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Social Service Managers Job Overview

Social service managers help people improve the quality of their life by guiding them with their everyday lives, relationships and personal and family problems. They also deal with people suffering from any kind of disability or disease, or those undergoing mental trauma due to social issues like unemployment, inadequate housing, substance abuse or domestic violence.

Schools and Degrees

Bachelor’s degree programs prepare graduates for direct service positions. Such degrees also help develop the skills required to perform clinical assessments, manage large caseloads, take on supervisory roles and explore new ways of drawing upon social services to meet the needs of their clients.

All 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia have licensing, certification or registration requirements regarding social work practice and the use of professional titles. Most states require 2 years or 3,000 hours of supervised clinical experience for licensure of clinical social workers. The National Association of Social Workers offers voluntary credentials.

Job Requirements

A bachelor’s degree in social work is the minimum requirement for those hoping to enter this occupation. However, an advanced degree has become the standard for many positions. A masters degree in social work is required for positions in health settings and clinical work.

Nature of Work

Social service managers generally spend most of their time in offices or residential facilities. They also need to travel locally to visit clients or attend meetings with service providers. Social service is very challenging and demanding, but it can also be very satisfying. There might also be tremendous pressure due to shortages in staff and large caseloads. Full-time social service managers work for 40 hours a week on a standard basis.

Social Service Jobs and Outlook

Social service managers held about 595,000 jobs in the US in recent years. Although most social workers are employed in cities or suburbs, some also work in rural areas. Employment is expected to grow by 22% in the next ten years, largely due to the aging baby boom population and the growing elderly generation. Job prospects are expected to be favorable, particularly for social workers who specialize in working with the elderly or are ready to work in rural areas.

Employment of social service managers is highest in the following industries:

• Individual and Family Services
• Local Government
• Residential Mental Retardation, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Facilities
• State Government
• Vocational Rehabilitation Services

The median annual wage for social service managers in the US is about $43,580.

Job Numbers and Growth

The official count of social services managers in 2008 was 130,000. Workers have recently faced a low level of unemployment. The unemployment rate for employees? About 4% recently.

Area Job Conditions

You'll see a lot of social services managers in Santa Fe (New Mexico), Bismarck (North Dakota), and Philadelphia (Pennsylvania), and comparatively fewer in Lakeland (Florida), Tampa (Florida), and Orlando (Florida).

Wages for Workers are highest in Sarasota (Florida), Orlando (Florida), and Fairbanks (Alaska), and lowest in Killeen (Texas), Brownsville (Texas), and Fort Smith (Arkansas).

Training and Education

Employees normally have a bachelor's degree before landing a job. Degrees are held by 72% of current social services managers. Post-secondary schooling was enough for 20% of workers. Education topped out at high school for 9% of employees. Recommended schools are shown in the column to the right; request information from them to help you decide which if any could help you with this career.

Part-Time Work and Self-Employment

Part-time work suffices for 12% of social services managers. Workers working on their own make up 6% of the total.

Social Services Managers by Metropolitan Area (city and its surroundings)

In the table below, a Job Density near 0% means the area has an average number of people in this occupation, for its population. A higher or lower Job Density (e.g., +22% or -45%) tells you there are that many more or fewer workers of that type there than in the average US metro area. So, the higher the number, the more common the occupation.

Alabama

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Birmingham	$60,000	190	-56%
Dothan	$49,000	30	-34%
Huntsville	$56,000	80	-55%
Mobile	$47,000	90	-39%
Montgomery	$52,000	110	-20%
Tuscaloosa	$56,000	50	-31%

Alaska

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Anchorage	$64,000	170	+21%
Fairbanks	$44,000	60	+154%

Arizona

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Flagstaff	$56,000	60	+37%
Kingman	$54,000	30	-17%
Phoenix	$53,000	1,520	-2%
Prescott	$52,000	40	-4%
Tucson	$59,000	470	+59%
Yuma	$63,000	50	+16%

Arkansas

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Fayetteville	$67,000	140	-19%
Fort Smith	$47,000	80	-21%
Hot Springs	$56,000	50	+86%
Jonesboro	$47,000	30	-16%
Little Rock	$54,000	370	+23%
Pine Bluff	$43,000	50	+126%

