Alabama·Management Occupations·SOC 11-9151

Best Social programs in Alabama, ranked by enrollment

Plan, direct, or coordinate the activities of a social service program or community outreach organization.

45 schools in Alabama run programs that feed this job, graduating 8,456 people a year. The job pays a median of $72,310 in Alabama across about 2,350 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledSocial Services DirectorTransitional Care DirectorChild Welfare Services DirectorVocational Rehabilitation AdministratorCase ManagerClub ManagerParole DirectorProgram Manager
Graduates / yr
8,456
in Alabama
Median pay · Alabama
$72,310
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
2,350
people employed
Schools
45
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
41%
across those schools
Median net price
$20,803
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Alabama that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.

7 programs in Alabama that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Alabama (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Alabama page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
CIP 52.0201In Alabama
6,489
76.7%
41$43,506$25,000
2
CIP 44.0701In Alabama
878
10.4%
17$37,264$26,140
3
CIP 52.0101In Alabama
653
7.7%
12$44,700$24,000
4
CIP 44.0401In Alabama
379
4.5%
12$45,374$26,000
5
CIP 44.0000In Alabama
48
0.6%
1$35,168$29,279
6
CIP 30.1701In Alabama
8
0.1%
1$36,206$29,240
7
CIP 44.0702In Alabama
1
0.0%
1$37,264$26,140

Top 25 schools in Alabama

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 21 of the 45 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Columbia Southern University
Orange Beach, AL Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs
2,179Business Administration and Management, General$58,46833%$15,554
2The University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, AL Public · 4 feeder programs
909Business Administration and Management, General$48,66873%77%
3Troy University
Troy, AL Public · 4 feeder programs
822Business Administration and Management, General$45,26050%96%
4Auburn University
Auburn, AL Public · 3 feeder programs
761Business Administration and Management, General$56,94882%46%
5University of North Alabama
Florence, AL Public · 2 feeder programs
549Business Administration and Management, General$35,05755%87%
6University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham, AL Public · 3 feeder programs
491Business Administration and Management, General$45,76164%88%
7John C Calhoun State Community College
Tanner, AL Public · 1 feeder programs
373Business Administration and Management, General41%
8Faulkner University
Montgomery, AL Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
276Business Administration and Management, General$36,99037%$25,80173%
9Jacksonville State University
Jacksonville, AL Public · 3 feeder programs
225Business Administration and Management, General$39,72955%78%
10Strayer University - Alabama
Birmingham, AL Private for-profit · 3 feeder programs
178Business/Commerce, General$55,4310%$22,923
11University of Alabama in Huntsville
Huntsville, AL Public · 3 feeder programs
163Business Administration and Management, General$39,47664%69%
12Alabama A & M University
Normal, AL Public · 3 feeder programs
138Business Administration and Management, General$40,18324%58%
13University of South Alabama
Mobile, AL Public · 4 feeder programs
130Business Administration and Management, General$44,34853%71%
14University of West Alabama
Livingston, AL Public · 1 feeder programs
128Business Administration and Management, General$36,92035%43%
15Samford University
Birmingham, AL Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs
120Business Administration and Management, General77%$28,16082%
16Alabama State University
Montgomery, AL Public · 2 feeder programs
103Business Administration and Management, General$28,44730%98%
17Athens State University
Athens, AL Public · 2 feeder programs
97Business Administration and Management, General$49,436
18Tuskegee University
Tuskegee, AL Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
73Business Administration and Management, General$46,12355%$33,31349%
19University of Montevallo
Montevallo, AL Public · 2 feeder programs
73Business Administration and Management, General54%54%
20Talladega College
Talladega, AL Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
64Business Administration and Management, General$27,56831%$15,80785%
21Miles College
Fairfield, AL Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
62Business Administration and Management, General16%$16,735
22University of Mobile
Mobile, AL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
59Business Administration and Management, General$35,81957%$19,81778%
23Spring Hill College
Mobile, AL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
52Business Administration and Management, General52%$14,11977%
24Auburn University at Montgomery
Montgomery, AL Public · 4 feeder programs
47Business/Commerce, General33%92%
25Coastal Alabama Community College
Bay Minette, AL Public · 1 feeder programs
41Business Administration and Management, General31%

All 45 schools in Alabama

Every school in Alabama with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.

