Community and Social Service Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages High openings flow SOC 21-1093

Social and Human Service Assistants

About 50,600 projected annual openings shape how to read Social and Human Service Assistants against Health Education Specialists, Religious Workers, All Other, Rehabilitation Counselors, Counselors, All Other.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Social and Human Service Assistants: Health Education Specialists ($64K) , Religious Workers, All Other ($45K) , Rehabilitation Counselors ($47K) , Counselors, All Other ($51K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Social and Human Service Assistants publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 21-1093 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Assess clients' cognitive abilities and physical and emotional needs to determine appropriate interventions
  2. 2. Develop and implement behavioral management and care plans for clients
  3. 3. Oversee day-to-day group activities of residents in institution
  4. 4. Keep records or prepare reports for owner or management concerning visits with clients
  5. 5. Visit individuals in homes or attend group meetings to provide information on agency services, requirements, or procedures
  6. 6. Submit reports and review reports or problems with superior
  7. 7. Assist in locating housing for displaced individuals
  8. 8. Interview individuals or family members to compile information on social, educational, criminal, institutional, or drug history
  9. 9. Provide information or refer individuals to public or private agencies or community services for assistance
  10. 10. Consult with supervisor concerning programs for individual families
  11. 11. Advise clients regarding food stamps, child care, food, money management, sanitation, or housekeeping
  12. 12. Demonstrate use and care of equipment for tenant use

Social and Human Service Assistants: O*NET ranks Active Listening first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 21-1093 - lead skill Active Listening at 4.0 ; lead knowledge Customer and Personal Service. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Active Listening 4.0
  2. 2. Speaking 4.0
  3. 3. Social Perceptiveness 4.0
  4. 4. Service Orientation 3.9
  5. 5. Reading Comprehension 3.8
  6. 6. Coordination 3.8
  7. 7. Writing 3.6
  8. 8. Critical Thinking 3.6

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Customer and Personal Service 4.5
  2. 2. Psychology 4.3
  3. 3. Therapy and Counseling 3.9
  4. 4. English Language 3.7
  5. 5. Administrative 3.3
  6. 6. Sociology and Anthropology 3.3
Projected annual openings
50,600
growth + transfers + exits
National median $45,930/yr
$46K
National median
↑ +6%
Growth 2024-2034
437,860
Estimated US jobs
Health Education Specialists
Highest-pay peer · $64K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Top Paying States for Social and Human Service Assistants

1. Oregon $51,230
2. California $51,090
3. District of Columbia $59,460
4. Idaho $47,540
5. Washington $54,770
6. New Jersey $48,420
7. Rhode Island $47,720
8. Maine $47,710
9. Minnesota $49,940
10. Colorado $47,690

Other Community and Social Service Occupations titles

  1. 1. Religious Workers, All Other $45,280
  2. 2. Rehabilitation Counselors $46,850
  3. 3. Counselors, All Other $50,860
  4. 4. Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers $60,280
  5. 5. Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other $56,730
  6. 6. Health Education Specialists $64,070

Roughly 50,600 projected annual openings (growth, transfers, exits) are the scale signal for Social and Human Service Assistants. Median pay is $45,930 in Community and Social Service Occupations.

Employment Projections expect +6% change between 2024 and 2034 (faster than average vs baseline 3.1%). BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Oregon at $51,230. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Health Education Specialists at $64,070. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Social and Human Service Assistants pay-rank #16 in Community and Social Service Occupations

On the Community and Social Service Occupations median table (17 detailed occupations with OEWS medians), Social and Human Service Assistants lands at #16, in the lower third. That rank is a table position, not a statement about individual workers.

Other lower-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

A high-volume role means the state map matters more than the national median. Compare Social and Human Service Assistants against a named state, a tighter-labor peer, or another SOC.

Social and Human Service Assistants salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 21-1093

Oregon · top state for Social and Human Service Assistants

$51K published median

California · #2 state pay

$51K · behind Oregon

Health Education Specialists

Highest-pay peer vs Social and Human Service Assistants · $64K

Religious Workers, All Other

Lower-pay peer beside Social and Human Service Assistants · $45K

Compare Social and Human Service Assistants

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
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Openings and labor-flow next reads

Most Openings Rankings

Labor-flow scale across occupations

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Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Social and Human Service Assistants land on the Community and Social Service Occupations median table? ▼
Social and Human Service Assistants is pay-rank #16 of 17 in this major group, lower third of the median table. Closest lower-third titles: Religious Workers, All Other ($45K), Rehabilitation Counselors ($47K), Counselors, All Other ($51K), Community Health Workers ($52K). That position is a table rank, not a worker percentile.
What do social and human service assistants do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Social and Human Service Assistants. Leading ones include: Assess clients' cognitive abilities and physical and emotional needs to determine appropriate interventions; Develop and implement behavioral management and care plans for clients; Oversee day-to-day group activities of residents in institution; Keep records or prepare reports for owner or management concerning visits with clients. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for social and human service assistants? ▼
For SOC 21-1093, O*NET importance scores lead with Active Listening (4.0), Speaking (4.0), Social Perceptiveness (4.0), Service Orientation (3.9). Knowledge areas emphasize Customer and Personal Service, Psychology, Therapy and Counseling. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Social and Human Service Assistants? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $45,930 as the national median for Social and Human Service Assistants. The published 10th-90th range is $34,200 to $63,290. Beside Health Education Specialists ($64,070), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Social and Human Service Assistants? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Social and Human Service Assistants is +6%. Projected annual openings: about 50,600. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: faster than average.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Social and Human Service Assistants? ▼
Oregon ($51,230), California ($51,090), District of Columbia ($59,460) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Social and Human Service Assistants card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 21-1093. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Social and Human Service Assistants. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics