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How to Become A Social and Community Service Manager (2026)
Key takeaway: Social and Community Service Managers are the occupation this organizational management guide treats as the primary outcome. The national median annual wage was $80,390, with the 10th percentile at $53,150 and the 90th at $132,260 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Employment was 219,800 in 2024, projected to grow 6.4 percent through 2034, with 18,600 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). Individual outcomes vary. The CIP family is small and overlaps nonprofit management. Read the required course list. If it is mostly leadership theory with no budgeting or HR, you are looking at the leadership silo under a management name.
The BLS occupation used on this page is Social and Community Service Managers (SOC 11-9151). Job ads use other titles. Read the duties.
Step-by-step: how to become a social and community service manager
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Confirm the occupation, not the vibe. Read a handful of live postings and match duties to social and community service managers, not to the degree title.
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Check the real gate. There is no required programmatic accreditor. ACBSP or IACBE accreditation is a voluntary business-school signal on top of institutional accreditation. NASPAA applies to public-affairs master’s programs, not to this CIP.
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Pick the degree level that the postings actually ask for. Compare the bachelor’s and master’s pages. In IPEDS 2024, 121 institutions reported bachelor’s-or-higher completions in the CIP codes used for this guide, and 118 of those institutions reported offering distance-education programs (IPEDS 2024).
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Build the portfolio, hours, clearance, or license the job uses. This is not a license to manage a hospital, a school, or a public agency. Those roles have their own degrees and, in some states, their own credentials. Compare healthcare administration and public administration before you pick this one for those employers.
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Use the wage range, not the median, when you decide. The 10th percentile is $53,150 and the 90th is $132,260 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS). Geography and employer type move this number more than the brand on the diploma.
View the data behind this chart
| Percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $53,150 |
| 25th percentile | $64,290 |
| Median | $80,390 |
| 75th percentile | $103,200 |
| 90th percentile | $132,260 |
See all careers for a organizational management degree.
Data verified: September 7, 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.
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