New Survey Details Benefits of Community Management

Job stability, career progression, and tremendous earning potential are frequently cited as the main benefits offered by a career in community association management. The newly released 2023 Community Association Manager Compensation and Salary Survey report provides more proof of those facts. 

According to the Foundation for Community Association Research’s survey of more than 1,200 community association management professionals between April and December 2023, the vast majority of respondents remain confident about the industry. Seventy eight percent say business prospects for their employer are “good” or “very good” for the coming year.  

The data is backed up by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, which projects 5% growth in the industry from 2022 through 2032, faster than the average for all occupations. On average, about 35,900 openings for property, real estate, and community association managers are projected each year over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force to retire. 

Managers of large-scale community associations, who typically work full-time and on-site at communities with at least 1,000 acres, 1,000 units, and a budget exceeding $2 million, report the highest total compensation by far ($155,000), followed by management company CEOs and high-rise managers at $120,000. 

All positions in the field showed compensation increases over 2022 (based on the median), except for the assistant community manager. Large-scale managers saw the largest increase from $140,000 in 2022 to $155,000 in 2023. 

Consistent with 2021 and 2022, 83% of respondents report they have employer-sponsored healthcare (fully paid 20% and partially paid 63%). Eighty-two percent of employers offered retirement plans in 2023, and 67% provided a company match.  

Information in 2023 Community Association Manager Compensation and Salary Survey represents the most comprehensive, accurate, and current data on compensation and benefit levels received by management professionals and is designed to allow a company or manager to compare their pay with peers. 

In addition to basic profile and salary information for companies and managers, the survey features: 

• Compensation outlooks. 
• Compensation by job title, presented by regions and state. 
• Compensation by job title for employees at large-scale communities, presented by regions and state. 
• Salary differences between managers with and without professional designations. 
• Data based on community association size and management company size.
• Information on employee benefits, health coverage, and retirement plans.

It’s important to note the results from the salary survey should be considered a valid point of reference but not used in isolation from other information. Survey results are not the only — or even the primary — source for organizations to make compensation decisions. Many factors can determine compensation levels, including economic conditions, employer size, location, market position, and the individual manager’s experience, education, and performance. Similarly, there should be caution about comparing data in this report with previous years primarily because there is a different set of respondents. 

The full report is proudly sponsored by Innovia Co-op. It is available for purchase as a digital book from CAI Press.