Escambia County can seem like a kind of afterthought on the Florida panhandle. A thin slice of territory carved out at the very westernmost tip of the state, it’s easily overshadowed by the glitz of Tampa or the sunbaked beaches of the broad Atlantic coast. But the fact is that Escambia was Florida’s first county.
And the oldest county in Florida has some of the oldest problems:
- A county jail investigated by the U.S. Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and found to routinely violate prisoner’s 14th Amendment rights
- Escambia county health outcomes rank below average for both the United States and Florida specifically
- A 2020 survey revealed that most residents believe that systemic racism still plagues the community, some 160 years after slavery was officially ended in the state
The Blue Angels may soar overhead through the blue skies of Escambia County, but down on the ground, not everybody feels that sense of freedom.
It’s an environment that is ripe for assistance from professional social workers. And, fortunately, there’s a great local resource for training those professionals.
What Do Social Workers Do in Pensacola and Throughout Escambia County?
For all the problems you’ll find in Escambia County and Pensacola, it’s a little slice of America. It’s right on the money in terms of population diversity, housing, and education.
But Escambia residents also have unique needs when it comes to social services.
Unusual for Florida, the percentage of residents of Escambia County who identify as Hispanic or Latino is only 7 percent, well below Florida’s typical 27 percent, or even the national average of around 19 percent.
While social work here mirrors the larger demands of human services jobs across Florida and the United States, there are local twists that make positions in Escambia unique—and uniquely rewarding for those who have the training, the heart, and the spirit to step up as social workers in any of these roles here.
Military Social Work Jobs in Escambia County
You can’t talk about culture and society in Pensacola without talking about the military. The Pensacola Naval Complex is home to more than 16,000 personnel and employs over 7,000 local civilian workers. And plenty of the service members who rotate through here over the years decide it’s a fine place to make a life after discharge: social workers in Escambia County will find a population that is more than 13 percent veterans, 9th most in the state with over 33,300 living here according to 2023 U.S. Census estimates.
That makes military social work and social workers who have the training and experience to handle the unique needs of service members and vets a big priority in Escambia. Naval Hospital Pensacola is one of the places in Florida you are most likely to find active-duty military social work positions, with over 60 billets that serve TRICARE beneficiaries dealing with behavioral health needs.
The Haunting History of Slavery at the Pensacola Navy Yard
The deepwater port of Pensacola Bay was what drew the Spanish to Escambia in the first place, and it’s a feature that has made Pensacola an important military base since it was founded.
Unfortunately, this history comes with stains as well as honors. In the pre-Civil War period, the Pensacola Navy Yard had trouble attracting qualified labor. Like many areas in the South, it turned to Black slaves to cover the gap.
From the 1820s through the Civil War, thousands of slave laborers dug the foundations, laid the bricks, and erected the buildings of Fort Barrancas, Fort Pickens, and the Navy Yard Hospital.
Records don’t exist of how many died in the work. But in conditions so harsh that white laborers refused to take those jobs, the numbers were probably not small.
Today, Pensacola is a diverse and thriving community where individuals of all races mix. But it was built on a legacy that has yet to be dealt with.
Gerontology Social Work Jobs in Escambia County
Escambia is unusual in Florida in that the population of older adults is actually shrinking—down from over 80,000 in 2018 to fewer than 60,000 in 2020 according to the Northwest Florida Area Agency on Aging. But, unfortunately, more than 80 percent of those individuals are living at or below the poverty line. That means Escambia desperately needs resources for social services focused on older adults.
The Council on Aging of West Florida is one such resource, hiring case managers, offering in-home services, and maintaining a Community Care Closet for older citizens in need of medical devices, nutritional supplements, or incontinence care supplies. Social workers there and at similar agencies provide support, advocacy, and assistance for seniors and their families through the golden years of life.
Medical and Healthcare Social Work Jobs in Escambia County
Baptist Health Care and Sacred Heart Health Systems are the second and third largest employers in Escambia County, so you can expect that medical social work jobs will make up a healthy proportion of the total employment in the county.
From Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola all the way up to Century Adult and Family Care on the Alabama state line, you’ll find facilities that cater to the full range of medical needs facing Floridians today. Pediatrics, oncology, and other specialty areas need social services experts to cover discharge planning and aftercare needs. There are also positions in patient assessment and psychosocial counseling available, such as Master Social Work positions with Fresenius Medical Care assisting patients with chronic kidney disease.
Child Welfare Social Work Jobs in Escambia County
Unfortunately, Escambia County urgently needs assistance in child health and welfare services. According to a 2024 report by the Florida Policy Institute, Escambia ranks 56th out of the 67 counties in the state for child well-being.
In places like the Gulf Coast Kids House in Pensacola or through Lakeview Center, family care services that deliver assessments and recommendations for behavioral health and medical care can make a huge difference for kids in need. Licensed clinical social workers can also provide direct therapeutic services through specialized foster care and other supervised settings. The Marilyn Kapner Levin Center for Children’s Advocacy and Child Abuse Prevention offers another way to help, through intervention, investigation, and prosecution of abuse cases throughout Escambia County.
