BLS metro-level wage data places Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers pay in Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA at a median of $68,800 per year ($33.08/hr/hour), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared to the national median of $60,280, Staunton-Stuarts Draft pays +14% above, signaling either concentrated employer demand, a cost-of-living premium, or both. Approximately 50 mental health and substance abuse social workerss are employed across the Staunton-Stuarts Draft MSA in SOC 21-1023.

The Staunton-Stuarts Draft pay distribution spans from $48,950 at the 10th percentile to $94,690 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 $57,520 and the 75th at $75,100, so half of Staunton-Stuarts Draft-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 Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA 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 VA data, and peer-metro comparisons — a median is a starting point, not a ceiling.