BLS metro-level wage data places Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers pay in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO at a median of $70,920 per year ($34.10/hr/hour), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared to the national median of $60,280, Denver-Aurora-Centennial pays +18% above, signaling either concentrated employer demand, a cost-of-living premium, or both. Approximately 900 mental health and substance abuse social workerss are employed across the Denver-Aurora-Centennial MSA in SOC 21-1023.

The Denver-Aurora-Centennial pay distribution spans from $49,320 at the 10th percentile to $95,590 at the 90th — a 1.9× spread that reflects experience tenure, specialization, employer size, and the difference between public-sector, nonprofit, and private-sector compensation inside the metro. The 25th percentile sits at $58,390 and the 75th at $80,990, so half of Denver-Aurora-Centennial-based mental health and substance abuse social workerss earn within that middle band.

Metro figures capture where you actually work, not just where you live — which matters for commuters. BLS draws metro boundaries from the OMB MSA definitions, so Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO covers the central city plus outlying counties tied to the metro economically. Remember that OEWS wages reflect base pay only: employer-provided health insurance, retirement matches, stock options, signing bonuses, overtime, and tips are excluded and can add 20-40% to real total compensation. Before using this metro median as a negotiation anchor, triangulate against the same occupation's national profile (linked below), its state-wide CO data, and peer-metro comparisons — a median is a starting point, not a ceiling.