If you’re wondering what the average travel social worker salary is, then you’ve come to the right place!
Not only do travel social workers get to explore new places, but they also earn significantly more money than staff social workers. In fact, as you’ll discover below, travel social workers make nearly 40% more on average compared to their permanent staff counterparts.
Of course, your earning potential is impacted by several factors, from your licensure level and experience to the location you choose. However, traveling contract work is one of the best ways to make more money in this field.
So, let’s dive into all the key travel social worker salary statistics. As we do, keep in mind that we collected this data on March 11, 2024. While salary data may change periodically, this article will give you a good idea of how much you can expect to earn.
Table of Contents
- Travel Social Worker Salary
- Travel Social Worker Salary by Licensure Level
- Start Your Travel Social Work Journey and Earn A Higher Salary
Explore Travel Social Work Opportunities
Travel Social Worker Salary
Unfortunately, official government data is not available regarding travel social worker salaries. However, we did find unofficial sources providing estimates.
For example, according to Vivian, the average weekly pay for travel social workers is $2,179. They also report that salaries typically fall within the range of $1,200 per week to $3,167 per week.
Meanwhile, Vivian states that the average staff social worker wage is $39.08 an hour. This translates to a weekly salary of $1,563.20 per week, significantly lower than the average weekly pay for travelers.
Additionally, staff social worker compensation typically ranges from $24 to $54 an hour. This is the equivalent of $960 to $2,160 in terms of weekly pay.
Of course, your salary potential will depend on a number of factors, including:
- Licensure Level and Education: Those with more experience will be able to earn more money. Additionally, LCSWs and LICSWs can typically expect to make more than MSWs, LMSWs, and BSWs.
- Experience: The number of years of social work experience can also impact your salary. Those with more experience, especially previous travel social work experience, can expect to earn more.
- Specialization/Practice Area: Social workers specializing in high-demand practice areas, like medical and acute care, will typically make more money. Additionally, specialized skills in areas like therapy, crisis intervention, or case management can also increase earning potential.
- Location: If you work in an area with a higher cost of living, you can usually expect a higher salary.
- Level of Demand: While urban areas with higher costs of living tend to pay more, locations with critical shortages of social workers may be able to rival their compensation. If a facility is in desperate need of qualified professionals, you may be able to command a higher salary
Annual Travel Social Worker Salary by State
In addition to the national average travel social worker salary, we were also able to collect data on the average travel social worker salary by state.
While Vivian data wasn’t available for every state, we’ve listed all the figures we could find in the table below.
Overall, we found that the five highest-paying states for travel social workers are:
- Hawaii: $2,660
- Washington: $2,592
- Nevada: $2,527
- West Virginia: $2,502
- California: $2,439
| State | Average Weekly Social Worker Salary |
| Alabama | N/A |
| Alaska | $2,039 |
| Arizona | N/A |
| Arkansas | $2,173 |
| California | $2,439 |
| Colorado | $2,188 |
| Connecticut | $2,093 |
| D.C. | $1,985 |
| Delaware | N/A |
| Florida | $2,164 |
| Georgia | $1,760 |
| Hawaii | $2,660 |
| Idaho | $2,145 |
| Illinois | $2,232 |
| Indiana | N/A |
| Iowa | N/A |
| Kansas | N/A |
| Kentucky | $2,305 |
| Louisiana | N/A |
| Maine | $2,410 |
| Maryland | $2,105 |
| Massachusetts | $2,344 |
| Michigan | $1,990 |
| Minnesota | $2,017 |
| Mississippi | N/A |
| Missouri | $2,040 |
| Montana | N/A |
| Nebraska | N/A |
| Nevada | $2,527 |
| New Hampshire | N/A |
| New Jersey | $2,131 |
| New Mexico | N/A |
| New York | $2,064 |
| North Carolina | $1,800 |
| North Dakota | N/A |
| Ohio | $1,267 |
| Oklahoma | $1,680 |
| Oregon | $2,181 |
| Pennsylvania | N/A |
| Rhode Island | N/A |
| South Carolina | N/A |
| South Dakota | N/A |
| Tennessee | N/A |
| Texas | $2,240 |
| Utah | N/A |
| Vermont | $2,390 |
| Virginia | $2,142 |
| Washington | $2,592 |
| West Virginia | $2,502 |
| Wisconsin | $2,211 |
| Wyoming | $1,398 |
Travel Social Worker Salary by Licensure Level
As we mentioned above, your salary potential as a travel social worker largely depends on your level of licensure and education.
So, in the following sections, we discuss the average travel social worker salary for various levels of licensure, including LCSW, LICSW, and MSW.
