Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers pay in Boston-Cambridge-Newton
$71,030avg. a year
$34.15 an hour · 4,660 employed
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area earn an average of $71,030 a year. That is about the same as the Massachusetts average of $69,710. The U.S. average is $68,030.
$63,830Median pay
$34.15Average hourly
+2%vs. Massachusetts average
4,660Jobs in this metro
Other Massachusetts metro areas
Average pay for mental health and substance abuse social workers in other Massachusetts metro areas. Swipe to see all 6.
1210 jobs
Amherst Town-Northampton, MA
$72,210
$34.72 an hour
21,400 jobs
Providence-Warwick, RI-MA
$71,570
$34.41 an hour
3170 jobs
Barnstable Town, MA
$68,490
$32.93 an hour
4510 jobs
Springfield, MA
$67,350
$32.38 an hour
5960 jobs
Worcester, MA
$65,020
$31.26 an hour
6170 jobs
Pittsfield, MA
$61,500
$29.57 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
How Boston-Cambridge-Newton compares
Pay range: metro vs. state vs. U.S.
Annual wage percentiles, May 2025
This metroMassachusettsU.S.
Massachusetts metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 · this metro highlighted
Related jobs in Boston-Cambridge-Newton
| Job | Avg. pay in this metro |
|---|---|
| Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors | $67,030 |
| Social and Human Service Assistants | $50,600 |
| Child, Family, and School Social Workers | $78,950 |
| Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors | $87,320 |
| Healthcare Social Workers | $79,100 |
| Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other | $61,750 |
Questions and answers
How much do mental health and substance abuse social workers make in Boston-Cambridge-Newton?
The average is $71,030 a year, and the median is $63,830. About 4,660 people work in this job in the metro area.
Is that more than the Massachusetts average?
That is about the same as the Massachusetts average of $69,710.
Is this job common in Boston-Cambridge-Newton?
It makes up 1.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the metro area, 2.02 times the national share.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025, occupation code 21-1023. Metro area: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metropolitan statistical area (BLS area code 14460). Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.