If you compare the work done by social workers in making the world a better place to almost any other profession, you would realize the true importance of the profession, as has been done by the 11 cities with the highest demand for social workers. A social worker is responsible for improving the personal well-being of other people, groups and even communities.
A social worker aims to help his client develop skills as well as a mindset which will enable the person to resolve their problems using the tools and resources at their disposal. While this may describe social work at a very basic level, social workers tend to be involved in various deep-seated social issues such as domestic violence and poverty.
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The National Association of Social Workers is America’s largest body of social workers, comprising of nearly 132,000 members. The Association provides up to date guidance for all of its members, as well as further resources which allow the members to carry on with their professions with relative ease.
With over 132,000 members in the United States alone, it is easy to understand why this is a highly competitive profession, and hence, despite the magnitude of the work being carried out by social workers, the pay is significantly lower, though it is more or less equal when compared with professions of a similar nature, such as special education teachers, as seen in 11 cities with the highest demand for special education teachers.
In order to determine the 11 cities with the highest demand for social workers, we considered the cities which pay the highest salaries to the social workers located in the city. This is due to the simple fact that higher salaries can only result if there is a high demand for the job. Furthermore, we also considered the cities which have the highest number of social workers, since a high demand results in more jobs being required for the profession. We used the average of both our criteria in order to determine our ranking.
11. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division
Annual salary in the city: $64,380
Ranking according to annual salary in the city: 55
Total number of jobs in the city: 3,570
Ranking according to total number of jobs in the city: 2
Overall score: 21.5
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10. Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX
Annual salary in the city: $68,810
Ranking according to annual salary in the city: 25
Total number of jobs in the city: 410
Ranking according to total number of jobs in the city: 30
Overall score: 22.5
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9. Nassau-Suffolk, NY Metropolitan Division
Annual salary in the city: $67,490
Ranking according to annual salary in the city: 35
Total number of jobs in the city: 1,090
Ranking according to total number of jobs in the city: 7
Overall score: 29
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8. San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA
Annual salary in the city: $72,570
Ranking according to annual salary in the city: 11
Total number of jobs in the city: 420
Ranking according to total number of jobs in the city: 29
Overall score: 30
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6. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division
Annual salary in the city: $72,330
Ranking according to annual salary in the city: 12
Total number of jobs in the city: 500
Ranking according to total number of jobs in the city: 24
Overall score: 32
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6. Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville, CA
Annual salary in the city: $62,920
Ranking according to annual salary in the city: 23
Total number of jobs in the city: 760
Ranking according to total number of jobs in the city: 13
Overall score: 32
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5. San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, CA Metropolitan Division
Annual salary in the city: $71,540
Ranking according to annual salary in the city: 17
Total number of jobs in the city: 690
Ranking according to total number of jobs in the city: 16
Overall score: 33.5
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4. Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL Metropolitan Division
Annual salary in the city: $68,560
Ranking according to annual salary in the city: 27
Total number of jobs in the city: 2,310
Ranking according to total number of jobs in the city: 3
Overall score: 35
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3. Springfield, IL
Annual salary in the city: $74,090
Ranking according to annual salary in the city: 8
Total number of jobs in the city: 670
Ranking according to total number of jobs in the city: 17
Overall score: 37.5
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2. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
Annual salary in the city: $85,360
Ranking according to annual salary in the city: 1
Total number of jobs in the city: 740
Ranking according to total number of jobs in the city: 15
Overall score: 42
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1. Oakland-Fremont-Hayward, CA Metropolitan Division
Annual salary in the city: $82,150
Annual salary in the city: $82,150
Ranking according to annual salary in the city: 2
Total number of jobs in the city: 1,140
Ranking according to total number of jobs in the city: 6
Overall score: 46
With many job opportunities and an excellent salary package, Oakland-Fremont-Hayward, CA Metropolitan Division tops the list of 11 cities with the highest demand for social workers.
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