Child, Family, and School Social Workers Salary in Philadelphia, PA
Child, Family, and School Social Workers in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area earn a median $55,930 a year — 6% less than the national median. After 2026 taxes, that is $45,403 take-home, or $3,784 a month.
Take-home pay calculator
Pre-filled with the median child, family, and school social workers salary in Philadelphia, PA. Enter your own offer to see your paycheck.
- Federal income tax$4,532
- Social Security (6.2%)$3,468
- Medicare (1.45%)$811
- Pennsylvania income tax$1,717
- Take-home pay$45,403
Marginal rate: 12% federal + 3.07% state
Living in Philadelphia? City residents also pay Philadelphia’s Resident Wage Tax — about $2,092 a year on this salary — which lowers take-home pay to $43,311 ($3,609 a month). Choose “Philadelphia” under City income tax in the calculator. Suburban residents usually don’t pay it.
The Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro spans Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland. Pick the state you live in — state income tax follows your residence.
Got an offer somewhere else? Compare it with this one after taxes and rent →
Child, Family, and School Social Workers pay by experience in Philadelphia, PA
| Percentile | Salary | Hourly | Take-home / yr | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile (entry level) | $41,980 | $20.18 | $34,622 | $2,885 |
| 25th percentile | $47,250 | $22.72 | $38,695 | $3,225 |
| Median (50th) | $55,930 | $26.89 | $45,403 | $3,784 |
| 75th percentile | $73,500 | $35.34 | $58,281 | $4,857 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $88,870 | $42.73 | $68,622 | $5,718 |
Wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Take-home: single filer, Pennsylvania resident, 2026 tax rules.
What $55,930 buys in Philadelphia, PA
Prices in Philadelphia, PA are 2.6% higher than the U.S. average (housing costs are 1.13× the national average). Adjusted for local prices, a median child, family, and school social workers's $45,403 take-home pay has the buying power of $44,272 in a typical American city.
Rents: HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2026 (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities). Price levels: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
Child, Family, and School Social Workers jobs are about as common in Philadelphia, PA as in the U.S. overall (location quotient 0.94).
Best-paying cities for child, family, and school social workers, adjusted for cost of living
Philadelphia, PA ranks #24 of 31 metro areas once taxes and local prices are taken into account.
| # | Metro area | Median salary | Take-home | Real value* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baltimore, MD | $74,960 | $58,367 | $55,861 |
| 2 | Providence, RI | $70,900 | $56,666 | $55,679 |
| 3 | Seattle, WA | $75,280 | $61,789 | $55,600 |
| 4 | Boston, MA | $77,420 | $59,644 | $55,090 |
| 5 | Washington, DC | $75,550 | $58,515 | $53,741 |
| 6 | Minneapolis, MN | $70,530 | $55,175 | $52,637 |
| 7 | Las Vegas, NV | $61,480 | $51,579 | $51,469 |
| 8 | Denver, CO | $67,560 | $54,094 | $51,137 |
| 24 | Philadelphia, PA | $55,930 | $45,403 | $44,272 |
*Take-home pay divided by the BEA price level, so every city is measured in U.S.-average dollars. See all 31 metros →
About the job: child, family, and school social workers
Provide social services and assistance to improve the social and psychological functioning of children and their families and to maximize the family well-being and the academic functioning of children. May assist parents, arrange adoptions, and find foster homes for abandoned or abused children. In schools, they address such problems as teenage pregnancy, misbehavior, and truancy. May also advise teachers.
- Typical education
- Bachelor's degree
- Work experience
- None required
- On-the-job training
- None
- Job outlook, 2025–35
- +4.4% (about average)
Source: BLS Standard Occupational Classification and Employment Projections, 2025–35.
Child, Family, and School Social Workers salaries elsewhere in Pennsylvania
- Pittsburgh, PA — $49,800
Frequently asked questions
How much does a child, family, and school social workers make in Philadelphia, PA?
The median child, family, and school social workers salary in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area is $55,930 a year, or about $26.89 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025). The middle half earn between $47,250 and $73,500.
What is a child, family, and school social workers’s take-home pay in Philadelphia, PA?
On the median $55,930 salary, a single filer living in Pennsylvania takes home about $45,403 a year ($3,784 a month) after federal tax, Social Security, Medicare and $1,717 in Pennsylvania taxes in 2026.
Is Philadelphia, PA a good place to work as a child, family, and school social workers?
Pay here is 6% below the national median of $59,550. Local prices are 2.6% above the U.S. average, so the take-home pay buys what $44,272 would in a typical U.S. city. Philadelphia, PA ranks #24 of 31 metro areas for cost-of-living-adjusted pay in this job.
Can a child, family, and school social workers afford rent in Philadelphia, PA?
HUD’s fair market rent for a one-bedroom in Philadelphia, PA is $1,520 a month ($1,810 for two bedrooms) — 40% of a median child, family, and school social workers’s monthly take-home pay. Financial planners usually suggest keeping rent under about 30%.