Child, Family, and School Social Workers Salary
Child, Family, and School Social Workers in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN make a median of $50,470 a year, or about $24.27 an hour. The range runs from $40K at the entry level to $75K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 95.7), that's roughly $52,738 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,473/month, about 43.6% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $50K get you in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood’s Regional Price Parity (95.7). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About child, family, and school social workers
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What this looks like in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood
Pay for child, family, and school social workers in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood runs about 15% below the U.S. median of $60K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,473/month, which is 43.1% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 95.7) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for child, family, and school social workerss.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for child, family, and school social workers in metros near Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Wayne | $50K | $55K |
| South Bend-Mishawaka | $50K | $54K |
| Evansville | $49K | $53K |
| Terre Haute | $49K | $56K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN
Entry-level child, family, and school social workers (10th percentile) start around $40K. Mid-career wages sit at $50K. Top earners bring in $75K or more, a $35K spread from bottom to top.
Child, Family, and School Social Workers pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Child, Family, and School Social Workers salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connecticut | $79K | +33% | 5,230 |
| Maryland | $76K | +28% | 4,710 |
| New Jersey | $76K | +28% | 7,360 |
| Massachusetts | $76K | +27% | 10,900 |
| Washington | $74K | +25% | 10,720 |
| District of Columbia | $74K | +24% | 2,430 |
| New Hampshire | $71K | +19% | 1,700 |
| Rhode Island | $70K | +17% | 2,450 |
| Hawaii | $68K | +15% | 1,170 |
| Minnesota | $67K | +13% | 6,540 |
| Vermont | $67K | +13% | 640 |
| California | $65K | +9% | 60,310 |
| New York | $65K | +9% | 30,170 |
| North Dakota | $65K | +8% | 870 |
| Oregon | $64K | +8% | 6,630 |
| Colorado | $64K | +7% | 8,200 |
| Maine | $63K | +6% | 2,000 |
| Illinois | $63K | +6% | 19,860 |
| Alaska | $63K | +5% | 1,260 |
| Virginia | $61K | +3% | 9,410 |
| Nevada | $61K | +3% | 4,030 |
| Idaho | $60K | +0% | 810 |
| North Carolina | $60K | +0% | 13,010 |
| Wisconsin | $59K | -0% | 5,710 |
| Michigan | $59K | -0% | 15,760 |
| Kentucky | $59K | -1% | 8,470 |
| Louisiana | $57K | -5% | 1,110 |
| Montana | $57K | -5% | 1,250 |
| Florida | $57K | -5% | 14,000 |
| Wyoming | $56K | -5% | 710 |
| Tennessee | $56K | -5% | 7,870 |
| New Mexico | $56K | -6% | 2,990 |
| Texas | $56K | -6% | 21,670 |
| Kansas | $54K | -9% | 3,190 |
| Iowa | $52K | -12% | 3,410 |
| West Virginia | $52K | -12% | 2,380 |
| Utah | $52K | -13% | 1,930 |
| South Carolina | $52K | -13% | 5,520 |
| Ohio | $52K | -13% | 16,050 |
| South Dakota | $51K | -14% | 2,050 |
| Pennsylvania | $51K | -15% | 16,200 |
| Indiana | $50K | -15% | 6,690 |
| Arizona | $50K | -16% | 7,560 |
| Missouri | $49K | -19% | 9,620 |
| Delaware | $49K | -19% | 910 |
| Nebraska | $48K | -20% | 4,830 |
| Georgia | $48K | -20% | 7,110 |
| Alabama | $47K | -22% | 4,220 |
| Mississippi | $47K | -22% | 3,310 |
| Oklahoma | $44K | -26% | 6,500 |
| Arkansas | $43K | -27% | 1,150 |
Showing 1–10 of 51 (all 50 states + DC)
Track child, family, and school social workers salary changes
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Frequently asked questions
Can a child, family, and school social worker afford a 2BR apartment alone in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $50K, rent takes 43.1% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,473/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,000/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for child, family, and school social workers in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new child, family, and school social workers typically earn — is $40K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,417/month. At HUD’s $1,473/month FMR, rent would take 61% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is child, family, and school social worker a high-paying job in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood?
Local pay runs 15% below the national median — $50K here vs. $60K nationally.
How does Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood compare to the national average for child, family, and school social workers?
Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood pays $50K median vs. the U.S. average of $60K — that’s -15%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 95.7), the purchasing-power equivalent is $53K — below the national median.
How much do child, family, and school social workers make in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN?
The median is $50,470 a year, that works out to about $24 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $40,290, and experienced child, family, and school social workers can clear $75,020. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $50K enough to live in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,421/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,473/month, which eats 43.1% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a child, family, and school social workers salary go in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood?
Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood has a Regional Price Parity of 95.7 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median child, family, and school social workers salary is worth about $52,738 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do child, family, and school social workers get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.