National totals
| Active NPI records | 142,987 |
| Registered sole proprietors | 46,194 (32.3%) |
| NUCC taxonomy code | 104100000X |
| Grouping | Behavioral Health & Social Service Providers |
What this specialty covers
A social worker is a person who is qualified by a Social Work degree, and licensed, certified or registered by the state as a social worker to practice within the scope of that license. A social worker provides assistance and counseling to clients and their families who are dealing with social, emotional and environmental problems. Social work services may be rendered to individuals, families, groups, and the public.
Reading the sole-proprietor share
For Social Worker records, 46,194, or 32.3%, have the NPPES field set to sole proprietor. Because this is a self-reported NPPES field, the percentage is an imperfect proxy for private practice and does not by itself establish how a social worker is employed, whether they work independently, or how their services are organized.
By state
| State | Active NPIs | Sole proprietors | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 24,341 | 9,564 | 39.3% |
| Ohio | 10,601 | 3,892 | 36.7% |
| California | 9,913 | 2,910 | 29.4% |
| Michigan | 9,854 | 2,903 | 29.5% |
| Illinois | 6,059 | 2,162 | 35.7% |
| Florida | 6,045 | 3,027 | 50.1% |
| Pennsylvania | 5,798 | 1,894 | 32.7% |
| Massachusetts | 5,775 | 1,766 | 30.6% |
| New Jersey | 4,416 | 1,583 | 35.8% |
| Maryland | 4,155 | 1,246 | 30.0% |
| Texas | 4,096 | 1,591 | 38.8% |
| Kansas | 2,795 | 630 | 22.5% |
| Indiana | 2,342 | 509 | 21.7% |
| Connecticut | 2,326 | 681 | 29.3% |
| Georgia | 2,293 | 856 | 37.3% |
| Oregon | 2,217 | 514 | 23.2% |
| Tennessee | 2,187 | 523 | 23.9% |
| Missouri | 2,075 | 410 | 19.8% |
| Colorado | 2,063 | 597 | 28.9% |
| Wisconsin | 2,060 | 428 | 20.8% |
| Washington | 2,058 | 506 | 24.6% |
| Louisiana | 1,993 | 656 | 32.9% |
| Utah | 1,916 | 358 | 18.7% |
| New Mexico | 1,770 | 482 | 27.2% |
| Kentucky | 1,762 | 372 | 21.1% |
| Arizona | 1,679 | 483 | 28.8% |
| Idaho | 1,658 | 422 | 25.5% |
| Oklahoma | 1,570 | 463 | 29.5% |
| Arkansas | 1,456 | 320 | 22.0% |
| South Carolina | 1,284 | 343 | 26.7% |
| Iowa | 1,238 | 237 | 19.1% |
| North Carolina | 1,162 | 414 | 35.6% |
| Minnesota | 1,117 | 238 | 21.3% |
| West Virginia | 981 | 211 | 21.5% |
| Nevada | 906 | 418 | 46.1% |
| North Dakota | 900 | 98 | 10.9% |
| Mississippi | 892 | 222 | 24.9% |
| Virginia | 884 | 281 | 31.8% |
| Alabama | 882 | 278 | 31.5% |
| District of Columbia | 744 | 289 | 38.8% |
| Maine | 634 | 151 | 23.8% |
| Hawaii | 584 | 185 | 31.7% |
| Nebraska | 541 | 124 | 22.9% |
| New Hampshire | 470 | 54 | 11.5% |
| Alaska | 420 | 77 | 18.3% |
| Rhode Island | 351 | 106 | 30.2% |
| Delaware | 320 | 124 | 38.8% |
| South Dakota | 265 | 44 | 16.6% |
| Montana | 163 | 56 | 34.4% |
| Vermont | 141 | 47 | 33.3% |
| Wyoming | 139 | 37 | 26.6% |
New NPI registrations by year
| Year first enumerated | NPIs |
|---|---|
| 2017 | 6,825 |
| 2018 | 8,599 |
| 2019 | 7,998 |
| 2020 | 7,297 |
| 2021 | 8,884 |
| 2022 | 10,244 |
| 2023 | 11,113 |
| 2024 | 11,168 |
| 2025 | 11,326 |
| 2026 (partial year) | 245 |
Counts reflect the year each NPI was first issued, among records still active today. The final year is partial: this data covers through 2026-01-11.
Data notes
- The sole-proprietor field is self-reported by the provider in NPPES and is an imperfect proxy for private practice.
- A sole-proprietor count shown as <11 is suppressed: the true value is below 11, which could include zero.
- - NPPES is an administrative registry, so an active NPI record is not necessarily a unique person or a measure of current clinical volume.
- - The primary taxonomy reflects the classification selected for the NPI record; records with another primary taxonomy or outdated information may affect the totals.
- Providers are counted once, by their primary taxonomy code only.
Common questions
How many social workers are there in the United States?
There are 142,987 active NPI records with Social Worker as the primary taxonomy. This is a count of NPI records, not necessarily a count of unique people or all practicing social workers.
How many social workers are in private practice?
NPPES flags 46,194 records, or 32.3%, as sole proprietors. That field is self-reported and is an imperfect proxy for private practice, so the figure should not be read as a definitive private-practice count.
Which states have the most Social Worker NPI records?
The largest state totals are New York (24,341), Ohio (10,601), California (9,913), Michigan (9,854), and Illinois (6,059).
How many new Social Worker NPIs were first enumerated in recent years?
The reported first-enumeration counts are 11,168 in 2024, 11,326 in 2025, and 245 in 2026.
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