Quick answer: The Buffalo metro employs about 1,130 social and community service managers (BLS OEWS, May 2025), and licensing is set at the state level, through your state human services or behavioral health agency.
Compare human services programs enrolling now:
Licensing
Licensing is a state matter, not a city one. 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.
See the New York licensing and pay overview for the statewide picture, and confirm current requirements with your state human services or behavioral health agency.
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 117 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 Buffalo
Social and Community Service Managers in the Buffalo area earn a median $75,430 per year, below the national median of $80,390 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Human Services Pay in Buffalo, NY
Metric
Buffalo metro
New York
National
Median annual wage
$75,430
$95,980
$80,390
10th percentile
$60,420
$64,120
$53,150
25th percentile
$66,550
$77,200
$64,290
75th percentile
$97,950
$122,840
$103,200
90th percentile
$124,520
$149,550
$132,260
Employment
1,130
19,340
209,330
Location quotient
1.57
-
1.00
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Metro figures cover the Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY metropolitan statistical area.
What the Numbers Say About This Market
The Buffalo median of $75,430 is below the national median of $80,390, and below the New York statewide median of $95,980 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
The metro’s location quotient of 1.57 means social and community service managers are more concentrated here than in the average U.S. labor market (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Higher concentration generally means more employers competing for the same people, and an easier job change later.
Agency work exists where the agencies are: community mental health centers, county human services departments, aging services and residential programs all hire locally.
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 Buffalo?
The median annual wage for social and community service managers in the Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY metro area is $75,430, below the national median of $80,390 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
How many social and community service managers work in the Buffalo area?
The Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY metro area employs about 1,130 social and community service managers (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Do social and community service managers in Buffalo need a license?
Licensing is handled at state level rather than by city. 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. Confirm current requirements with your state human services or behavioral health agency.
Can I study human services online from Buffalo?
The academic portion of these programs is widely available online for working adults, while labs, clinical hours or supervised field work are completed in person. Check that the program's accreditation satisfies your state human services or behavioral health agency.
Is Buffalo a better market than the rest of New York?
The Buffalo metro median is $75,430 against a statewide median of $95,980 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Compare that gap with the difference in living costs before treating it as a raise.
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/.
