Kern County social worker salary, 2025
625 people worked as social workers for Kern County in 2025. Those who worked the full year took home an average of $85,504, overtime included.
What is the average social worker salary at Kern County?
Official pay range1
$53,408 to $101,495
from the lowest entry salary to the top of the highest social worker title
The largest group of Kern County's social workers (298 of 625) hold the title Social Service Worker III, with an official range of $77,920 to $77,920. Those who worked the full year took home an average of $81,273, $3,353 above the top of the range.
- Social workers
- 625
- 445 of them worked the full year
- Starting salary
- $53,408
- bottom of the Social Service Worker I range
- Median take-home
- $82,281
- the middle social worker: half took home more, half less
- Average pay rank
- 41st
- of 63 California employers
What does each social worker title at Kern County pay?
Each bar is the official range for one title, lowest first. The dot marks the average take-home of full-year staff in that title, where at least 5 people stand behind it.1
- Social Service Worker I$61,759
- Social Service Worker II$67,834
- Social Service Worker IVfewer than 5
- Social Service Worker III$81,273
- Social Service Worker V$99,602
- Social Service Supervisor I$100,647
- Social Service Supervisor II$119,977
official range average take-home, full year. "Fewer than 5" means too few full-year people in that title to show.
Does Kern County pay social workers more than the counties next door?
Average take-home of full-year social workers: Kern County next to its neighboring counties and the whole state.1
- Kern County$85,504
- Inyo County$99,540
- Kings County$88,405
- Los Angeles County$112,879
- San Bernardino County$90,240
- San Luis Obispo County$96,583
- Santa Barbara County$95,019
- Tulare County$83,114
- Ventura County$100,216
- All employers in California$105,739
7 of Kern County's 8 neighboring counties pay more.
Where does Kern County rank among California employers?
Every employer with at least 5 full-year social workers, by average take-home.1
All 63 California employers
Kern County ranks 41st of 63, below the middle employer.
Middle employer: $90,154
Each bar counts the employers whose average take-home falls in a $5,000 band. The dashed line marks the middle employer.
Pension and health cover at Kern County
As reported by the county. Contributions are what the employer paid per full-year social worker, on top of wages.1
- Pension formula
- 1.62% at 65
- the most common formula among Kern County's social workers
- Employer pension contribution
- $31,773
- average per year
- Health, dental and vision
- $12,644
- average paid by the employer per year
Questions about social worker pay at Kern County
What is the average social worker salary at Kern County?
Social workers at Kern County who worked the full year took home an average of $85,504 in 2025, overtime included. The middle social worker took home $82,281: half took home more, half less. The official pay range across its social worker titles runs from $53,408 to $101,495.
How much overtime do social workers at Kern County earn?
Full-year social workers were paid an average of $4,231 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $1,059: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.
What pension do social workers at Kern County get?
The most common pension formula among Kern County's social workers is 1.62% at 65, as reported by the county. The employer paid an average of $31,773 a year into the pension plan.
More public pay in Kern County
Sources for the Kern County figures
Every person who held a social worker position at Kern County at any point in 2025 counts toward the headcount. Pay figures use only people who worked roughly the full year: those whose regular pay reached at least 90% of the bottom of their official range. Take-home is total wages, including overtime, lump sums and other pay. Averages lead; the median take-home is the middle person's, with half above and half below, and is less pulled by a few people with a lot of overtime. Every figure covers at least 5 people.
- State Controller's Office, Government Compensation in California, 2025: positions, official pay ranges, wages, pension formula and employer contributions as reported by Kern County.