600+ Social Worker Jobs in New York, NY (Hiring Now in Aug 2026)

Few cities need social workers the way New York does, and few offer as many places to do the work. As of Aug 2026, Bandana is tracking 600+ open social worker jobs across New York, NY, spread across hospitals, community health centers, child welfare agencies, schools, housing and homeless services, and mental health clinics in every borough. This page collects the live openings so you can compare setting, license level, and pay in one place, then apply directly to the roles that fit.

Social work in New York is really several careers under one title. A hospital medical social worker, a clinical therapist in private practice, a foster-care case planner, and a school social worker all share a profession but do very different jobs day to day. The sections below lay out what social workers earn here, which employers are hiring right now, the range of roles available, and the New York licensing you need to move up.

New York City payroll records give a documented baseline for public-sector social work. Under the city's social worker title, the a year based on official 2025 data compiled in Bandana Wage Data for Social Workers in New York City. That figure sits about 35% below the average city government worker, which reflects both entry-level civil-service titles and the fact that the highest-paid clinical roles often live in the hospital and nonprofit sectors rather than on the city payroll.

Looking at the spread: the 25th percentile earns about , the median is , the 75th percentile reaches , and top earners make as much as . Median base pay is about $66,154, roughly . Pay climbs meaningfully once you carry a clinical license and take on supervision or specialized caseloads, and hospital systems in the listings below frequently pay above the city midpoint. For the full percentile breakdown and licensing pay bumps, read our guide, How Much Do Social Workers Make in New York City? (Real Pay and Salary).

How to read the numbers matters here. The public payroll figures above reflect base pay plus modest extra pay, with some social workers logging overtime that reaches roughly $19,403 at the very top of the scale on demanding caseloads. The data does not include the value of health insurance or pension contributions, which are a significant part of a public-sector package, so the real total is higher than the salary line suggests. Just as important, the city civil-service title is only one slice of the market: the hospital systems, federally qualified health centers, and large nonprofits in the listings below often pay clinical social workers, especially LCSWs, above the public-sector median, and they post new roles constantly. Treat the city figure as a documented floor for the profession rather than a ceiling on what the job can pay.

The employers behind these openings cover the full safety net. Major hospital systems are among the most active, including Mount Sinai Health System, Northwell Health, NYU Langone Health, and NewYork-Presbyterian, hiring medical and behavioral-health social workers. Community and nonprofit providers are hiring at scale too: The Children's Village in child welfare, HELP USA and Lantern Community Services in housing and homeless services, JASA and the West Side Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing in aging services, Odyssey House in substance use, and Fountain House in mental health. Federally qualified health centers such as Sun River Health and Ryan Health, telehealth groups like LifeStance Health, and New York State agencies posting through StateJobsNY round out a deep and varied market.

Openings span the whole profession. Medical and hospital social workers coordinate discharge planning and support patients and families through treatment. Clinical social workers and therapists, typically LCSWs, provide psychotherapy in clinics, telehealth, and private practice. Child and family social workers handle foster care, adoption, and preventive services. School social workers support students and families inside the education system. Geriatric and case-management roles serve older adults aging in place, while housing and homeless-services roles connect New Yorkers to shelter and permanent housing. Substance-use and harm-reduction positions round out a field with openings at every license level, from case aide to clinical supervisor.

New York regulates the profession through the State Education Department. The two core credentials are the and the . Both require a master's degree in social work (MSW) from a CSWE-accredited program. The LMSW requires passing the ASWB Masters exam; the LCSW requires the MSW, at least three years of supervised post-degree clinical experience, and a passing score on the ASWB Clinical exam. The LCSW is the license that opens the highest-paying clinical and supervisory roles and the ability to bill for psychotherapy. Many entry-level case-management and case-aide positions accept a bachelor's degree while you pursue an MSW, and a number of hospitals and agencies help staff work toward licensure.

Financially, social work in New York rewards credentials and specialization. Entry pay is modest by city standards, but earning an LCSW, moving into a hospital system, or stepping into supervision lifts pay well past the public-sector median, and top earners clear $99,622. Just as important, demand is durable: an aging population, a mental health crisis, expanding insurance coverage for behavioral health, and the city's vast network of hospitals and nonprofits keep openings plentiful and geographically spread. For people motivated by meaningful, stable work with a clear path from generalist to licensed clinician, the trade is a reasonable one, and the roles below show how many doors the license opens.

Filter the listings below by setting and license level, then apply directly to the employer. Keep your resume, license status (LMSW or LCSW), and references current, and highlight the populations and interventions you know best. Every listing on this page is verified and sourced directly from employer career pages, so each one is current and actively hiring.

Open roles reach across all five boroughs and the wider metro. If you are widening your search or willing to commute, these Bandana city pages collect live openings in the neighborhoods and cities closest to you: Jobs in New York, NY, Jobs in Brooklyn, NY, Jobs in Queens, NY, Jobs in the Bronx, NY, Jobs in Staten Island, NY, Jobs in Jersey City, NJ, Jobs in Newark, NJ, and Jobs in Yonkers, NY. You can also browse every public listing in the state on the New York State jobs page.

Comparing public-service careers in the city? See openings and pay for Teacher Jobs in New York and Civil Engineer Jobs in New York. Because so much of this work sits in hospitals and clinics, browse the wider Healthcare Jobs in New York page too. For the pay data behind this list, read Bandana Wage Data for Social Workers in New York City and our salary guide, How Much Do Social Workers Make in New York City? (Real Pay and Salary).