Fort Walton Beach, Florida has 1 accredited school offering mental health counseling programs, with tuition ranging from $26,910 to $26,910 per year for indexed programs. Fort Walton Beach has a population of about 20,956. Median household income is $66,556 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 27.8% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL metro area, the top-earning mental health counseling-related role is Clinical and Counseling Psychologist at a median $105,570 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Mental Health Counseling Schools to Fort Walton Beach
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer mental health counseling programs near Fort Walton Beach, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Fort Walton Beach city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.
How We Rank Schools
Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most
recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS).
To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the
U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked
against schools at the same credential level:
BOCSCORE
- Graduation rate 30%
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
- Average net price (lower is better) 20%
- Retention rate 15%
- Fully online availability 10%
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score.
On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Fort Walton Beach.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
89%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$71,588
Avg net price
$6,541/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 97%
- Programs offered: 49
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
65%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$56,343
Avg net price
$10,154/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 83%
- Programs offered: 44
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
53%
Graduation rate
43%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$46,744
Avg net price
$31,942/yr
TuitionIn‑state$32,950
Out‑of‑state$32,950
Key stats- Retention rate: 71%
- Programs offered: 39
Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
72%
Graduation rate
63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$51,642
Avg net price
$19,372/yr
TuitionIn‑state$57,410
Out‑of‑state$57,410
Key stats- Retention rate: 75%
- Programs offered: 23
Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
73%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$58,295
Avg net price
$34,732/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 85%
- Programs offered: 14
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
40%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$34,421
Avg net price
$20,271/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 54%
- Programs offered: 12
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$49,232
Avg net price
$28,354/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 67%
- Programs offered: 24
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
73%
Graduation rate
52%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$49,006
Avg net price
$44,089/yr
TuitionIn‑state$44,480
Out‑of‑state$44,480
Key stats- Retention rate: 74%
- Programs offered: 29
Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Florida schools on the Florida mental health counseling page.
Mental Health Counseling Wages Near Fort Walton Beach
Fort Walton Beach is part of the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL metro area (BLS area code 18880). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Florida statewide.
| Occupation | Median Wage | Source | COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
|---|
| Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor | $55,270 | Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL | $56,979 |
| Marriage and Family Therapist | $56,400 | FL statewide | $58,144 |
| Clinical and Counseling Psychologist | $105,570 | Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL | $108,835 |
| Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker | $46,630 | Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL | $48,072 |
Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.
Fort Walton Beach at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Population | 20,956 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $66,556 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 27.8% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 97.0 (below U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Fort Walton Beach-Area Cities With Mental Health Counseling Programs
- Crestview, FL – 22.5 mi away (36,433 pop)
- Pensacola, FL – 33.9 mi away (352,187 pop)
- Lynn Haven, FL – 59.9 mi away (20,850 pop)
- Panama City, FL – 61.9 mi away (147,788 pop)
- Foley, AL – 62.5 mi away (28,043 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited mental health counseling schools are near Fort Walton Beach, FL?
Our directory has 1 accredited schools offering mental health counseling programs near Fort Walton Beach. The closest is University of Mobile in Mobile, AL (93.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of Mobile (93.3 miles). 1 of the highlighted schools is flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying mental health counseling roles near Fort Walton Beach?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying mental health counseling-related roles near Fort Walton Beach are: Clinical and Counseling Psychologist ($105,570), Marriage and Family Therapist ($56,400), Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor ($55,270). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Florida statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Crestview instead of Fort Walton Beach?
Crestview, FL is 22.5 miles from Fort Walton Beach and has its own set of local mental health counseling programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is Fort Walton Beach an affordable place to study mental health counseling?
Fort Walton Beach’s median household income of $66,556 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Fort Walton Beach while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Florida public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.
How do I verify a program is accredited?
Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.
Learn More About Mental Health Counseling Programs
Other Programs Available in Fort Walton Beach
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Fort Walton Beach:
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- Emergency Management programs in Fort Walton Beach, FL
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- Mobile App Development programs in Fort Walton Beach, FL
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- User Experience programs in Fort Walton Beach, FL
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- Project Management programs in Fort Walton Beach, FL
- Special Education programs in Fort Walton Beach, FL
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- Marketing programs in Fort Walton Beach, FL
- Finance programs in Fort Walton Beach, FL
- Kinesiology programs in Fort Walton Beach, FL
- Sports Management programs in Fort Walton Beach, FL
- Early Childhood Education programs in Fort Walton Beach, FL
- Elementary Education programs in Fort Walton Beach, FL
- Biology programs in Fort Walton Beach, FL
- Communications programs in Fort Walton Beach, FL
- Graphic Design programs in Fort Walton Beach, FL
- Human Services programs in Fort Walton Beach, FL
- MBA programs in Fort Walton Beach, FL
- Criminal Justice programs in Fort Walton Beach, FL
- Nursing programs in Fort Walton Beach, FL
- Business Administration programs in Fort Walton Beach, FL
- Computer Science programs in Fort Walton Beach, FL
- Psychology programs in Fort Walton Beach, FL
- Education programs in Fort Walton Beach, FL
- Engineering programs in Fort Walton Beach, FL
- Technology programs in Fort Walton Beach, FL
- Liberal Arts programs in Fort Walton Beach, FL
- Healthcare programs in Fort Walton Beach, FL
- Cybersecurity programs in Fort Walton Beach, FL
- Accounting programs in Fort Walton Beach, FL
- Healthcare Administration programs in Fort Walton Beach, FL
- Social Work programs in Fort Walton Beach, FL
- Counseling programs in Fort Walton Beach, FL
Data verified: August 11, 2026.
Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.
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