Can a Social Worker afford to live in Columbus?

Comfortable19% of take-home left to save — solid margin to save and invest.
Median salary (gross)
Social Worker · Columbus
$47,820
Income tax (~20% effective)
United States
– $9,408
Take-home pay
$3,201/mo
$38,412
Living costs (1 person)
$2,580/mo · derived
– $30,960
Savings potential
$621/mo · 19% of take-home
$7,452

Single professional, after-tax. Salary − tax − living costs = what you could save each year.

Full salary breakdown →Is this a good salary in Columbus? →Compare Columbus with another city →

How we calculated this

• Salary: BLS OEWS 2025 metro-area survey median for Social Worker, adjusted for Columbus.

• Tax: United States single-filer effective rate (~20%). Official calculator.

• Living costs: derived from cost-of-living index for a single professional.

Planning estimates, not financial or tax advice. Updated 2026. Your situation will differ.