Mid-Level

Group Home Manager

You run a group home — typically serving children, adolescents, adults with disabilities, or people in recovery — owning the day-to-day operations, staff supervision, resident care, and the regulatory compliance that group-home work requires.

Career Level
Junior
Mid
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VP
Executive
Work Personality
E
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Enterprisingleading, persuading
Socialhelping, teaching
Based on Holland Code framework
Job markets for Group Home Managers
Employment concentration · ~373 areas
Based on employment in related occupations
BLS Occupational Employment Statistics
What it's like

What it's like to be a Group Home Manager

Most days mix resident interactions, staff supervision, regulatory documentation, and the steady operational work of running a residential program — sitting with residents in crisis, supervising direct-care staff, processing medication administration records, managing the facility-level operational issues that surface daily. Resident outcomes, regulatory compliance, and staff retention shape the visible measures.

Where it gets demanding is the 24/7 nature of residential care — group homes operate around the clock, and the manager carries on-call responsibility for crises that surface at any hour. Variance across employers is wide: state-licensed group homes for children operate under DSS or comparable child-welfare regulations; adult disability group homes operate under DD or IDD regulations; recovery housing operates under SAMHSA-aligned standards.

This role tends to fit folks who bring genuine commitment to the population served, operational discipline for documentation and compliance, and the resilience that residential work demands. Sector-specific credentials (LCSW, LCSWA, BCBA, CADC) anchor advancement. The trade-off is the cumulative emotional load and the modest pay typical of residential-care management.

RelationshipsHigh
IndependenceAbove avg
Working ConditionsAbove avg
AchievementAbove avg
RecognitionAbove avg
SupportModerate
O*NET Work Values survey
✦ Editorial — written by Truest from industry research and career patterns
Career Paths

Where this role sits in the broader career landscape — and where it can take you.

$239K$179K$119K$60K$0KLower paying387 metro areas, sorted by salary level
All experience levels1
This level's estimated range
INDUSTRIES PAYING ABOVE AVERAGE
1 BLS OEWS May 2024 covers all Group Home Managers (SOC 11-9151.00), not just this title · BEA RPP 2023
* Top salaries exceed this figure. BLS caps reported wages at ~$240K to protect individual privacy in high-earning roles.
Also appears in: Business Operations
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✦ Editorial — career progression and interview guidance based on industry patterns
The Broader Landscape

Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.

$50K–$130K
Salary Range
10th – 90th percentile
195K
U.S. Employment
+6.4%
10yr Growth
19K
Annual Openings

How this category is changing

$74K$71K$68K$65K$62K201920202021202220232024$62K$74K
BLS OEWS May 2024 · BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034

Skills & Requirements

Service OrientationSocial PerceptivenessComplex Problem SolvingTime ManagementActive ListeningJudgment and Decision MakingCritical ThinkingManagement of Personnel ResourcesActive LearningMonitoring
O*NET OnLine · Bureau of Labor Statistics
11-9151.00

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Federal data: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (May 2024) · BLS Employment Projections · O*NET OnLine
Truest editorial: Fit check, role profile, things that vary, advancement analysis, lateral moves, interview questions.