Adult Protective Services Worker

Overview

Sourced

All social workers not listed separately.

O*NET definition of Social Workers, All Other (SOC 21-1029).

43,740

in government (SOC 21-1029)

69%

of this occupation works for government

$84,350

median pay in government

State · Local

levels of government

Occupation figures cover every job classified under SOC 21-1029, including Social Worker (government).

How people usually get in Editorial

bachelor. Requirements vary by employer; each employer page will list its exact rules.

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 — national estimates by ownership; U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), O*NET 31.0 Database; GovJobs Wiki (editorial). Data captured September 30, 2026.

Requirements

Sourced

Typical entry requirements (BLS, SOC 21-1029)

Education needed to enter: Bachelor's degree
Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: None

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35 — education and training assignments by detailed occupation (Tables 5.3, 5.4). Data captured September 30, 2026.

How to get hired

Sourced

Social workers typically need a bachelor's or master's degree in social work. They also may need a license; specific requirements vary by state.

Clinical social workers need a master's degree, supervised clinical experience, and a license from the state in which they practice.

From the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook profile “Social Workers”, published August 27, 2026 · Read the full profile. National guidance; each employer runs its own hiring process.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025–35 edition (XML compilation). Data captured September 30, 2026.

Academy and training

Sourced

Training to become competent (BLS)

SOC 21-1029: None

Academy length, curriculum and paid-training policies are set by each employer and state; they are part of the employer collection stage.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35 — education and training assignments by detailed occupation (Tables 5.3, 5.4). Data captured September 30, 2026.

Promotion ladder

Editorial

Civil-service class series: civil-service class series I → II → III → senior → supervisor → manager, each with a salary range. Typical structure for a civil-service class series; titles, steps and timing differ by employer.

Trainee / Assistant
Level I
Level II (journey)
Level III / Senior
Lead / Principal
Supervisor
Manager
Director / Division Chief

Source: GovJobs Wiki (editorial).

Pay

Sourced

Federal

$105,660

State

$59,840

Local

$72,290

All government

$84,350

Private sector

$51,260

Median annual wage by employer type, national, May 2025. Federal includes the U.S. Postal Service; state and local include public schools and hospitals.

Employer type	Workers	10th pct.	25th	Median	75th	90th
Federal	20,110	$83,840	$93,250	$105,660	$118,100	$129,900
State	9,530	$44,810	$51,500	$59,840	$72,020	$81,890
Local	14,100	$47,900	$57,810	$72,290	$81,530	$98,270
All government	43,740	$50,000	$62,830	$84,350	$105,250	$121,040
Private sector	19,200	$36,160	$43,800	$51,260	$61,150	$74,400

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 — national estimates by ownership. Data captured September 30, 2026.

State government pay plans

Official pay ranges for the job classes that match Adult Protective Services Worker in 7 state civil-service plans. They cover state employees only, not cities, counties or school districts.

State	Job classes in the state plan	Annual range
Florida	Adult Protective Investigator 1 class · effective July 1, 2026 · Florida Department of Management Services (DMS), State Human Resource Management	$36,317 – $78,418
Georgia	Adult Protective Svcs CM 1–3, Adult Protective Svcs CM 1 Non Exempt, Adult Protective Svcs CM 2 Non Exempt, Adult Protective Svcs CM 3 Non Exempt 6 classes · effective July 10, 2024 · Georgia Department of Administrative Services (DOAS), Human Resources Administration — Compensation	$35,619 – $73,288
Louisiana	Adult Protection Specialist 1–3 3 classes · effective March 2, 2026 · Louisiana Department of State Civil Service	$39,000 – $86,070
New Mexico	Associate APS Case Worker, Adult Protective Services Case Worker, Senior Adult Protective Services Case Worker 3 classes · effective July 4, 2026 · New Mexico State Personnel Office (SPO), Compensation and Classification	$51,755 – $93,936
Oklahoma	Adult Protective Services Specialist I–IV 4 classes · effective August 30, 2026 · Oklahoma Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES), Human Capital Management	$27,827 – $152,428
Tennessee	Aps Investigative Spec 1–2 2 classes · effective September 1, 2026 · Tennessee Department of Human Resources	$43,572 – $65,208
Texas	Adult Protective Services Specialist I–V 5 classes · effective September 1, 2025 · Texas State Auditor's Office (SAO), State Classification Team	$42,976 – $87,046

Lowest class minimum to highest class maximum. Rates are converted from each plan's pay period; the plans publish the exact rates. Classes are matched to this job by title (GovJobsWiki editorial rule).