Travel Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) Salary
According to Vivian, the average weekly salary for a travel LCSW is $2,342. They also report that the LCSW salary range typically falls between $1,400 and $3,600 per week.
Meanwhile, they state that the average LCSW hourly pay is $35.03. This translates to $1,401.20 per week. Additionally, the typical salary range for staff LCSWs is $25 to $45 an hour. This is equivalent to $1,000 to $1,800 per week.
Ultimately, it’s clear that travel social work as an LCSW is an excellent way to earn more money compared to permanent staff positions.
LCSW Salary by State
While Vivian lacks state-by-state travel social worker data for most licensure levels, they do provide travel LCSW data for most states.
So, the table below breaks down the average LCSW salary by state, though 15 states are missing data.
| State | Average Weekly LCSW Salary |
| Alabama | $2,055 |
| Alaska | $2,326 |
| Arizona | $2,539 |
| Arkansas | $2,142 |
| California | $2,704 |
| Colorado | $2,250 |
| Connecticut | $2,272 |
| D.C. | $1,878 |
| Delaware | N/A |
| Florida | $2,229 |
| Georgia | $2,122 |
| Hawaii | $2,522 |
| Idaho | $2,199 |
| Illinois | $2,048 |
| Indiana | $1,946 |
| Iowa | $1,955 |
| Kansas | $2,050 |
| Kentucky | $2,574 |
| Louisiana | N/A |
| Maine | $2,496 |
| Maryland | $2,181 |
| Massachusetts | $2,231 |
| Michigan | $2,745 |
| Minnesota | $2,842 |
| Mississippi | N/A |
| Missouri | $2,312 |
| Montana | N/A |
| Nebraska | N/A |
| Nevada | N/A |
| New Hampshire | N/A |
| New Jersey | $2,359 |
| New Mexico | $2,665 |
| New York | $2,187 |
| North Carolina | $1,802 |
| North Dakota | N/A |
| Ohio | N/A |
| Oklahoma | $2,442 |
| Oregon | $2,097 |
| Pennsylvania | N/A |
| Rhode Island | N/A |
| South Carolina | N/A |
| South Dakota | N/A |
| Tennessee | $2,073 |
| Texas | $2,285 |
| Utah | N/A |
| Vermont | $2,643 |
| Virginia | N/A |
| Washington | $2,540 |
| West Virginia | $2,555 |
| Wisconsin | $2,380 |
| Wyoming | $1,587 |
Travel Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) Salary
In addition to LCSW salaries, we also found salary data for Licensed independent Clinical Social Workers (LICSWs).
According to Vivian, the average weekly salary for a travel LICSW is $2,796. However, salaries typically range anywhere from $2,381 to $3,127 per week.
Meanwhile, the average staff LICSW salary is $35.23 an hour, which is equivalent to $1,409.20 per week. Additionally, salaries usually range anywhere from $27 to $42 an hour, which translates to $1,080 to $1,680 per week.
While we were only able to find state-by-state travel LICSW salary data for three states, here are our findings:
- Massachusetts: $2,464
- Washington: $2,879
- West Virginia: $2,542
Travel Master of Social Work (MSW) Salary
Finally, we also found data regarding the average salary for travel Master of Social Workers (MSWs). These social workers have earned their Master of Social Work (MSW) degree, but have not obtained advanced licensure.
According to Vivian, the average weekly salary for a travel MSW is $2,349. However, salaries usually range anywhere from $1,976 to $2,880 per week.
Meanwhile, the average staff MSW salary is $35.53 an hour, which translates to $1,421.20 per week. Additionally, salaries can range anywhere from $30 an hour to $49 an hour, which is the equivalent of $1,200 to $1,960 per week.
While we found more state-by-state data for travel MSW salaries than LICSW salaries, we were only able to collect data for eight states. However, here is what we found:
- California: $2,584
- Illinois: $2,405
- Massachusetts: $2,253
- New Jersey: $2,660
- New York: $2,800
- Oregon: $2,222
- Texas: $2,042
- Virginia: $2,196
Start Your Travel Social Work Journey and Earn A Higher Salary
Explore Travel Social Work Opportunities
Overall, travel social work is an excellent opportunity for professional growth and personal exploration while earning a significantly higher salary.
While you’ll need to obtain advanced licensure, like LCSW or LICSW, to make the really big bucks, even travel MSWs earn a great income.
Ultimately, traveling contracts are one of the best ways to boost your salary as a social worker.
So, if you’re ready to begin your travel social work journey and start earning that higher salary, fill out this form and we’ll get you on the right path!
