Child, Family, and School Social Workers Salary
Child, Family, and School Social Workers in Kalamazoo-Portage, MI make a median of $48,040 a year, or about $23.1 an hour. The range runs from $38K at the entry level to $77K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 94.84), which stretches that salary to about $50,654 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,162/month, about 35.5% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $48K get you in Kalamazoo-Portage?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Kalamazoo-Portage’s Regional Price Parity (94.84). 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
Sponsored links, AffordMap may earn a commission at no cost to you. Learn more
What this looks like in Kalamazoo-Portage
Pay for child, family, and school social workers in Kalamazoo-Portage runs about 19% below the U.S. median of $60K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,162/month, which is 36.1% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 94.84 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 5% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. 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 Kalamazoo-Portage, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn | $59K | $59K |
| Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood | $57K | $59K |
| Flint | $60K | $65K |
| Lansing-East Lansing | $61K | $64K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Kalamazoo-Portage, MI
Entry-level child, family, and school social workers (10th percentile) start around $38K. Mid-career wages sit at $48K. Top earners bring in $77K or more, a $39K 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
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Kalamazoo-Portage numbers change.
Related careers in Community & Social
Frequently asked questions
Can a child, family, and school social worker afford a 2BR apartment alone in Kalamazoo-Portage?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $48K, rent takes 36.1% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,162/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 Kalamazoo-Portage?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new child, family, and school social workers typically earn — is $38K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,284/month. At HUD’s $1,162/month FMR, rent would take 51% 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 Kalamazoo-Portage?
Local pay runs 19% below the national median — $48K here vs. $60K nationally. Cost of living is 5% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Kalamazoo-Portage compare to the national average for child, family, and school social workers?
Kalamazoo-Portage pays $48K median vs. the U.S. average of $60K — that’s -19%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 94.84), the purchasing-power equivalent is $51K — below the national median.
How much do child, family, and school social workers make in Kalamazoo-Portage, MI?
The median is $48,040 a year, that works out to about $23 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $38,070, and experienced child, family, and school social workers can clear $77,460. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $48K enough to live in Kalamazoo-Portage?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,216/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,162/month, which eats 36.1% 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 Kalamazoo-Portage?
Kalamazoo-Portage has a Regional Price Parity of 94.84 (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 $50,654 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.