All schools in Alabama that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Columbia Southern UniversityOrange BeachPrivate for-profit2,1792
The University of AlabamaTuscaloosaPublic9094
Troy UniversityTroyPublic8224
Auburn UniversityAuburnPublic7613
University of North AlabamaFlorencePublic5492
University of Alabama at BirminghamBirminghamPublic4913
John C Calhoun State Community CollegeTannerPublic3731
Faulkner UniversityMontgomeryPrivate not-for-profit2762
Jacksonville State UniversityJacksonvillePublic2253
Strayer University - AlabamaBirminghamPrivate for-profit1783
University of Alabama in HuntsvilleHuntsvillePublic1633
Alabama A & M UniversityNormalPublic1383
University of South AlabamaMobilePublic1304
University of West AlabamaLivingstonPublic1281
Samford UniversityBirminghamPrivate not-for-profit1204

What social and community service managers earn in Alabama

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual in Alabama
$72,310
Mean annual
$77,910
Jobs in state
2,350
What the range looks like
10th pct$46,010Median$72,31090th pct$121,090
Versus the national median
-10.1%

U.S. median $80,390. Alabama pays below the national figure.

Job concentration
0.83×

1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.

Metro areas in Alabama

Auburn-Opelika, AL
$74,970median
80 jobs
Huntsville, AL
$74,400median
180 jobs
Birmingham, AL
$74,450median
630 jobs
Decatur, AL
$72,970median
60 jobs
Tuscaloosa, AL
$71,250median
150 jobs
Gadsden, AL
$73,920median
50 jobs
Mobile, AL
$71,230median
190 jobs
Montgomery, AL
$70,900median
380 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+6.4%
Faster than average
Openings per year
18,600
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
14,100
219,800 → 233,900
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree

Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.

How to get in

The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Social and Community Service Managers page.

How to become a Social

Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree
Work experience needed
Less than 5 years

Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Top skills

Active LearningActive ListeningCritical ThinkingMonitoringWritingReading Comprehension

The same job in other states

Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.

Related careers in Alabama

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 12 majors mapped to Social and Community Service Managers12 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 30.1701Behavioral Sciences
  • 30.5301Thanatology
  • 44.0000Human Services, General
  • 44.0201Community Organization and Advocacy
  • 44.0401Public Administration
  • 44.0701Social Work
  • 44.0702Youth Services/Administration
  • 44.0703Forensic Social Work
  • 44.0799Social Work, Other
  • 52.0101Business/Commerce, General
  • 52.0201Business Administration and Management, General
  • 52.0206Non-Profit/Public/Organizational Management

Common questions

Answers for people weighing social and community service managers programs in Alabama.

What degree do you need to become a Social?+

Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Business Administration and Management, General, which awarded 6,489 degrees in Alabama in 2024-25, 76.7% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Social?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 7 programs to this occupation. The largest are Business Administration, Social Work, Business/Commerce, Public Administration, plus 2 more. Together they graduate about 8,456 people a year in Alabama.

How much do social and community service managers earn in Alabama?+

The median is $72,310 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 10.1% below the U.S. median of $80,390. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Is demand for social and community service managers growing?+

BLS projects a +6.4% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, faster than average, with roughly 18,600 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career in Alabama?+

45 institutions in Alabama reported graduates from at least one of the 7 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

What other job titles do social and community service managers work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Social Services Director, Transitional Care Director, Child Welfare Services Director, Vocational Rehabilitation Administrator among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 11-9151.

Social and Community Service Managers in other statesCaliforniaTexasArizonaNew YorkFloridaIndianaNorth CarolinaMassachusetts

About the data on this page

Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).

  • BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics

    May 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.

  • IPEDS Completions

    2024-25 (provisional)

    Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.

  • College Scorecard, Field of Study

    2020-21 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.

    Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA

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