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Where is it easiest to open: Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities
43 states, side by side. Operator counts and wages from Census and BLS; licence records matched on “SOC 21-1023” (soc) for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers. A blank gate means NO RECORD MATCHED, which is not the same as no licence.
| State | Operators | Avg staff | Pay / employee | Gate | Licence titles matched |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CA | 249 | 23.5 | $102,570 | not matched | — |
| TX | 138 | 22.3 | $52,398 | licence | Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker; Licensed Master Social Worker |
| DC | 132 | 42.5 | $103,220 | exam | Licensed Graduate Social Worker; Licensed Independent Social Worker |
| NY | 129 | 15.6 | $97,587 | exam | Licensed Master Social Worker |
| FL | 106 | 7.2 | $71,111 | exam | Certified Master Social Worker |
| MA | 88 | 26.5 | $103,865 | exam | SOCIAL WORKER ASSISTANT; SOCIAL WORKER, LICENSED |
| VA | 62 | 55.1 | $120,444 | exam | Associate Social Worker/Social Worker ; Baccalaureate Social Worker License |
| MD | 58 | 89.7 | $92,125 | exam | Licensed Bachelor Social Worker; Licensed Certified Social Worker |
| PA | 53 | 18.2 | $101,296 | exam | Licensed Social Worker; Provisional Social Worker |
| IL | 49 | 54.5 | $81,845 | exam | LICENSED SOCIAL WORKER |
| CO | 48 | 6.0 | $81,601 | exam | Licensed Social Worker; Provisional Social Worker |
| NC | 47 | 103.7 | $105,970 | exam | Certified Master Social Worker; Certified Social Worker |
| GA | 40 | 10.4 | $82,333 | exam | Master Social Worker |
| OR | 36 | 13.5 | $48,615 | licence | Baccalaureate Social Worker - Registra; Licensed Master's Social Worker (LMSW) |
| WA | 35 | 12.8 | $105,588 | not matched | — |
| OH | 32 | 6.6 | $67,362 | exam | Independent Social Worker; Social Worker |
| NJ | 31 | 35.0 | $103,222 | exam | Certified Social Worker; Licensed Social Worker |
| AZ | 28 | 12.7 | $76,656 | exam | Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker; Licensed Master Social Worker |
| MI | 25 | 26.1 | $116,857 | exam | Licensed Bachelor Social Worker; Licensed Master Social Worker - Macro |
| CT | 20 | 13.3 | $70,172 | exam | Master's Level Social Worker; Master's Level Social Worker - Tempora |
| MN | 18 | 7.2 | $73,746 | exam | Licensed Graduate Social Worker; Licensed Independent Social Worker |
| HI | 14 | 16.8 | $58,979 | exam | Licensed Bachelor Social Worker; Licensed Social Worker |
| NM | 14 | 10.9 | $51,039 | licence | Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker; Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker ( |
| OK | 14 | 9.6 | $36,163 | exam | Master’s Social Worker, Licensed; Social Worker Associate, Licensed |
| TN | 14 | 6.5 | $71,132 | exam | LICENSED ADVANCED PRACTICE SOCIAL WORK; LICENSED BACCALAUREATE SOCIAL WORKER |
| UT | 13 | 4.0 | $66,058 | exam | Certified Social Worker; SOCIAL SERVICE WORKER |
| MT | 12 | 10.2 | $78,146 | exam | Board of Behavioral Health - Baccalaur; Board of Behavioral Health - Baccal So |
| WI | 11 | 6.5 | $61,472 | exam | SOCIAL WORKER; SOCIAL WORKER, ADVANCED PRACTICE |
| NV | 11 | 5.4 | $48,220 | not matched | — |
| ME | 10 | 2.4 | $74,125 | exam | Social Worker, Licensed; Social Worker, Licensed Clinical |
| ID | 7 | 2.4 | $56,353 | exam | Masters Social Worker; Social Workers |
| DE | 7 | 3.6 | $98,920 | exam | Licensed Bachelors Social Worker; Licensed Masters Social Worker |
| SC | 7 | 6.4 | $64,400 | licence | Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker; Licensed Independent Social Worker - A |
| AL | 7 | 14.3 | $62,900 | licence | Certified Advanced Alcohol & Drug Coun; Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) |
| KY | 6 | 5.7 | $113,500 | exam | Certified Alcohol and Drug Conselor As; Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor A |
| AK | 6 | 4.8 | $73,276 | exam | Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker; Licensed Master Social Worker |
| KS | 5 | 20.2 | $113,327 | exam | Licensed Bachelor Social Worker; Licensed Master Social Worker |
| MO | 5 | 4.4 | $71,227 | exam | Licensed Advanced Macro Social Worker; Licensed Bachelors Social Worker |
| IN | 5 | 10.2 | $27,255 | exam | Licensed Bachelor Social Worker; Licensed Social Worker |
| LA | 4 | 5.0 | $57,250 | not matched | — |
| NE | 4 | 3.2 | $142,154 | not matched | — |
| RI | 3 | 24.3 | $80,151 | exam | Licensed Clinical Social Worker |
| NH | 3 | 2.0 | $74,833 | not matched | — |
Axes are shown side by side and deliberately NOT collapsed into a ranking. A composite would be a score with no measured interval, and an unmeasured score is the thing this product exists to argue against. A high licence gate is a cost to enter and a moat once cleared — which of those matters more is the operator's call, not ours.
Licence data courtesy of CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor. Free to read, no account, always — a condition of the data licence as well as our own position.