High paying social service jobs in Virginia

Every social service occupation below is ranked by its median annual wage in Virginia. 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 Virginia run 1.1% above the national average (2024), so a Virginia salary is worth about 0.99× 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 Virginia.

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

Find social service jobs in Virginia

OccupationMedian, Virginia · Employed

1Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other$69,810
Bachelor's degree
$42,850 – $91,7702,190
2Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors$67,660
Master's degree
$45,700 – $103,3809,450
3Healthcare Social Workers$66,550
Master's degree
$47,530 – $91,0603,070
4Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers$64,240
Master's degree
$48,530 – $102,4803,670
5Child, Family, and School Social Workers$61,330
Bachelor's degree
$45,060 – $95,3609,410
6Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors$59,880
Master's degree
$39,730 – $100,04017,940
7Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists$58,820
Bachelor's degree
$46,320 – $77,0102,730
8Rehabilitation Counselors$47,530
Master's degree
$28,850 – $97,2402,890
9Social and Human Service Assistants$43,450
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,840 – $60,50010,670

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

#	Occupation	MedianVirginia	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Community and Social Service Specialists, All OtherBachelor's degree	$69,810	$42,850 – $91,770	2,190
2	Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and AdvisorsMaster's degree	$67,660	$45,700 – $103,380	9,450
3	Healthcare Social WorkersMaster's degree	$66,550	$47,530 – $91,060	3,070
4	Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social WorkersMaster's degree	$64,240	$48,530 – $102,480	3,670
5	Child, Family, and School Social WorkersBachelor's degree	$61,330	$45,060 – $95,360	9,410
6	Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health CounselorsMaster's degree	$59,880	$39,730 – $100,040	17,940
7	Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment SpecialistsBachelor's degree	$58,820	$46,320 – $77,010	2,730
8	Rehabilitation CounselorsMaster's degree	$47,530	$28,850 – $97,240	2,890
9	Social and Human Service AssistantsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,450	$32,840 – $60,500	10,670

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

Metro areas in Virginia

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

By field in Virginia

Without a degree

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

High paying social service jobs in Virginia

More for Virginia

Metro areas in Virginia

By field in Virginia

Without a degree

High paying social service jobs in each state