Best Community programs in California, ranked by enrollment
All community and social service specialists not listed.
87 schools in California run programs that feed this job, graduating 2,601 people a year. The job pays a median of $58,770 in California across about 16,250 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in California that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
7 programs in California that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in California (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 California page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 44.0000In California → | 1,562 | 60.1% | 66 | $35,168 | $29,279 |
| 2 | CIP 30.1701In California → | 817 | 31.4% | 16 | $36,206 | $29,240 |
| 3 | CIP 39.0701In California → | 134 | 5.2% | 12 | $32,226 | $26,000 |
| 4 | CIP 39.0799In California → | 50 | 1.9% | 3 | $32,226 | $26,000 |
| 5 | CIP 44.0201In California → | 22 | 0.8% | 1 | $39,102 | $27,000 |
| 6 | CIP 19.0711In California → | 15 | 0.6% | 1 | $31,642 | $23,092 |
| 7 | CIP 30.2502In California → | 1 | 0.0% | 1 | $41,362 | $17,750 |
Top 25 schools in California
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 4 of the 87 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of California - Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 486 | Behavioral Sciences | $28,709 | 75% | — | 66% |
| 2 | California State University - Fullerton Fullerton, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 205 | Human Services, General | — | 70% | — | 91% |
| 3 | Imperial Valley College Imperial, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 193 | Behavioral Sciences | — | 45% | — | — |
| 4 | California State University - Dominguez Hills Carson, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 80 | Human Services, General | — | 43% | — | 93% |
| 5 | California State University - Monterey Bay Seaside, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 75 | Human Services, General | $37,501 | 59% | — | 97% |
| 6 | Allan Hancock College Santa Maria, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 63 | Human Services, General | — | 26% | — | — |
| 7 | Folsom Lake College Folsom, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 61 | Human Services, General | — | 44% | — | — |
| 8 | Moreno Valley College Moreno Valley, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 61 | Human Services, General | — | 34% | — | — |
| 9 | The Master's University and Seminary Santa Clarita, CA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 54 | Pastoral Studies/Counseling | — | 68% | $30,641 | 84% |
| 10 | Southwestern College Chula Vista, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 53 | Human Services, General | — | 35% | — | — |
| 11 | Cerritos College Norwalk, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 50 | Human Services, General | — | 31% | — | — |
| 12 | San Diego City College San Diego, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 50 | Human Services, General | — | 30% | — | — |
| 13 | Columbia College Sonora, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 49 | Human Services, General | — | 27% | — | — |
| 14 | San Jose State University San Jose, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 47 | Behavioral Sciences | — | 69% | — | 85% |
| 15 | Fresno City College Fresno, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 45 | Human Services, General | — | 24% | — | — |
| 16 | Long Beach City College Long Beach, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 44 | Human Services, General | — | 30% | — | — |
| 17 | Life Pacific University San Dimas, CA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 42 | Pastoral Studies/Counseling | $37,436 | 40% | $23,832 | 96% |
| 18 | Santa Ana College Santa Ana, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 37 | Human Services, General | — | 31% | — | — |
| 19 | College of the Redwoods Eureka, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 36 | Human Services, General | — | 34% | — | — |
| 20 | Cuyamaca College El Cajon, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 36 | Human Services, General | — | 41% | — | — |
| 21 | American River College Sacramento, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 34 | Behavioral Sciences | — | 37% | — | — |
| 22 | Rio Hondo College Whittier, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 34 | Human Services, General | — | 25% | — | — |
| 23 | World Mission University Los Angeles, CA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 32 | Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries, Other | — | 100% | $16,598 | — |
| 24 | Solano Community College Fairfield, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 30 | Human Services, General | — | 36% | — | — |
| 25 | Cabrillo College Aptos, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 29 | Human Services, General | — | 38% | — | — |
All 87 schools in California
Every school in California 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.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of California - Santa Cruz | Santa Cruz | Public | 486 | 2 |
| California State University - Fullerton | Fullerton | Public | 205 | 1 |
| Imperial Valley College | Imperial | Public | 193 | 1 |
| California State University - Dominguez Hills | Carson | Public | 80 | 2 |
| California State University - Monterey Bay | Seaside | Public | 75 | 1 |
| Allan Hancock College | Santa Maria | Public | 63 | 1 |
| Folsom Lake College | Folsom | Public | 61 | 1 |
| Moreno Valley College | Moreno Valley | Public | 61 | 1 |
| The Master's University and Seminary | Santa Clarita | Private not-for-profit | 54 | 2 |
| Southwestern College | Chula Vista | Public | 53 | 1 |
| Cerritos College | Norwalk | Public | 50 | 1 |
| San Diego City College | San Diego | Public | 50 | 1 |
| Columbia College | Sonora | Public | 49 | 1 |
| San Jose State University | San Jose | Public | 47 | 1 |
| Fresno City College | Fresno | Public | 45 | 1 |
What community and social service specialists, all other earn in California
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $56,730. California pays above the national figure.
Concentrated here: California employs more of this job per worker than the U.S. average.
Metro areas in California
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
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 Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other page.
How to become a Community
- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in California
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 9 majors mapped to Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other9 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 19.0710Developmental Services Worker
- 19.0711Early Childhood and Family Studies
- 19.0712Parent Education Services
- 30.1701Behavioral Sciences
- 30.2502Contemplative Studies/Inquiry
- 39.0701Pastoral Studies/Counseling
- 39.0799Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries, Other
- 44.0000Human Services, General
- 44.0201Community Organization and Advocacy
Common questions
Answers for people weighing community and social service specialists, all other programs in California.
What degree do you need to become a Community?+
Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Human Services, General, which awarded 1,562 degrees in California in 2024-25, 60.1% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Community?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 7 programs to this occupation. The largest are Human Services, Behavioral Sciences, Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries, Community Organization and Advocacy, plus 2 more. Together they graduate about 2,601 people a year in California.
How much do community and social service specialists, all other earn in California?+
The median is $58,770 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 3.6% above the U.S. median of $56,730. 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 community and social service specialists, all other growing?+
BLS projects a +4.6% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 13,100 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in California?+
87 institutions in California 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.
Do you need training or experience beyond a degree?+
BLS lists 'None' for related work experience and 'None' for on-the-job training typically needed to reach competency.
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 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected 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 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, 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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