Best degree programs for Social and Community Service Managers, ranked by enrollment
12 college programs and 2,570 schools train Social and Community Service Managers. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $80,390 median wage, 209,330 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
12 college programs at 2,570 schools train social and community service managers, graduating 505,494 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Business Administration and Management, General. The job pays a median of $80,390 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About social and community service managers
Plan, direct, or coordinate the activities of a social service program or community outreach organization. Oversee the program or organization's budget and policies regarding participant involvement, program requirements, and benefits. Work may involve directing social workers, counselors, or probation officers.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
12 degree programs that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 52.0201 | 348,906 | 69.0% | 2,305 | $43,506 | $25,000 |
| 2 | CIP 52.0101 | 60,975 | 12.1% | 806 | $44,700 | $24,000 |
| 3 | CIP 44.0701 | 56,891 | 11.3% | 786 | $37,264 | $26,140 |
| 4 | CIP 44.0401 | 13,652 | 2.7% | 431 | $45,374 | $26,000 |
| 5 | CIP 44.0000 | 12,186 | 2.4% | 433 | $35,168 | $29,279 |
| 6 | CIP 30.1701 | 6,635 | 1.3% | 123 | $36,206 | $29,240 |
| 7 | Community Organization and Advocacymain feeder CIP 44.0201 | 3,003 | 0.6% | 105 | $39,102 | $27,000 |
| 8 | CIP 52.0206 | 2,409 | 0.5% | 175 | $43,506 | $25,000 |
| 9 | CIP 44.0799 | 556 | 0.1% | 31 | $37,264 | $26,140 |
| 10 | CIP 44.0702 | 231 | 0.0% | 22 | $37,264 | $26,140 |
| 11 | CIP 44.0703 | 31 | 0.0% | 2 | $37,264 | $26,140 |
| 12 | Thanatologymain feeder CIP 30.5301 | 19 | 0.0% | 2 | — | — |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
What social and community service managers earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $83,210 | 33,510 | 1.37× | 226 | 67,771 |
| Texas | $76,520 | 13,460 | 0.71× | 146 | 35,007 |
| Arizona | $77,550 | 3,010 | 0.69× | 38 | 29,922 |
| New York | $95,980 | 19,340 | 1.48× | 146 | 25,103 |
| Florida | $76,050 | 8,600 | 0.64× | 101 | 23,915 |
| Indiana | $73,940 | 2,950 | 0.68× | 48 | 22,048 |
| North Carolina | $79,590 | 4,970 | 0.75× | 112 | 16,625 |
| Massachusetts | $81,380 | 8,800 | 1.80× | 67 | 15,512 |
| Virginia | $94,970 | 3,300 | 0.60× | 65 | 14,613 |
| Pennsylvania | $75,280 | 10,220 | 1.25× | 129 | 13,788 |
| New Hampshire | $82,290 | 1,180 | 1.28× | 19 | 13,661 |
| Illinois | $78,380 | 7,520 | 0.92× | 94 | 13,600 |
| Colorado | $97,440 | 2,800 | 0.72× | 35 | 13,594 |
| Ohio | $73,890 | — | — | 100 | 11,612 |
| Utah | $83,200 | 2,140 | 0.92× | 11 | 11,563 |
| Kentucky | $76,960 | 2,280 | 0.85× | 47 | 11,503 |
| Georgia | $73,290 | 4,460 | 0.68× | 83 | 11,405 |
| Michigan | $85,500 | 6,320 | 1.07× | 72 | 10,601 |
| Minnesota | $84,220 | 5,430 | 1.37× | 62 | 10,142 |
| New Jersey | $95,290 | 5,530 | 0.96× | 51 | 9,912 |
| Maryland | $87,450 | 4,300 | 1.16× | 42 | 8,993 |
| Alabama | $72,310 | 2,350 | 0.83× | 45 | 8,456 |
| Missouri | $71,970 | 3,060 | 0.77× | 60 | 8,028 |
| Louisiana | $82,090 | 2,680 | 1.03× | 35 | 7,479 |
| Idaho | $79,120 | 820 | 0.71× | 11 | 6,875 |
| Tennessee | $88,240 | 2,770 | 0.63× | 55 | 6,621 |
| West Virginia | $62,060 | 820 | 0.86× | 33 | 6,257 |
| Washington | $103,000 | 3,650 | 0.76× | 54 | 6,165 |
| South Carolina | $73,410 | 1,990 | 0.64× | 51 | 6,082 |
| Wisconsin | $82,130 | 3,580 | 0.90× | 53 | 5,674 |
| Connecticut | $75,520 | 4,350 | 1.90× | 20 | 5,168 |
| Oklahoma | $73,720 | 1,640 | 0.72× | 38 | 4,509 |
| Iowa | $65,940 | 2,790 | 1.33× | 43 | 4,126 |
