Every social service occupation below is ranked by its median annual wage in Tennessee. 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 Tennessee run 8.1% below the national average (2024), so a Tennessee salary is worth about 1.09× 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 Tennessee.

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

Find social service jobs in Tennessee

OccupationMedian, Tennessee · Employed

1Healthcare Social Workers$61,240
Master's degree
$41,120 – $83,2805,970
2Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors$59,960
Master's degree
$42,410 – $84,5506,470
3Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists$58,010
Bachelor's degree
$45,610 – $69,4702,120
4Child, Family, and School Social Workers$56,310
Bachelor's degree
$39,650 – $77,2307,870
5Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other$53,850
Bachelor's degree
$42,080 – $68,0101,940
6Social Workers, All Other$51,460
Bachelor's degree
$31,920 – $111,5701,910
7Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors$49,580
Master's degree
$34,950 – $76,6209,040
8Marriage and Family Therapists$46,700
Master's degree
$34,690 – $63,5401,440
9Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers$46,500
Master's degree
$38,320 – $68,4302,220
10Rehabilitation Counselors$46,060
Master's degree
$35,320 – $59,8001,590
11Social and Human Service Assistants$40,310
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,280 – $52,1904,380

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

#	Occupation	MedianTennessee	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Healthcare Social WorkersMaster's degree	$61,240	$41,120 – $83,280	5,970
2	Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and AdvisorsMaster's degree	$59,960	$42,410 – $84,550	6,470
3	Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment SpecialistsBachelor's degree	$58,010	$45,610 – $69,470	2,120
4	Child, Family, and School Social WorkersBachelor's degree	$56,310	$39,650 – $77,230	7,870
5	Community and Social Service Specialists, All OtherBachelor's degree	$53,850	$42,080 – $68,010	1,940
6	Social Workers, All OtherBachelor's degree	$51,460	$31,920 – $111,570	1,910
7	Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health CounselorsMaster's degree	$49,580	$34,950 – $76,620	9,040
8	Marriage and Family TherapistsMaster's degree	$46,700	$34,690 – $63,540	1,440
9	Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social WorkersMaster's degree	$46,500	$38,320 – $68,430	2,220
10	Rehabilitation CounselorsMaster's degree	$46,060	$35,320 – $59,800	1,590
11	Social and Human Service AssistantsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,310	$30,280 – $52,190	4,380

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

Metro areas in Tennessee

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

By field in Tennessee

Without a degree

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

High paying social service jobs in Tennessee

More for Tennessee

Metro areas in Tennessee

By field in Tennessee

Without a degree

High paying social service jobs in each state