Sources: 7 official state pay plans, linked in each row.

13Derived

By state

Sourced

Median annual wage for Social Workers, All Other (SOC 21-1029) in each state, all employers (BLS state estimates do not separate government from private). Highest first.

State	Workers	10th pct.	Median	90th pct.
Nevada	370	$74,110	$121,830	$158,720
Hawaii	200	$81,080	$116,130	$137,450
Rhode Island	90	$91,560	$111,590	$126,920
New Hampshire	100	$42,640	$103,710	$120,430
Washington	790	$55,450	$102,520	$125,840
Oklahoma	320	$77,250	$101,860	$119,120
Massachusetts	540	$71,980	$101,280	$125,010
Missouri	590	$50,770	$98,740	$119,750
District of Columbia	350	$71,060	$96,380	$131,770
South Carolina	440	$43,860	$96,350	$118,580
Alabama	400	$49,280	$94,270	$112,510
South Dakota	130	$76,520	$93,760	$109,010
Delaware	130	$54,960	$93,250	$121,950
Virginia	860	$48,460	$92,930	$120,790
Mississippi	280	$37,110	$91,560	$109,300
Iowa	230	$47,310	$91,170	$113,800
New Mexico	250	$55,000	$90,820	$114,820
Idaho	210	$36,450	$88,610	$106,330
Kentucky	610	$39,530	$85,160	$118,540
Indiana	460	$60,200	$84,570	$107,950
Texas	2,880	$40,350	$84,240	$134,450
New York	2,470	$58,200	$84,010	$112,140
North Dakota	110	$63,130	$81,330	$103,380
Minnesota	7,270	$55,500	$79,790	$101,210
Georgia	1,510	$42,930	$78,260	$126,650
New Jersey	640	$42,710	$76,640	$114,880
Nebraska	220	$48,610	$76,520	$105,680
Maryland	1,270	$48,690	$75,600	$128,440
Pennsylvania	1,730	$39,890	$74,430	$112,570
Vermont	110	$46,170	$73,070	$113,760
Louisiana	850	$43,000	$69,230	$111,090
Connecticut	460	$47,070	$69,080	$114,880
Wyoming	160	$56,120	$69,020	$125,260
Oregon	3,710	$48,750	$67,820	$89,220
Utah	660	$51,090	$66,440	$114,500
Illinois	1,910	$45,460	$64,030	$111,320
North Carolina	1,670	$44,440	$63,490	$116,230
California	6,430	$36,160	$63,010	$132,480
Wisconsin	1,860	$45,720	$62,830	$98,840
West Virginia	680	$38,940	$62,590	$108,040
Arizona	2,850	$45,520	$62,150	$108,240
Michigan	1,700	$40,290	$62,140	$109,720
Colorado	2,190	$45,950	$61,610	$104,250
Alaska	330	$48,390	$61,220	$120,240
Maine	470	$48,310	$60,280	$99,050
Ohio	3,250	$38,260	$59,780	$104,600
Florida	4,800	$42,220	$58,550	$109,990
Montana	540	$36,600	$51,650	$92,600
Tennessee	1,910	$31,920	$51,460	$111,570
Arkansas	690	$37,230	$47,790	$113,920

50 states with published estimates.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 — state estimates. Data captured September 30, 2026.

Not yet collected

These dimensions are part of every job page. We publish them only once they are sourced from official documents such as job postings, pay plans, union contracts and state standards.

05 Probation
Probation length and what ends it
Not yet collected
08 Schedule
Shift patterns (24/48, 4/10, 5/8, split), seniority bidding, holidays and mandatory overtime
Not yet collected
09 Benefits and pension
Pension plan and formula, retirement age and years, DROP, retiree health, Social Security coverage, 457(b) and PSLF eligibility
Not yet collected
10 Union contracts
Bargaining unit, union and the current contract, with its source and effective dates
Not yet collected
11 Transfers and lateral entry
Lateral entry policy, certification reciprocity, lateral bonuses and moves between agencies
Not yet collected
12 Day-to-day work
What the work involves day to day, from sourced task lists
Not yet collected
14 Exam practice
Named entrance and licensing exams, with free practice tests where they exist
Not yet collected
15 Employer directory
Every public employer that hires this job, with its own pay and rules
Not yet collected

Adult Protective Services Worker

Overview

Requirements

How to get hired

Academy and training

Promotion ladder

Pay

State government pay plans

Related jobs

By state

Not yet collected