Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers in Oklahoma
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$35,387
after federal, FICA and Oklahoma tax
Tax takes
$7,733
17.9% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$40,082
Oklahoma costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Oklahoma — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$43,120
Kept after tax
$35,387
Worth in national money
$40,082
State rank
48
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- The nominal figure here is modest. Oklahoma pays this job a middle wage of $43,120, 48 of 51 states and about 28.47% below the national middle. Hold that thought until the adjusted numbers.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 492 occupations Oklahoma reports figures for, this is number 345.
- Here is where Oklahoma does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $43,120 you keep $35,387, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $40,082 would elsewhere. The average is higher, $43,230, because the best-paid pull it up.
- Oklahoma's $43,120 median for mental health and substance abuse social workers places it 48 of 51 states, about 28.47% below national. Because both the tax and price adjustments tend to favor lower-nominal states, this ranking is the least stable of the three reported here.
- In Oklahoma's occupational distribution, mental health and substance abuse social workers sits at 345 of 492 — neither quartile. This local position is what a resident compares against, and it is determined by the state's own labor market rather than by national patterns for this occupation.
- After federal, FICA and Oklahoma income tax, retained pay for mental health and substance abuse social workers on $43,120 is $35,387. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $40,082 in national-average terms. ⚠️ That figure is purchasing power, not a wage, and nobody is paid it; it is what the take-home buys. The mean of $43,230 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $35,780 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $43,120 |
| Top tenth earn over | $52,930 |
| This salary | $43,120 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in Oklahoma | $35,387 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $36,827 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$2,185 |
The raise and the real gain point in opposite directions here.
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $41,328 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$2,642 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 88 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Treat $43,120 as a midpoint for Oklahoma, not a promise. The tenth percentile is $35,780 and the ninetieth is $52,930 — a wide band, and where you land in it depends on far more than the state.
- In Oklahoma the take-home figure of $35,387, from $43,120, assumes one filer, no dependants, and nothing paid into a pension before tax. Each of those lowers the bill, so treat it as the plain case. City and school-district income taxes are not included either, and in a few states those are real money. It ranks 345 of 492 occupations here.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $40,082 uses one figure for the whole of Oklahoma. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 492 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 345.
- The Oklahoma median of $43,120 describes the midpoint of a distribution spanning $35,780 to $52,930. Because that spread is typically larger than the interstate spread, a state median is a weak predictor for any individual worker in this occupation.
- Take-home for Oklahoma is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $35,387 from $43,120. Each omitted item reduces taxable income, so the figure is a lower bound on retained pay for this household shape. Municipal and school-district income taxes are excluded, which understates the burden materially in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The occupation ranks 345 of 492 locally.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $40,082, worked from $43,120, deflates by a statewide parity that conceals substantial intra-state variation, concentrated in housing — so it supports comparison between states rather than the pricing of a move to a particular Oklahoma address, on work sitting at 345 of 492 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $35,780 and the top tenth $52,930, so most people doing this work in Oklahoma sit within a fairly tight band.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
More than the figure suggests. Prices in Oklahoma sit below the national level, so take-home here stretches like $40,082 would elsewhere. The wage is the same; the ground it covers is larger.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Four deductions, stacked. The federal layer and the two payroll taxes apply wherever you work; Oklahoma then takes its own share, leaving $35,387.
Can I compare this job across every state?
All 51 jurisdictions report this work, which makes the ranking a like-for-like one.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($35,780 to $52,930) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Oklahoma rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Oklahoma's regional price parity is at or below the national average, so nominal wages understate purchasing power. Take-home deflated by the state price level is $40,082 in national-average terms. The adjustment uses an all-items index and does not isolate housing.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $35,387 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Oklahoma income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Is this occupation's state coverage complete?
State-level estimates are published for all 51 jurisdictions for this occupation, so cross-state comparison is not confounded by suppression. ⚠️ Estimates remain survey-based and carry sampling error; small differences between adjacent states should not be over-read.