The Pensacola Bay Area also offers social work positions in juvenile and family services, such as at the AMIKids Escambia Boys Base, where young men discover their potential and are set on the path to success with healthy developmental role models.
Substance Abuse Social Work Jobs in Escambia County
Perhaps related to the low ratings the county gets in child welfare in general, it’s also a place where kids are far more likely to engage in substance abuse than elsewhere in the state. The 2022 Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey revealed that Escambia kids are more likely to engage in:
- High-risk alcohol use
- Cigarette smoking
- Marijuana use
Of course, kids that have substance use disorders often turn into adults with substance use disorders. Florida Department of Health stats for 2022 show EMS responses resulting in Naloxone administration spiking, while non-fatal overdose ER visits continued to rise.
Social workers, either with additional Florida state licensing in substance use disorders or with their own clinical social work licenses, will find roles at a range of organizations, such as Lakeview Center or Twelve Oaks Recovery. With a strong education in both the biological and chemical bases of addiction as well as an overview of the social and environmental factors that perpetuate substance abuse disorders, they have real chance of pulling Escambia’s addiction patients back from the brink.
School Social Work Jobs in Escambia County
As elsewhere, school social workers in Escambia County are the crucial link between families, students, and community services. They serve a dual role on the job: promoting student success while quietly evaluating student safety.
Escambia County Public Schools has a dedicated Social Work Department with seven social workers on staff to cover elementary, middle, and high schools across the county, including the city of Pensacola. There aren’t a lot of jobs in this field, but there’s a lot of territory to cover, and dedication and a positive attitude may land you a spot if you get lucky.
Mental Health Social Work Jobs in Escambia County
Pensacola has the same broad blend of inpatient and outpatient counseling services for mental and behavioral health as any modern American city. Mostly operated by private companies like Ellie Mental Health or Chrysalis Health, you’ll also find positions in this role posted by major healthcare providers like HCA.
As a result of various historic issues in Escambia County Jail, you’ll find an unfortunately high percentage of job listings for mental health counseling posted by the Corrections Department.
These positions almost always require an LCSW license but get into the real meat of solving client problems. With the right resources and an overview of the social and environmental factors that contribute to mental health issues, social workers are perfectly poised to make a difference in this role.
Unhoused Social Work Jobs in Escambia County
Reducing homelessness and creating more affordable housing ranked as the second highest concern among Pensacola residents in 2023. Social workers here working with the Pensacola Homelessness Reduction Task Force, fueled by a $4 million federal grant awarded in 2022, have an ambitious goal of reducing the problem by 25 percent by 2025.
More than a dozen organizations here are involved and provide a wealth of opportunities for social workers interested in digging into the local corner of a national problem of housing the unhoused. Partnerships within the community are helping to create new opportunities for engagement, while updates in technology are putting social work professionals on the same page. This is a perfect area for anyone with a CMSW (Certified Master Social Worker) credential to dig in and help organize the effort to get people off the street.
Criminal Justice Social Work Jobs in Escambia County
There’s little question that the Escambia County Jail is a hotspot for forensic social work in the state of Florida. In 2013, it was investigated by the Department of Justice and found to have engaged in discrimination against Black prisoners, neglected mental health concerns, and had a lax approach to prisoner safety. The next year, really driving the point home, it exploded, killing two inmates and injuring 184 others.
Consequently, the county has placed a lot of emphasis on improving sheriff’s office programs dealing with jail safety and mental health concerns in general. The ECSO Mental Health Unit collaborates with mental health professionals and offers care and resources to community members in need. The Corrections Department is on the lookout for licensed clinical social workers to join the team providing important therapy and transition services.
Social Work Jobs in Escambia County Salary Levels
Northwest Florida is an area of the state known for a relatively low cost of living. That’s reflected in the average salaries for social workers here, which are generally below the state averages in every category.
However, as with every Florida county, your choice of specialization can make a great deal of difference in your salary range, as you can see from salary data for the Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Occupation | Employment | Annual mean wage | Annual median wage | Annual 75th percentile wage | Annual 90th percentile wage |
Child, Family, and School Social Workers | 340 | $43,890 | $39,160 | $47,500 | $61,270 |
Healthcare Social Workers | 180 | $56,640 | $57,710 | $64,740 | $77,210 |
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers | 80 | $54,930 | $56,250 | $64,750 | $65,010 |
Social Workers, All Other | 170 | $55,330 | $45,410 | $66,660 | $93,870 |
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Of course, as you gain experience and develop your expertise in any of those areas, you can climb the ladder toward the top ten percent of earners. For some positions, that can bring you more than $90,000 per year… a very solid living in laid-back Escambia County.
2023 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary and employment figures for Social Workers reflect national data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed October 2024.