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2026 Highest Paid Social Work Grads in District of Columbia

[Social Work](/majors/social-services-public-administration/social-work/) programs reward a close look at where graduates go on to earn the most. A top-earning program sends graduates into careers with strong starting pay.

To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 3 schools on the early-career earnings of their social work graduates.

What’s on this page:

• Highest Paid Social Work Grads in District of Columbia

2026 Highest Paid Social Work Grads in District of Columbia

If you want to know which schools send social work graduates into the highest-paying careers, see the list below.

Highest Paid Social Work Graduates

1

Catholic University Of America
Washington, DC

$69,749 Average Early-Career Salary

Catholic University Of America tops our 2026 list of the highest-paying social work schools in District of Columbia. Catholic University Of America is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Washington. Students who complete the social work program here go on to a median salary of roughly $69,749.

2

University Of The District Of Columbia
Washington, DC

$40,620 Average Early-Career Salary

A rank of #2 makes University Of The District Of Columbia one of the highest-paying schools for social work. Located in the city of Washington, University Of The District Of Columbia is a public institution. Social Work graduates of University Of The District Of Columbia earn a median of about $40,620 a year early in their careers.

3

Gallaudet University
Washington, DC

$49,663 Average Early-Career Salary

A rank of #3 makes Gallaudet University one of the highest-paying schools for social work. Located in the city of Washington, Gallaudet University is a private not-for-profit institution. Social Work graduates of Gallaudet University earn a median of about $49,663 a year early in their careers.

View All Social Work Rankings >

Notes and References

This list is compiled by College Factual, 2026 edition. The methodology measures the salaries social work graduates go on to earn early in their careers, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).

Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 3 schools evaluated.

*Salary figures reflect median early-career earnings (about 5 years after graduation) and may vary by how long a person takes to complete their degree.

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
• Graduate earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard) field-of-study earnings.

More about our data sources and methodologies.