How much do case managers make in 2026?
Healthcare case managers are reported within SOC 21-1022, Healthcare Social Workers, which BLS OEWS May 2025 puts at a national median of $67,880 a year ($32.63 an hour), with the bottom 10% near $46,220 and the top 10% at $100,360. One caveat matters more than any other on this page: case management is done by two different professions. Social-work case managers are paid from this series, while nurse case managers hold a registered nurse licence and are paid from the far higher nursing series. Within the social-work track, licensure and the Certified Case Manager credential are the main levers, and utilisation-review, insurer and workers' compensation roles pay above hospital discharge planning. Employment is projected to grow 7.7% through 2034 with roughly 18,400 openings a year. → Full case manager career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $67,880 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Case Managers earn a national median $67,880/yr ($32.63/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 21-1022); the P10 to P90 range is $46,220 to $100,360.
- Case management is two professions in one job title: social-work case managers are paid from this series, while nurse case managers are paid from the registered nurse series and earn materially more.
- Insurer, utilisation-review and workers' compensation case management pays above hospital discharge planning, and the Certified Case Manager credential is the standard gate to those roles.
- BLS projects 7.7% growth through 2034 with roughly 18,400 openings a year, driven by payer emphasis on discharge planning, readmission avoidance and care coordination.
US Case Manager Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do case managers earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 21-1022; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 21-1022, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does a case manager earn at each career stage?
Case management pay follows licensure, credentialing and whether the employer is a provider or a payer. Each median below is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 21-1022.
By State
Which states pay case managers the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates — the BLS national median for the healthcare social worker series scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index — not BLS state observations. Social-work licensure is state-specific with its own examination tiers, and insurer case management is often remote, which weakens the link between local wage levels and actual pay.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($78,060), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
case manager pay by state — all 2 state guides
By Metro
Which cities pay case managers the most?
Modeled metro estimates: the series national median scaled by the state wage index and then by the published metro index. With substantial remote payer-side work, treat these as illustrative wage levels rather than BLS metropolitan-area observations.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a case manager’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does case manager pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Case Managers sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify case manager wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a case manager actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Case Manager Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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