Best Online Social Work Programs in Winter Haven, FL (2026)

Winter Haven, Florida has 5 accredited schools offering social work programs, with tuition ranging from $28,360 to $41,727 per year for indexed programs. Winter Haven has a population of about 52,846. Median household income is $59,604 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 22.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL metro area, the top-earning social work-related role is Social and Community Service Manager at a median $70,400 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Social Work Schools to Winter Haven

The 5 accredited institutions below are the closest among the 5 schools in our directory that offer social work programs near Winter Haven. Distances are calculated from Winter Haven city center.

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:

  • 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 Winter Haven. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

Warner University

Lake Wales, FL 10.5 miles from Winter Haven BOC Score36.5
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#2

Southeastern University

Lakeland, FL 13.2 miles from Winter Haven BOC Score32.6
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#3

Saint Leo University

Saint Leo, FL 40.7 miles from Winter Haven BOC Score32.0
Published tuition$28,360 - $41,727
Online programsYes

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#4

University of South Florida

Tampa, FL 43.5 miles from Winter Haven BOC Score81.7
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#5

University of Central Florida

Orlando, FL 50.9 miles from Winter Haven BOC Score80.8
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

Visit website

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Florida schools on the Florida social work page.


Social Work Wages Near Winter Haven

Winter Haven is part of the Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL metro area (BLS area code 29460). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Florida statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Child, Family, and School Social Worker$53,800Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL$55,407
Healthcare Social Worker$69,810Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL$71,895
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker$55,190Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL$56,838
Social Worker, All Other$51,500Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL$53,038
Social and Community Service Manager$70,400Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL$72,503
Social and Human Service Assistant$41,290Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL$42,523
Community Health Worker$45,420FL statewide$46,777

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.


Winter Haven at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population52,846Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$59,604Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+22.2%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)97.1 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024
Social Work-related employment in Polk County3,764 workers, 636 establishmentsBLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Winter Haven-Area Cities With Social Work Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited social work schools are near Winter Haven, FL?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering social work programs near Winter Haven. The closest is Warner University in Lake Wales, FL (10.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of Central Florida (50.9 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying social work roles near Winter Haven?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying social work-related roles near Winter Haven are: Social and Community Service Manager ($70,400), Healthcare Social Worker ($69,810), Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker ($55,190). 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 Haines City instead of Winter Haven?

Haines City, FL is 8.5 miles from Winter Haven and has its own set of local social work programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Winter Haven an affordable place to study social work?

Winter Haven’s median household income of $59,604 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Winter Haven 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 Social Work Programs

Other Programs Available in Winter Haven

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Winter Haven:

Data verified: June 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.