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This question is about direct support professional demographics.
What percentage of Direct Support Professionals are female?
74.0% of direct support professionals are female in the United States. This is -0.7 percentage points lower than last year. Additionally, the percentage of female direct support professionals has decreased by -4.2 percentage points since 2010. That means there are a total of 57,545 female direct support professionals in the U.S. and 20,219 male direct support professionals in the United States. Note that Zippia's estimate accounts only for the 77,764 people with the specific job title of direct support professional and doesn't include grouping similar job titles, or people with potentially similar credentialing.
Percent Of Female Direct Support Professionals By Year
| Year | Female Direct Support Professionals | Male Direct Support Professionals | Percentage Female Direct Support Professionals | Percentage Male Direct Support Professionals | |
| 2019 | 5,541 | 1,949 | 74.0% | 26.0% | |
| 2018 | 5,718 | 1,935 | 74.7% | 25.3% | |
| 2017 | 5,696 | 2,002 | 74.0% | 26.0% | |
| 2016 | 5,505 | 1,861 | 74.7% | 25.3% | |
| 2015 | 5,424 | 1,758 | 75.5% | 24.5% | |
| 2014 | 5,150 | 1,663 | 75.6% | 24.4% | |
| 2013 | 4,913 | 1,564 | 75.8% | 24.2% | |
| 2012 | 4,695 | 1,590 | 74.7% | 25.3% | |
| 2011 | 4,395 | 1,281 | 77.4% | 22.6% | |
| 2010 | 4,190 | 1,171 | 78.1% | 21.9% |
Additionally, female direct support professionals tend to be older than male direct support professionals. The average age of a female direct support professional is 47.2, while the average age of a male direct support professional is 44.7.
While the majority of U.S. direct support professionals are female in 2022, there are still some occupations where males dominate. For example, 75% of intramural director are male. On the other hand, some direct support professional jobs are dominated by females. 90% of infant childcare provider, for instance, are female.
Like most jobs, there's a gender pay gap among direct support professionals. The average male direct support professional earns an average annual salary of $30,783, while the average female direct support professional earns an average annual income of $29,774, meaning female direct support professionals make 97 cents for every dollar a man earns.
What Percentage Of Direct Support Professionals Are Female FAQ
Are direct support professionals jobs male or female dominated?
Direct Support Professional jobs are female dominated. 74.0% of direct support professionals are female and 26.0% of direct support professionals are male in the United States.
How has the number of female direct support professionals changed over time?
The number of female direct support professionals has decreased by -4.2% since 2010. In 2010, there were 78.1% female direct support professionals and the latest data shows that there are 74.0% female direct support professionals in the U.S.
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