Quick answer: The Santa Cruz metro employs about 400 child, family, and school social workers (BLS OEWS, May 2025), and licensing is set at the state level, through your state social work licensing board.
Licensing
Licensing is a state matter, not a city one. Social work licensure is tiered, and both the tier names and what each permits differ by state. The national constants are CSWE accreditation of the degree - required at both bachelor’s and master’s level - and the ASWB examinations. Clinical practice requires the master’s plus supervised post-graduate experience.
See the California licensing and pay overview for the statewide picture, and confirm current requirements with your state social work licensing board.
Schools Near You
Schools in our database near this area, ranked by BOC Score. The list favors schools with a related program on record, but program availability and delivery format change, so confirm directly with any school that it currently offers the program you want.
How we rank schools – graduation rate, graduate earnings, cost and retention.
Advertising plays no part.
This page lists 10 schools
within 127 miles, closest group first, then ordered by
BOC Score with the highest at the top.
10 of them carry a score.
LOCAL RANK
Location / proximity to this page
Defines the local group
Graduation rate how often students finish
30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry whether it paid off
25%
Average net price what students actually pay after aid; lower ranks higher
20%
Retention rate how many come back for year two
15%
Fully online availability whether you can study while working
10%
Scores come from IPEDS (2024) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
Earnings are for all graduates of a school, not one program, so treat them as a signal
about the institution rather than about this subject.
Sponsored listings are paid placements and are labelled as such; they are separate from
this ranking and never change it. Read the full methodology.
What Child, Family, and School Social Workers Earn in Santa Cruz
Child, Family, and School Social Workers in the Santa Cruz area earn a median $61,960 per year, above the national median of $59,550 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Social Work Pay in Santa Cruz, CA
Metric
Santa Cruz metro
California
National
Median annual wage
$61,960
$65,200
$59,550
10th percentile
$41,840
$45,360
$42,280
25th percentile
$48,150
$52,270
$48,270
75th percentile
$76,750
$82,080
$76,070
90th percentile
$93,100
$103,050
$95,530
Employment
400
60,310
392,550
Location quotient
1.62
-
1.00
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Metro figures cover the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metropolitan statistical area.
What the Numbers Say About This Market
The Santa Cruz median of $61,960 is above the national median of $59,550, and below the California statewide median of $65,200 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
The metro’s location quotient of 1.62 means child, family, and school social workers are more concentrated here than in the average U.S. labor market (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Higher concentration generally means more employers competing for the same people, and an easier job change later.
Social work demand follows local school districts, hospital systems, county agencies and nonprofit providers.
Wage and employment figures describe the occupation as measured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, not the graduates of any particular program, and individual outcomes may vary. Licensing rules change; confirm current requirements with the responsible state board before enrolling.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do child, family, and school social workers make in Santa Cruz?
The median annual wage for child, family, and school social workers in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area is $61,960, above the national median of $59,550 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
How many child, family, and school social workers work in the Santa Cruz area?
The Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area employs about 400 child, family, and school social workers (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Do child, family, and school social workers in Santa Cruz need a license?
Licensing is handled at state level rather than by city. Social work licensure is tiered, and both the tier names and what each permits differ by state. The national constants are CSWE accreditation of the degree - required at both bachelor's and master's level - and the ASWB examinations. Clinical practice requires the master's plus supervised post-graduate experience. Confirm current requirements with your state social work licensing board.
Can I study social work online from Santa Cruz?
The academic portion of these programs is widely available online for working adults, while labs, clinical hours or supervised field work are completed in person. Check that the program's accreditation satisfies your state social work licensing board.
Is Santa Cruz a better market than the rest of California?
The Santa Cruz metro median is $61,960 against a statewide median of $65,200 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Compare that gap with the difference in living costs before treating it as a raise.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 - Child, Family, and School Social Workers (SOC 21-1021), national, state and metropolitan estimates
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2024-34
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook - education and licensing requirements
About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.
