MAJORS · 23 OF 115 SUBFIELDS BY ROI
Is a social work degree worth it?
Part of Public Administration and Human Services — see the whole category’s numbers.
On average, yes — the mean lifetime ROI is +$34,150. But the spread is the real story.
MEAN LIFETIME ROI · FREOPP 2021 · COHORT-WEIGHTED
+$34,150
across 435 bachelor’s programs · 31,740 graduates
MEDIAN GRADUATE
+$38K
MIDDLE 50% LAND BETWEEN
−$38K ⟷ +$108K
NEVER BREAK EVEN
36.3%
MEDIAN PROGRAM-ESTIMATED BREAK-EVEN AGE
41
Among programs that break even; weighted by graduate cohorts. These are program estimates, not tracked individual graduate outcomes.
ADJUSTED FOR REAL COMPLETION RATES
−$31K
IF YOU DROP OUT
−$104K
Questions
- Is a social work degree worth it?
- On average yes — across 435 U.S. bachelor’s programs (FREOPP 2021, cohort-weighted), the mean lifetime ROI for Social Work is +$34,150 and the median is +$37,672. 36.3% of graduate cohort weight with reported break-even data is in programs flagged as never breaking even. The honest answer depends heavily on the specific program and school: the middle half of graduates land between −$38,406 and +$108,165.
- How long until a social work degree pays off?
- For Social Work, Among programs that break even, the median program-estimated break-even age, weighted by graduate cohorts, is 41. 36.3% of graduate cohort weight with reported break-even data is in programs flagged as never breaking even. FREOPP 2021.
- Does the school matter for a social work major?
- Enormously. The middle 50% of Social Work graduates span −$38,406 to +$108,165 — a +$147K spread within one major. The same field can be a strong trade at one school and a losing one at another, which is why the per-school number matters more than the field average.
↓ Download the data (CSV) · All 115 subfields with full statistics. Free to cite with attribution. · Methodology
Cite this:
LE TEEN (2026). “Social Work: lifetime ROI statistics.” Data: FREOPP 2021. https://le-teen.com/majors/social-work