Job title · Wisconsin

Social Worker (government) in Wisconsin

Wisconsin Department of Administration, Division of Personnel Management lists 4 job classes for this work in the Wisconsin state pay plan: Social Worker, Social Services Specialist, Social Worker-Advanced, Social Worker-Senior.

$42,078 – $135,054
state pay plan range, a year
4
classes in the state plan
$59,280
median pay in WI, all employers
5,710
workers in WI (SOC 21-1021)

Sources: Wisconsin Department of Administration, Division of Personnel Management, Wisconsin Alphabetical Listing of Classifications and 2025-2027 Compensation Plan Pay Schedules; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 — state estimates. Data captured September 30, 2026.

Wisconsin state pay plan Sourced

Published rates for each class, lowest first, effective June 28, 2026. These are the ranges Wisconsin sets for its own state employees; cities, counties and school districts have their own pay plans.

Class and gradePublished rate
Social Worker
Class 50862
Grade 12-64
$20.23 – $49.82 a hour
$42,078 – $103,626 a year
Social Services Specialist
Class 51873
Grade 12-63
$24.14 – $64.93 a hour
$50,211 – $135,054 a year
Social Worker-Advanced
Class 50864
Grade 12-63
$24.14 – $64.93 a hour
$50,211 – $135,054 a year
Social Worker-Senior
Class 50863
Grade 12-63
$24.14 – $64.93 a hour
$50,211 – $135,054 a year

Schedule: Pay Schedule 12: Social Services. Rates are as the plan publishes them; "a year" figures are conversions (hourly × 2,080). Classes are matched to this job by title (GovJobsWiki editorial rule).

Source: Wisconsin Department of Administration, Division of Personnel Management, Wisconsin Alphabetical Listing of Classifications and 2025-2027 Compensation Plan Pay Schedules. Data captured September 30, 2026.

Pay in Wisconsin, all employers Sourced

Child, Family, and School Social Workers (SOC 21-1021) in Wisconsin, all employers combined: BLS state estimates do not separate government from private.

MeasureWI
Workers5,710
10th percentile$44,400
Median$59,280
90th percentile$80,900
National median, government employers$65,660

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

Free practice tests for Wisconsin

Source: Open Exam Prep, Open Exam Prep free practice tests. Data captured October 1, 2026. Each link was opened and its exam title checked on the date shown.

More about this job

Requirements, hiring process, training, schedule and day-to-day work are on the national Social Worker (government) page.

Social Worker (government) in other states