Quick answer: California employs about 33,510 social and community service managers (BLS OEWS, May 2025), and licensing runs through your state human services or behavioral health agency. Programs, the careers this degree opens, and what they pay are below.
Compare human services programs enrolling now:
Licensing and Credentials in California
Human services itself is unlicensed - that is the practical difference from social work. The credentials that stack on top are state-specific: peer support certification, behavioral technician registries, case management certifications and the substance use disorder counseling tiers, each with its own training-hour requirements.
Requirements are set at state level and are amended periodically. Before you enroll in any program, confirm with your state human services or behavioral health agency that the specific program you are considering satisfies the education requirement, and ask what it accepts from any training you have already completed. Get the answer in writing.
Earning the Degree While You Work
Most people reading this already have a job in the field, and the practical question is whether the credential can be earned without leaving it. Programs designed for working adults deliver the academic portion online or in the evening, while any labs, clinical hours or supervised field experience happen in person and locally. Prior college credit, military training, apprenticeship coursework and industry certifications can all shorten the path, so request a written transfer credit evaluation before you commit to any school.
Schools Near You
Schools in our database near this area, ranked by BOC Score. The list favors schools with a related program on record, but program availability and delivery format change, so confirm directly with any school that it currently offers the program you want.
How we rank schools – graduation rate, graduate earnings, cost and retention.
Advertising plays no part.
This page lists 10 schools
within 106 miles, closest group first, then ordered by
BOC Score with the highest at the top.
10 of them carry a score.
LOCAL RANK
Location / proximity to this page
Defines the local group
Graduation rate how often students finish
30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry whether it paid off
25%
Average net price what students actually pay after aid; lower ranks higher
20%
Retention rate how many come back for year two
15%
Fully online availability whether you can study while working
10%
Scores come from IPEDS (2024) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
Earnings are for all graduates of a school, not one program, so treat them as a signal
about the institution rather than about this subject.
Sponsored listings are paid placements and are labelled as such; they are separate from
this ranking and never change it. Read the full methodology.
What Social and Community Service Managers Earn in California
Social and Community Service Managers in California earn a median $83,210 per year, above the national median of $80,390 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Human Services Pay and Employment in California at a Glance
Metric
California
National
Source
Median annual wage
$83,210
$80,390
BLS OEWS, May 2025
10th percentile
$56,510
$53,150
BLS OEWS, May 2025
25th percentile
$70,810
$64,290
BLS OEWS, May 2025
75th percentile
$114,090
$103,200
BLS OEWS, May 2025
90th percentile
$149,280
$132,260
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Employment
33,510
209,330
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Location quotient
1.37
1.00
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Projected change (2024-34)
not published by state
6.4%
BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34
How California Pay Compares to the Rest of the Country
The California median of $83,210 sits above the national median of $80,390 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Percentiles matter more than the midpoint when you are deciding whether a degree pays for itself: the 10th percentile is roughly where people start, and the 90th is what the top of the local market looks like after years of experience.
A location quotient of 1.37 puts California well above the national average, so the work is noticeably more common here than in the typical state. That usually means a deeper job market and more room to change employers without relocating (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The measure compares how concentrated the occupation is here against the national average of 1.00.
Figures: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Agency work exists where the agencies are: community mental health centers, county human services departments, aging services and residential programs all hire locally.
Social and Community Service Managers Wages by Metro Area in California
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics ( OES data), social and community service managers wages in California vary by metro area.
Metro Area
Employment
Median Annual Wage
Avg. Annual Wage
Entry Level (10th pctile)
Experienced (90th pctile)
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim
12,400
$87,100
$98,460
$57,240
$155,850
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont
5,080
$93,410
$103,520
$63,800
$157,340
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad
2,910
$79,770
$89,690
$55,490
$133,380
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario
2,360
$79,570
$92,670
$50,830
$154,760
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom
2,210
$76,080
$86,700
$50,980
$142,320
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara
1,340
$98,030
$108,700
$68,210
$167,790
Fresno
830
$78,910
$88,660
$54,020
$132,520
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura
610
$80,840
$88,830
$56,110
$124,640
Bakersfield-Delano
490
$75,600
$82,400
$46,520
$126,370
Santa Rosa-Petaluma
490
$84,310
$95,870
$57,880
$163,550
Stockton-Lodi
460
$76,600
$86,750
$55,820
$132,010
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara
440
$79,920
$88,300
$57,050
$128,300
Visalia
300
$80,730
$87,760
$55,510
$134,710
Modesto
280
$77,020
$87,090
$58,180
$131,490
Santa Cruz-Watsonville
270
$81,130
$93,470
$59,430
$138,130
Salinas
250
$85,640
$96,750
$61,750
$154,710
Vallejo
250
$80,260
$97,710
$50,600
$168,080
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles
240
$81,470
$94,050
$53,140
$166,910
Chico
200
$80,470
$90,210
$47,990
$141,890
Redding
200
$74,930
$83,800
$52,090
$123,700
Napa
160
$84,150
$97,180
$61,640
$159,080
Merced
140
$76,760
$86,130
$52,800
$126,590
El Centro
100
$80,380
$86,210
$47,980
$131,150
Yuba City
100
$83,920
$99,640
$54,330
$166,290
Hanford-Corcoran
50
$86,020
$95,010
$62,180
$137,550
Wages reflect survey data and vary based on experience, credentials, employer, and local market conditions. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May .
Wage and employment figures describe the occupation as measured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, not the graduates of any particular program, and individual outcomes may vary. Licensing rules change; confirm current requirements with the responsible state board before enrolling.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do social and community service managers make in California?
The median annual wage for social and community service managers in California is $83,210, above the national median of $80,390 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle of the range runs from $70,810 at the 25th percentile to $114,090 at the 75th.
How many social and community service managers work in California?
California holds about 33,510 human services professional jobs (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Nationally the occupation employs 209,330, and BLS projects about 18,600 openings per year through 2034 (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34).
Do I need a license to work as a human services professional in California?
Human services itself is unlicensed - that is the practical difference from social work. The credentials that stack on top are state-specific: peer support certification, behavioral technician registries, case management certifications and the substance use disorder counseling tiers, each with its own training-hour requirements. Requirements are set at the state level and change periodically, so confirm the current rules with your state human services or behavioral health agency before you enroll in any program.
Can I earn a human services associate, bachelor's or master's online while working in California?
Often yes. Programs built for working adults deliver coursework online or in the evenings, though any required labs, clinical hours or supervised field experience are completed in person. Confirm that the program's accreditation satisfies your state human services or behavioral health agency.
What is the highest-paying area of California for social and community service managers?
Among California metro areas with published data, San Jose reports the highest median at $98,030 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Is California a good state for social and community service managers?
On pay, the state median of $83,210 sits above the national $80,390 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A location quotient of 1.37 means the occupation is more concentrated here than in the average state. Weigh that against cost of living and how concentrated the work is near where you actually want to live.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 - Social and Community Service Managers (SOC 11-9151), national, state and metropolitan estimates
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2024-34
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook - education and licensing requirements
About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.