California

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Bakersfield	$47,000	220	-2%
Chico	$64,000	100	+82%
El Centro	$68,000	50	+31%
Fresno	$62,000	240	-13%
Los Angeles	$71,000	4,310	+21%
Madera	$77,000	40	+71%
Merced	$75,000	90	+104%
Modesto	$74,000	180	+38%
Napa	$67,000	100	+103%
Oakland	$65,000	1,300	+48%
Oxnard	$74,000	400	+56%
Redding	$65,000	90	+92%
Riverside	$75,000	810	-24%
Sacramento	$71,000	990	+30%
Salinas	$70,000	130	-3%
San Diego	$65,000	1,110	-4%
San Francisco	$74,000	1,490	+71%
San Jose	$75,000	540	-32%
San Luis Obispo	$68,000	90	+20%
Santa Ana	$63,000	760	-41%
Santa Barbara	$64,000	280	+98%
Santa Cruz	$72,000	160	+128%
Santa Rosa	$69,000	160	+9%
Stockton	$69,000	180	+1%
Vallejo	$77,000	120	+21%
Yuba City	$67,000	60	+110%

Colorado

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Boulder	$74,000	80	-38%
Colorado Springs	$69,000	160	-26%
Denver	$67,000	540	-51%
Fort Collins	$63,000	90	-14%
Grand Junction	$63,000	40	-10%
Pueblo	$61,000	40	-9%

Connecticut

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Bridgeport	$62,000	620	+67%
Danbury	$65,000	90	+67%
Hartford	$59,000	870	+73%
New Haven	$64,000	540	+130%
Norwich	$58,000	210	+107%
Waterbury	$49,000	200	+273%

Delaware

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Dover	$59,000	100	+152%
Wilmington	$61,000	480	+70%

District of Columbia

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Washington	$76,000	2,230	+4%

Florida

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Cape Coral	$100,000	60	-63%
Deltona	$75,000	80	-38%
Fort Lauderdale	$79,000	230	-62%
Gainesville	$80,000	50	-50%
Jacksonville	$78,000	200	-62%
Lakeland	$67,000	50	-69%
Miami	$74,000	390	-55%
Naples	$71,000	50	-46%
Ocala	$59,000	70	-1%
Orlando	$74,000	260	-71%
Palm Bay	$68,000	70	-58%
Pensacola	$76,000	50	-60%
Port St Lucie	$64,000	70	-29%
Sarasota	$83,000	140	-34%
Tallahassee	$79,000	120	-11%
Tampa	$68,000	360	-64%
West Palm Beach	$77,000	230	-49%

Georgia

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Athens	$57,000	50	-11%
Atlanta	$66,000	1,430	-30%
Augusta	$60,000	110	-37%
Columbus	$49,000	60	-34%
Gainesville	$53,000	40	-27%
Macon	$41,000	110	+50%
Savannah	$65,000	110	-12%
Valdosta	$56,000	30	-21%
Warner Robins	$46,000	30	-28%

Hawaii

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Honolulu	$65,000	470	+23%

Idaho

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Boise	$54,000	290	+29%
Coeur Dalene	$59,000	70	+80%
Idaho Falls	$55,000	40	+12%
Pocatello	$43,000	40	+82%

Illinois

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Champaign	$57,000	60	-28%
Chicago	$60,000	2,540	-24%
Peoria	$47,000	110	-24%
Rockford	$46,000	140	+19%
Springfield	$67,000	100	+13%

Indiana

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Bloomington	$49,000	90	+63%
Columbus	$46,000	70	+146%
Elkhart	$57,000	40	-55%
Evansville	$47,000	140	-3%
Fort Wayne	$52,000	220	+27%
Gary	$63,000	220	-5%
Indianapolis	$56,000	810	+3%
Lafayette	$51,000	30	-50%
Michigan City	$48,000	40	+30%
South Bend	$53,000	130	+21%
Terre Haute	$51,000	30	-44%

Iowa

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Ames	$86,000	40	+44%
Cedar Rapids	$50,000	190	+64%
Davenport	$50,000	180	+14%
Des Moines	$62,000	520	+82%
Dubuque	$47,000	80	+94%
Iowa City	$46,000	110	+96%
Sioux City	$45,000	90	+56%
Waterloo	$50,000	180	+160%

Kansas

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Lawrence	$47,000	50	+53%
Manhattan	$38,000	50	+24%
Topeka	$47,000	90	-1%
Wichita	$51,000	190	-23%

Kentucky

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Bowling Green	$53,000	60	+39%
Elizabethtown	$46,000	60	+78%
Lexington	$53,000	220	+7%
Louisville	$54,000	490	-8%
Owensboro	$46,000	60	+66%

Louisiana

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Alexandria	$65,000	70	+39%
Baton Rouge	$64,000	430	+33%
Houma	$58,000	100	+30%
Lafayette	$50,000	90	-25%
Lake Charles	$53,000	50	-30%
Monroe	$60,000	80	+31%
New Orleans	$60,000	370	-20%
Shreveport	$52,000	160	+5%

Maine

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Bangor	$55,000	140	+191%
Lewiston	$53,000	100	+158%
Portland	$54,000	290	+70%

