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

How much do Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers make in Waco, TX?

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 Waco, TX is $42,140. The 10th percentile is $35,670 and the 90th percentile is $64,660. Employment is 180.

Median annual wage

$42,140

10th percentile
$35,670
25th percentile
$42,140
Median
$42,140
75th percentile
$49,880
90th percentile
$64,660
Mean
$46,310

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

Farmworkers picking asparagus in a field in Baja California
Asparagus pickers in the Maneadero valley, Baja California. Photograph by Tomas Castelazo. Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Percentile spread

For Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers, the published 10th percentile is $35,670 and the 90th percentile is $64,660. The difference is $28,990, which is 68.8% 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 $42,140 to the 75th at $49,880, covers $7,740.

The mean annual wage is $46,310, which sits above the median of $42,140. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Waco, TX median is 30.1% lower than the national median of $60,280 for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers. In 2024 national prices the local median is $45,532, which is 24.5% lower than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 9.6% lower than the Texas median of $46,630.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Waco, TX is 92.550, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $42,140 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers at $45,532 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

10 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers. Waco, TX ranks 10th of 11 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).).

  • Killeen-Temple, TX is 40 miles away, with a median of $45,640 and employment of 90. That median is 8.3% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $50,081, against $45,532 here.
  • College Station-Bryan, TX is 75 miles away, with a median of $49,850 and employment of 130. That median is 18.3% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $54,810, against $45,532 here.
  • Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX is 89 miles away, with a median of $47,390 and employment of 2,720. That median is 12.5% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $45,970, against $45,532 here.

Employment share

Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers accounts for 0.14% of wage-and-salary employment in Waco, TX (180 of 129,860). Nationally the occupation is 0.09% of employment (132,810 of 155,495,730). The local share is 1.62 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 Waco, TX · 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 Waco, TX?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers in Waco, TX is $42,140. The 10th percentile is $35,670 and the 90th percentile is $64,660. Employment is 180.

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

The local median is 30.1% lower than the national median of $60,280.

What is Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers pay in Waco, TX after local prices?

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Waco, TX is 92.550, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $42,140 is $45,532. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.

How does Waco, TX compare with nearby metros for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers?

Killeen-Temple, TX is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 40 miles away, at $45,640. Waco, TX ranks 10th of 11 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.