| Mississippi | $67,330 | 1,120 | 0.72× | 29 | 3,938 |
| Nebraska | $73,790 | 1,320 | 0.96× | 25 | 3,906 |
| District of Columbia | $106,700 | 640 | 0.68× | 11 | 3,710 |
| Oregon | $87,010 | 3,390 | 1.28× | 30 | 3,509 |
| Kansas | $79,260 | 1,570 | 0.81× | 38 | 3,425 |
| Arkansas | $56,100 | 2,850 | 1.62× | 44 | 3,366 |
| New Mexico | $81,290 | 1,150 | 0.98× | 27 | 2,428 |
| Nevada | $65,570 | 1,200 | 0.58× | 9 | 2,012 |
| Maine | $76,160 | 1,620 | 1.87× | 17 | 1,949 |
| Rhode Island | $77,570 | 1,370 | 2.04× | 11 | 1,466 |
| Delaware | $75,950 | 930 | 1.43× | 6 | 1,309 |
| Montana | $73,640 | 820 | 1.19× | 19 | 1,218 |
| South Dakota | $86,870 | 450 | 0.74× | 18 | 1,113 |
| Hawaii | $76,370 | 980 | 1.16× | 9 | 1,110 |
| North Dakota | $86,630 | 510 | 0.88× | 17 | 1,046 |
| Vermont | $80,760 | 1,200 | 2.94× | 8 | 867 |
| Wyoming | $66,330 | 350 | 0.93× | 9 | 518 |
| Alaska | $98,370 | 830 | 1.89× | 6 | 496 |
Skills and tools
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Establish and oversee administrative procedures to meet objectives set by boards of directors or senior management.
- Direct activities of professional and technical staff members and volunteers.
- Evaluate the work of staff and volunteers to ensure that programs are of appropriate quality and that resources are used effectively.
- Participate in the determination of organizational policies regarding such issues as participant eligibility, program requirements, and program benefits.
- Prepare and maintain records and reports, such as budgets, personnel records, or training manuals.
- Provide direct service and support to individuals or clients, such as handling a referral for child advocacy issues, conducting a needs evaluation, or resolving complaints.
- Establish and maintain relationships with other agencies and organizations in community to meet community needs and to ensure that services are not duplicated.
- Recruit, interview, and hire or sign up volunteers and staff.
Skills
- Active Learning3.9
- Active Listening3.9
- Critical Thinking3.9
- Monitoring3.9
- Writing3.8
- Reading Comprehension3.8
- Speaking3.8
- Learning Strategies3.6
Knowledge areas
- Customer and Personal Service4.6
- Administration and Management4.4
- English Language4.3
- Psychology4.1
- Education and Training3.9
- Personnel and Human Resources3.7
Abilities
- Oral Expression4.4
- Oral Comprehension4.1
- Written Comprehension4.0
- Problem Sensitivity4.0
- Speech Clarity3.9
- Deductive Reasoning3.9
Core activities
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.7
- Getting Information4.5
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work4.3
- Working with Computers4.2
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge4.2
- Performing Administrative Activities4.2
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
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.
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
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
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 348,906 degrees in 2024-25, 69.0% 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 12 programs to this occupation. The largest are Business Administration, Business/Commerce, Social Work, Public Administration, plus 4 more. Together they graduate about 505,494 people a year.
How much do social and community service managers earn?+
The median is $80,390 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $53,150 at the 10th percentile to $132,260 at the 90th. 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?+
2,570 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 12 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.
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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