Maryland

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Baltimore	$64,000	1,090	-6%
Bethesda	$75,000	330	-35%
Cumberland	$44,000	50	+82%
Hagerstown	$57,000	50	-37%

Massachusetts

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Barnstable Town	$63,000	120	+48%
Boston	$65,000	2,640	+72%
Brockton	$62,000	120	+64%
Framingham	$55,000	210	+53%
Haverhill	$57,000	80	+21%
Lawrence	$66,000	120	+157%
Leominster	$49,000	80	+111%
Lowell	$62,000	150	+51%
New Bedford		80	+57%
Peabody	$50,000	220	+164%
Pittsfield	$58,000	60	+153%
Springfield	$61,000	540	+110%
Taunton	$63,000	40	+17%
Worcester	$59,000	450	+108%

Michigan

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Ann Arbor	$70,000	200	+42%
Battle Creek	$59,000	40	+0%
Bay City	$60,000	40	+67%
Detroit	$59,000	650	+11%
Flint	$66,000	170	+57%
Grand Rapids	$53,000	330	+1%
Holland	$59,000	80	+2%
Jackson	$50,000	80	+115%
Kalamazoo	$59,000	190	+68%
Lansing	$64,000	250	+48%
Muskegon	$56,000	50	+15%
Niles	$54,000	30	-34%
Saginaw	$63,000	80	+21%
Warren	$61,000	620	-35%

Minnesota

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Duluth	$66,000	210	+94%
Mankato	$61,000	70	+60%
Minneapolis	$69,000	1,620	+3%
Rochester	$62,000	110	+31%
St Cloud	$59,000	60	-23%

Mississippi

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Gulfport	$42,000	160	+81%
Hattiesburg	$39,000	40	-10%
Jackson	$40,000	260	+19%
Pascagoula	$43,000	30	-15%

Missouri

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Cape Girardeau	$53,000	40	+18%
Columbia	$45,000	110	+71%
Jefferson City	$53,000	110	+86%
Joplin	$42,000	40	-37%
Kansas City	$56,000	730	-18%
Springfield	$44,000	180	+11%
St Joseph	$40,000	40	+2%
St Louis	$54,000	930	-21%

Montana

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Billings	$56,000	40	-41%
Missoula	$48,000	80	+98%

Nebraska

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Lincoln	$54,000	180	+34%
Omaha	$54,000	340	-17%

Nevada

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Carson City	$74,000	50	+168%
Las Vegas	$53,000	640	-14%
Reno	$62,000	130	-20%

New Hampshire

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Manchester	$73,000	110	+30%
Nashua	$51,000	70	-39%
Portsmouth	$53,000	50	+11%
Rochester	$57,000	60	+44%

New Jersey

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Atlantic City	$68,000	150	+24%
Camden	$76,000	470	+2%
Edison	$72,000	880	-3%
Newark	$77,000	1,020	+16%
Ocean City	$74,000	40	+29%
Trenton	$86,000	430	+121%
Vineland	$83,000	70	+49%

New Mexico

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Albuquerque	$58,000	640	+91%
Farmington	$42,000	50	+31%
Las Cruces	$50,000	120	+138%
Santa Fe	$52,000	360	+638%

New York

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Albany	$73,000	790	+101%
Binghamton	$57,000	120	+29%
Buffalo	$58,000	530	+9%
Elmira	$59,000	50	+75%
Glens Falls	$63,000	100	+148%
Ithaca	$62,000	90	+192%
Kingston	$73,000	60	+27%
Nassau	$76,000	1,080	-3%
New York	$81,000	6,300	+37%
Poughkeepsie	$69,000	280	+32%
Rochester	$70,000	470	+6%
Syracuse	$57,000	360	+33%
Utica	$71,000	130	+25%

North Carolina

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Asheville	$61,000	200	+33%
Burlington	$57,000	40	-9%
Charlotte	$63,000	430	-43%
Durham	$64,000	200	-16%
Fayetteville	$66,000	70	-33%
Goldsboro	$60,000	50	+64%
Greensboro	$58,000	160	-48%
Greenville	$54,000	60	+12%
Hickory	$57,000	90	-27%
Raleigh	$65,000	330	-27%
Rocky Mount	$58,000	30	-33%
Wilmington	$61,000	80	-30%
Winston Salem	$63,000	80	-56%

North Dakota

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Bismarck	$55,000	220	+327%
Fargo	$52,000	120	+19%
Grand Forks	$53,000	60	+62%

Ohio

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Akron	$64,000	220	-21%
Canton	$60,000	100	-29%
Cincinnati	$62,000	920	+3%
Cleveland	$67,000	890	-1%
Columbus	$72,000	980	+21%
Dayton	$64,000	320	-4%
Lima	$59,000	40	-1%
Mansfield	$63,000	40	+0%
Sandusky	$55,000	40	+55%
Springfield	$66,000	50	+36%
Steubenville	$42,000	30	-4%
Toledo	$64,000	310	+22%
Youngstown	$58,000	210	+8%

