624/Social Assistance
US businesses, employees and payroll, 2017 to 2023
3.74M
employees, 2023
3.74M
employees, 2023
In 2023, 199,242 US Social Assistance business locations employed 3.74 million people and paid $125.3 billion in annual payroll, $33,470 per employee on average. Employment was up 9.4% from 2022. New York had the most employees.
Updated Oct 9, 2026 · data year 2023
Business locations
199,242
+2.0% vs 2022
Employees
3,742,670
+9.4% vs 2022
Annual payroll
$125.3B
+14.6% vs 2022
Average pay
$33,470
+4.8% vs 2022
Over the years
United States, 2017 to 2023
Employees
Paid employees in mid-March
Business locations
Places with paid employees
By state
Employees of Social Assistance in each state, 2023
Employees by state
States with the most employees
Employees and the share of all the state's jobs
| State | Business locations | Employees | Average pay | Share of state jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 14,438 | 456,801 | $36,081 | 5.21% |
| California | 22,959 | 388,602 | $40,756 | 2.37% |
| Texas | 12,842 | 289,565 | $25,703 | 2.41% |
| Pennsylvania | 9,565 | 238,056 | $34,130 | 4.17% |
| Illinois | 6,972 | 184,338 | $31,135 | 3.26% |
| Florida | 10,503 | 144,522 | $33,953 | 1.45% |
| Ohio | 7,127 | 126,140 | $30,902 | 2.48% |
| New Jersey | 5,081 | 104,565 | $34,891 | 2.65% |
| Massachusetts | 5,248 | 102,064 | $40,753 | 2.93% |
| Minnesota | 4,966 | 101,619 | $30,553 | 3.62% |
| North Carolina | 6,182 | 95,125 | $30,356 | 2.22% |
| Washington | 5,581 | 90,661 | $42,125 | 2.97% |
| Michigan | 5,091 | 84,176 | $30,982 | 2.08% |
| Georgia | 5,378 | 82,278 | $30,706 | 1.87% |
| Arizona | 3,118 | 75,476 | $33,480 | 2.61% |
The 15 states with the most employees. Download the CSV for all 51.
Top metro areas
Metro and micro areas with the most Social Assistance employees, 2023
Metro areas with the most employees
| Metro area | Locations | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 13,979 | 432,203 | $36,234 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 5,350 | 148,115 | $31,460 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 7,294 | 140,708 | $40,257 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 4,798 | 132,309 | $36,641 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 3,480 | 73,409 | $32,392 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 3,732 | 72,926 | $41,487 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 3,854 | 68,104 | $46,318 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 4,171 | 67,106 | $48,348 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 2,963 | 60,540 | $26,630 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 2,130 | 56,507 | $34,282 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 3,123 | 54,386 | $30,663 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 3,200 | 50,809 | $32,776 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 3,117 | 50,547 | $43,990 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 3,274 | 43,913 | $35,976 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | 1,850 | 41,229 | $33,250 |
Business size
US Social Assistance business locations by number of employees, 2023
Locations by size
| Employees | Locations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 82,411 | 41.4% |
| 5 to 9 | 34,825 | 17.5% |
| 10 to 19 | 36,938 | 18.5% |
| 20 to 49 | 31,634 | 15.9% |
| 50 to 99 | 8,259 | 4.1% |
| 100 to 249 | 3,811 | 1.9% |
| 250 to 499 | 907 | 0.5% |
| 500 to 999 | 305 | 0.2% |
| 1,000 or more | 152 | 0.1% |
Related industries
Social Assistance and the 4 industries directly below it
Part of Health Care and Social Assistance 62
| Code | Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6241 | Individual and Family Services | 2,234,072 | $33,869 |
| 6244 | Child Care Services | 1,045,052 | $29,695 |
| 6242 | Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services | 239,562 | $48,075 |
| 6243 | Vocational Rehabilitation Services | 223,984 | $31,492 |
Questions and answers
How many people work in Social Assistance in the US?
3.74 million people worked at 199,242 US Social Assistance business locations in 2023, up 9.4% from 2022. That is 2.68% of all US private-sector employees.
What is the average pay in Social Assistance?
$33,470 a year per employee in 2023, from $125.3 billion in annual payroll (up 4.8% from 2022). The average across all US industries was $68,342.
Which state has the most Social Assistance jobs?
New York had the most, with 456,801 employees in 2023, followed by California (388,602) and Texas (289,565).
Which metro areas have the most Social Assistance jobs?
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ (432,203), Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (148,115), Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA (140,708) had the most Social Assistance employees in 2023.
Are most Social Assistance businesses small?
77.4% of the 199,242 Social Assistance business locations had fewer than 20 employees in 2023, and 457 had 500 or more.
Official US government statistics, published once a year. Business locations are places with paid employees; employees are counted in mid-March; payroll covers the whole year. Covers most private employers, not the self-employed, most government workers or farm workers on farms. Changes from the year before are shown only when both years use the same edition of the industry codes.