SOC 21-1023 · Community and Social Service Occupations · May 2025

How much do Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers make in Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL?

In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers in Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL is $55,190. The 10th percentile is $37,460 and the 90th percentile is $73,390. Employment is 80.

Median annual wage

$55,190

10th percentile
$37,460
25th percentile
$44,040
Median
$55,190
75th percentile
$60,170
90th percentile
$73,390
Mean
$56,580

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

Paramedics seated in an ambulance
Paramedics in an ambulance. Photograph by Jim Legans, Jr.. Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0

Percentile spread

For Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers, the published 10th percentile is $37,460 and the 90th percentile is $73,390. The difference is $35,930, which is 65.1% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.

The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $44,040 to the 75th at $60,170, covers $16,130.

The mean annual wage is $56,580, which sits above the median of $55,190. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL median is 8.4% lower than the national median of $60,280 for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers. In 2024 national prices the local median is $56,814, which is 5.7% lower than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 7% higher than the Florida median of $51,590.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL is 97.141, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $55,190 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers at $56,814 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

12 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers. Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL ranks 3rd of 13 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).

  • Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL is 39 miles away, with a median of $49,940 and employment of 570. That median is 9.5% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $49,242, against $56,814 here.
  • Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL is 52 miles away, with a median of $52,730 and employment of 930. That median is 4.5% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $52,265, against $56,814 here.
  • North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL is 62 miles away, with a median of $53,300 and employment of 190. That median is 3.4% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $52,042, against $56,814 here.

Employment share

Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers accounts for 0.03% of wage-and-salary employment in Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL (80 of 265,280). Nationally the occupation is 0.09% of employment (132,810 of 155,495,730). The local share is 0.35 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.

Highest-paying jobs in Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL · Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers by metro · How to read these percentiles · Median and mean · When a wage is not published · How the figures are made · Compare this wage after prices

Questions this page answers

How much do Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers make in Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers in Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL is $55,190. The 10th percentile is $37,460 and the 90th percentile is $73,390. Employment is 80.

How does that compare with the national median for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers?

The local median is 8.4% lower than the national median of $60,280.

What is Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers pay in Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL after local prices?

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL is 97.141, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $55,190 is $56,814. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.

How does Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL compare with nearby metros for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers?

Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 39 miles away, at $49,940. Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL ranks 3rd of 13 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.