Oklahoma

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Oklahoma City	$51,000	300	-41%
Tulsa	$43,000	200	-47%

Oregon

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Bend	$55,000	70	+41%
Corvallis	$54,000	70	+260%
Eugene	$57,000	240	+104%
Medford	$52,000	130	+110%
Portland	$57,000	1,430	+59%
Salem	$56,000	400	+220%

Pennsylvania

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Allentown	$64,000	210	-30%
Altoona	$51,000	70	+47%
Erie	$52,000	140	+31%
Harrisburg	$66,000	400	+44%
Johnstown	$60,000	80	+83%
Lancaster	$57,000	140	-31%
Philadelphia	$65,000	2,120	+26%
Pittsburgh	$60,000	1,000	-1%
Reading	$58,000	90	-36%
Scranton	$54,000	270	+20%
State College	$60,000	70	+42%
Williamsport	$57,000	110	+176%
York	$48,000	150	+0%

Rhode Island

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Providence	$74,000	690	+41%

South Carolina

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Charleston	$56,000	160	-36%
Columbia	$56,000	260	-15%
Florence	$53,000	40	-37%
Greenville	$60,000	130	-50%
Spartanburg	$52,000	40	-58%

South Dakota

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Rapid City	$60,000	40	-20%
Sioux Falls	$61,000	110	-6%

Tennessee

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Chattanooga	$51,000	200	+2%
Clarksville	$40,000	60	-5%
Jackson	$47,000	60	+31%
Johnson City	$44,000	80	+40%
Kingsport	$51,000	100	-1%
Knoxville	$59,000	240	-17%
Memphis	$52,000	340	-37%
Morristown	$51,000	50	+44%
Nashville	$53,000	680	+4%

Texas

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Abilene	$49,000	60	+21%
Amarillo	$52,000	70	-20%
Austin	$71,000	520	-25%
Beaumont	$55,000	110	-19%
Brownsville	$34,000	220	+103%
College Station	$54,000	40	-47%
Corpus Christi	$47,000	140	-7%
Dallas	$64,000	850	-54%
El Paso	$59,000	120	-49%
Fort Worth	$63,000	430	-43%
Houston	$62,000	1,070	-54%
Killeen	$52,000	70	-35%
Laredo	$54,000	70	+11%
Longview	$49,000	70	-10%
Lubbock	$59,000	100	-4%
Mcallen	$54,000	150	-24%
Midland	$50,000	40	-19%
San Angelo	$51,000	40	+28%
San Antonio	$59,000	670	-13%
Sherman	$45,000	50	+61%
Texarkana	$36,000	50	+19%
Tyler	$55,000	70	-4%
Victoria	$43,000	30	-18%
Waco	$52,000	60	-27%
Wichita Falls	$41,000	50	+16%

Utah

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Ogden	$58,000	90	-47%
Provo	$62,000	110	-24%
Salt Lake City	$61,000	410	-23%
St George	$65,000	30	-14%

Vermont

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Burlington	$58,000	120	+30%

Virginia

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Blacksburg	$55,000	50	+5%
Charlottesville	$64,000	90	+29%
Danville	$63,000	30	+18%
Lynchburg	$63,000	90	+11%
Richmond	$67,000	680	+26%
Roanoke	$64,000	110	-16%
Virginia Beach	$69,000	410	-38%
Winchester	$62,000	40	+5%

Washington

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Bellingham	$71,000	90	+53%
Bremerton	$64,000	130	+94%
Kennewick	$71,000	60	-27%
Longview	$57,000	40	+65%
Mount Vernon	$73,000	60	+79%
Olympia	$71,000	320	+296%
Seattle	$74,000	1,180	-5%
Spokane	$70,000	260	+49%
Tacoma	$77,000	310	+36%
Wenatchee	$62,000	60	+106%
Yakima	$66,000	110	+63%

West Virginia

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Charleston	$53,000	190	+56%
Huntington	$53,000	90	-4%
Morgantown	$48,000	50	+21%
Parkersburg	$42,000	90	+67%
Wheeling	$40,000	90	+76%

Wisconsin

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Appleton	$65,000	50	-47%
Eau Claire	$61,000	50	-15%
Green Bay	$56,000	70	-51%
La Crosse	$58,000	50	-12%
Madison	$59,000	250	-15%
Milwaukee	$62,000	570	-22%
Oshkosh	$49,000	80	+13%
Racine	$56,000	40	-33%

Wyoming

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Casper	$49,000	50	+85%
Cheyenne	$60,000	60	+87%