Child, Family, and School Social Workers Salary
Child, Family, and School Social Workers in New York make a median of $65,100 a year, or about $31.3 an hour. The range runs from $48K at the entry level to $100K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.21), that's roughly $66,287 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,917/month, about 45.1% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across New York. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $65K get you in New York?
About child, family, and school social workers
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What this looks like in New York
Child, family, and school social workers pay in New York tracks closely to the national median, $65K locally vs. $60K nationwide, a 9% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,917/month, which is 44.9% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 98.21) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, New York
Entry-level child, family, and school social workers (10th percentile) start around $48K. Mid-career wages sit at $65K. Top earners bring in $100K or more, a $52K spread from bottom to top.
Child, Family, and School Social Workers salary by metro in New York
13 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh | $77K | +19% | 870 |
| Kingston | $68K | +4% | 250 |
| Buffalo-Cheektowaga | $67K | +2% | 1,570 |
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy | $67K | +2% | 1,980 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City | $67K | +2% | 24,350 |
| Syracuse | $63K | -3% | 1,080 |
| Binghamton | $62K | -5% | 380 |
| Rochester | $62K | -5% | 1,560 |
| Ithaca | $60K | -8% | 120 |
| Utica-Rome | $59K | -9% | 550 |
| Glens Falls | $58K | -10% | 170 |
| Elmira | $58K | -10% | 170 |
| Watertown-Fort Drum | $56K | -14% | 170 |
Showing 1–10 of 13 metros
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BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when New York numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a child, family, and school social worker afford a 2BR apartment alone in New York?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $65K, rent takes 44.9% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,917/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,300/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 New York?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new child, family, and school social workers typically earn — is $48K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,904/month. At HUD’s $1,917/month FMR, rent would take 66% 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 New York?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $65K locally vs. $60K nationally, a 9% difference.
How does New York compare to the national average for child, family, and school social workers?
New York pays $65K median vs. the U.S. average of $60K — that’s +9%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.21), the purchasing-power equivalent is $66K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do child, family, and school social workers make in New York?
The median is $65,100 a year, that works out to about $31 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $48,400, and experienced child, family, and school social workers can clear $100,100. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $65K enough to live in New York?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,267/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,917/month, which eats 44.9% 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 New York?
New York has a Regional Price Parity of 98.21 (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 $66,287 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.