Child, Family, and School Social Workers Salary in San Diego, CA
Child, Family, and School Social Workers in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area earn a median $59,770 a year — 0% more than the national median. After 2026 taxes, that is $47,792 take-home, or $3,983 a month.
Take-home pay calculator
Pre-filled with the median child, family, and school social workers salary in San Diego, CA. Enter your own offer to see your paycheck.
- Federal income tax$4,992
- Social Security (6.2%)$3,706
- Medicare (1.45%)$867
- California income tax$1,636
- CA State Disability Insurance (SDI)$777
- Take-home pay$47,792
Marginal rate: 12% federal + 6.00% state
Got an offer somewhere else? Compare it with this one after taxes and rent →
Child, Family, and School Social Workers pay by experience in San Diego, CA
| Percentile | Salary | Hourly | Take-home / yr | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile (entry level) | $46,440 | $22.33 | $38,044 | $3,170 |
| 25th percentile | $50,010 | $24.04 | $40,663 | $3,389 |
| Median (50th) | $59,770 | $28.74 | $47,792 | $3,983 |
| 75th percentile | $76,700 | $36.88 | $58,868 | $4,906 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $92,890 | $44.66 | $68,561 | $5,713 |
Wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Take-home: single filer, California resident, 2026 tax rules.
What $59,770 buys in San Diego, CA
Prices in San Diego, CA are 11.9% higher than the U.S. average (housing costs are 1.79× the national average). Adjusted for local prices, a median child, family, and school social workers's $47,792 take-home pay has the buying power of $42,715 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 San Diego, CA as in the U.S. overall (location quotient 0.98).
Best-paying cities for child, family, and school social workers, adjusted for cost of living
San Diego, CA ranks #29 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 |
| 29 | San Diego, CA | $59,770 | $47,792 | $42,715 |
*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 California
- Los Angeles, CA — $71,250
- San Francisco, CA — $72,020
- Riverside, CA — $63,230
- Sacramento, CA — $63,270
Frequently asked questions
How much does a child, family, and school social workers make in San Diego, CA?
The median child, family, and school social workers salary in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area is $59,770 a year, or about $28.74 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025). The middle half earn between $50,010 and $76,700.
What is a child, family, and school social workers’s take-home pay in San Diego, CA?
On the median $59,770 salary, a single filer living in California takes home about $47,792 a year ($3,983 a month) after federal tax, Social Security, Medicare and $2,413 in California taxes in 2026.
Is San Diego, CA a good place to work as a child, family, and school social workers?
Pay here is 0% above the national median of $59,550. Local prices are 11.9% above the U.S. average, so the take-home pay buys what $42,715 would in a typical U.S. city. San Diego, CA ranks #29 of 31 metro areas for cost-of-living-adjusted pay in this job.
Can a child, family, and school social workers afford rent in San Diego, CA?
HUD’s fair market rent for a one-bedroom in San Diego, CA is $2,459 a month ($3,001 for two bedrooms) — 62% of a median child, family, and school social workers’s monthly take-home pay. Financial planners usually suggest keeping rent under about 30%.