How much debt do Youngstown State social work graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $33,422, which ranks 12th lowest of 14 social work bachelor's programs in Ohio. That works out to about $354 a month over 10 years.

Is a social work degree from Youngstown State worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 92% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 72%. Compare the cost with other Ohio programs before deciding.

Do Youngstown State social work graduates stay in Ohio?

Most do. 92% (54 of 59) were working in Ohio one year after graduating.

Youngstown State Social Work (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Social Work
Public university
Youngstown, OH
About 77 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Youngstown State social work graduates earn about what social work graduates earn nationally, $36,445 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $33,422 in federal loans, more than at 90% of social work programs in the country. Several Ohio programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$36,44544th percentile of 328 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$45,26824% more than year one

Median federal debt$33,42212th lowest of 14 Ohio programs

Debt-to-earnings92%Ohio median 74%, national 72%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Ohio and national columns are the medians across all social work bachelor's programs that report the figure.

	Youngstown State	Ohio	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$36,445	$37,985	$37,220
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$45,268	$47,226	$49,258
Median federal debt at graduation	$33,422	$27,708	$26,579
Debt as share of first-year pay	92%	74%	72%
Programs compared		14	328

Five years out, Youngstown State graduates earn less than the national figure and about $1,958 less than the Ohio median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Ohio social work program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Ohio medians.

Youngstown StateOther Ohio programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

What graduates earn over time

Pay rises about 24% between the first and fifth year.

Youngstown State grads, year 1$36,445

Youngstown State grads, year 5$45,268

All Ohio social work grads, year 5$47,226

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $354 a month, or 11.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (145 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	10% or less
Paying down the balance	10% or less
Paused payments (forbearance)	30–39%
In default	10% or less

The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual. Separately, 24 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $8,075.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

92% of graduates (54 of 59) were working in Ohio one year after graduating. Prices in the Youngstown area are about 13% below the national average, so a $36,445 salary here buys what about $41,702 buys in a typical US city.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to social work, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Child, Family, and School Social Workers

$51,520

Median pay in Ohio. 16,050 people work in this job in Ohio. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 33,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $39,810Top 10%: $75,850

Social and Community Service Managers

$73,890

Median pay in Ohio. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035, with about 18,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $47,970Top 10%: $108,830

Healthcare Social Workers

$63,610

Median pay in Ohio. 8,930 people work in this job in Ohio. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 9% from 2025 to 2035, with about 16,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.

Bottom 10%: $45,150Top 10%: $84,050

Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers

$46,080

Median pay in Ohio. 6,050 people work in this job in Ohio. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 10% from 2025 to 2035, with about 12,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.

Bottom 10%: $34,700Top 10%: $75,610

About Youngstown State

In-state tuition and fees	$11,113 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$11,473 / year
Average net price after aid	$12,767 / year
Admission rate	84%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	50%
Undergraduate students	7,961

Social Work ranks 20th of 36 bachelor's programs at Youngstown State by first-year earnings. The top three are Electrical Engineering ($74,799), Chemical Engineering ($69,609), and Industrial Engineering ($69,202).

Other social work bachelor's programs near Youngstown

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Youngstown StateYoungstown, OH · public		$36,445	$33,422
Slippery Rock University of PennsylvaniaSlippery Rock, PA · public	31 mi	$32,316	$27,000
University of AkronAkron, OH · public	45 mi	$37,541	$27,708
Franciscan University of SteubenvilleSteubenville, OH · private nonprofit	50 mi	$36,697	$27,000
University of PittsburghPittsburgh, PA · public	58 mi	$40,836	$22,000
Cleveland StateCleveland, OH · public	60 mi	$35,869	$33,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $36,445 one year after graduating and $45,268 five years after. The median across social work bachelor's programs in Ohio is $37,985.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of Ohio comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the social work program.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

Social Work bachelor's programs in Ohio, ranked14 programs by pay and debt Social Work bachelor's programs in the US, ranked328 programs by pay and debt All Youngstown State programs, ranked36 programs by pay and debt