What the national figures show
The typical community association manager earns about $72,200 a year. A quarter earn less than $52,300 and a quarter earn more than $101,000. These are BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics figures from May 2025, moved to 2026 with the Employment Cost Index. BLS publishes them for one combined group: property, real estate and community association managers. It does not split out HOA managers, so the same figures appear in our property manager salary guides.
BLS also leaves out self-employed workers, and its own handbook says about 31 percent of people in this occupation are self-employed. If you own a small management company, your income depends on your contracts and is not reflected in these numbers. The figures describe managers on a payroll, which covers most community managers working for management companies or directly for large associations.
How pay differs by state
Location moves pay more than almost anything else. Washington has the highest median in this series at $123,100, followed by Massachusetts at $106,700 and Colorado at $103,200. New York's median is $102,500, and its top quarter earns above $158,600. California sits at $79,400 and Florida at $73,000, both close to the national median. Texas is lower at $63,200, Arizona at $65,700 and Nevada at $57,400.
Because the series combines apartment, commercial and HOA managers, a state figure reflects the mix of those jobs in that state. Florida and Arizona have large HOA and condo sectors. Washington and Colorado numbers may also include many commercial and asset-focused managers. Treat state figures as a guide to the local market, not a quote for one job.
What CAI's salary survey adds
The Foundation for Community Association Research, part of the Community Associations Institute (CAI), runs a salary survey only for community managers. In its 2023 edition, California was the highest-paid region for total annual compensation at $102,900. The West came next at $85,000, then Florida at $82,400. Those are survey averages from managers who chose to respond, so they are not directly comparable with BLS percentiles.
CAI has since published a 2025 edition. It reports pay by region and state for assistant community managers, onsite managers, portfolio managers, high-rise managers, large-scale managers and company executives. It also compares managers with and without credentials. The full tables are sold through CAI Press, and figures from that edition are not included here.
What moves your pay
Role type matters. A portfolio manager looks after several smaller associations from a company office. An onsite manager runs one community day to day. Large-scale and high-rise managers handle big budgets, staff and building systems, and CAI tracks them as separate pay groups. BLS notes that responsibility grows as managers take on more and larger properties, and pay follows.
Credentials and licensing also count. CAI's credentials are the CMCA, AMS, LSM and PCAM, and CAI says they may help you earn more. Some states require community managers to hold a license, and the work includes evening board meetings and after-hours emergencies, which employers price into salaries for senior roles.
Pay
USD a year, before tax. Ranges run from the 25th to the 75th percentile. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025, moved to 2026 with the Employment Cost Index, for the shared property, real estate and community association managers series (employees only, self-employed excluded). State figures are BLS published estimates; role type, portfolio size and credentials move pay within each range. Refer to the HOA & Community Association Management salary guide for figures from live adverts.
What you need
- EducationBLS lists a high school diploma as the typical entry education for this occupation. Employers may prefer college graduates for roles focused on finances or contracts.
- ExperienceBLS says managers typically need several years of related work experience. Assistant manager and customer-facing roles are common starting points.
- State licenseSome states require community association managers to hold a license or a real estate license. Rules differ by state.
- CredentialsCAI offers the CMCA, AMS, LSM and PCAM. CAI's salary survey compares pay for managers with and without them.
How to get there
- EntryAssistant community managerSupport a manager with owner calls, violations, vendor scheduling and board packets. CAI tracks this as its own pay group.
- Next stepOnsite or portfolio managerRun one community onsite or carry a portfolio of smaller associations. Pay rises with the number and size of associations.
- OngoingEarn credentialsAdd CAI credentials such as the CMCA, then AMS or PCAM, and meet any state license rule where you work.
- SeniorLarge-scale or high-rise managerManage a master-planned community or a tower with staff, large budgets and complex building systems.
- Later careerCompany executive or ownerLead a management company team, or open your own firm, as BLS notes experienced managers sometimes do.
Questions people ask
What is the median salary for a community association manager?
The median is about $72,200 a year in 2026, based on BLS OEWS May 2025 data moved forward with the Employment Cost Index. The figure covers property, real estate and community association managers together, because BLS does not report HOA managers separately.
Which state pays community association managers the most?
In the BLS series, Washington has the highest median at $123,100, followed by Massachusetts at $106,700 and Colorado at $103,200. CAI's 2023 salary survey found California was the highest-paid region for community managers, at $102,900 in total annual compensation.
Do HOA managers earn more than apartment property managers?
Federal data cannot answer this, because BLS puts both jobs in one occupation with one set of figures. Within that group, pay depends more on location, portfolio size and role level than on the property type.
Do credentials like the CMCA or PCAM raise pay?
CAI says its credentials may help managers earn more, and its salary survey compares pay for credentialed and non-credentialed managers. The bigger raises usually come with the larger roles, such as large-scale or high-rise management, that those credentials help you qualify for.
Are self-employed community managers included in these figures?
No. BLS wage data covers employees only, and BLS reports that about 31 percent of workers in this occupation are self-employed. Owners of small management firms earn from their contracts and fall outside these ranges.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Managers (Occupational Outlook Handbook)
- CAI HOAresources: Community Manager Salaries Based on Region
- CAI HOAresources: Compensation and Salary Survey (credentials)
- Foundation for Community Association Research: Community Association Manager Compensation and Salary Survey
