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The differences between benefits counselors and compensation consultants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a benefits counselor and a compensation consultant. Additionally, a compensation consultant has an average salary of $90,436, which is higher than the $72,268 average annual salary of a benefits counselor.
The top three skills for a benefits counselor include veterans, HR and open enrollment. The most important skills for a compensation consultant are human resources, project management, and data analysis.
| Benefits Counselor | Compensation Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $72,268 | $90,436 |
| Hourly rate | $34.74 | $43.48 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 34,132 | 11,745 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 45 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A benefits counselor manages the company or organization's employee benefits programs. Job responsibilities may include designing and administering the benefits program to ensure company and employee needs are met, as well as assisting and educating employees in benefits enrollment activities. This job requires a full understanding of health care benefits, comprising medical, dental, and life insurance, including knowledge of pertinent regulations and legislation. In addition, benefits counselors may also need to be knowledgeable and updated with other incentives such as pensions and stock ownership.
A compensation consultant is responsible for supporting the human resources department's operations by reviewing the organization's compensation policies and programs, ensuring that the guidelines adhere to state regulations and requirements. Compensation consultants conduct market research analysis to identify salary grades according to job positions and financial stability. They also study benefit plans and facilitate the dissemination of information by organizing orientations and utilizing the company's media platforms. A compensation consultant should have excellent knowledge of the payroll processes to respond to employees' inquiries and concerns and settle salary discrepancies.
Benefits counselors and compensation consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Benefits Counselor | Compensation Consultant | |
| Average salary | $72,268 | $90,436 |
| Salary range | Between $44,000 And $118,000 | Between $65,000 And $124,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Berkeley, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | Washington |
| Best paying company | - | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | - | Finance |
There are a few differences between a benefits counselor and a compensation consultant in terms of educational background:
| Benefits Counselor | Compensation Consultant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between benefits counselors' and compensation consultants' demographics:
| Benefits Counselor | Compensation Consultant | |
| Average age | 45 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 34.3% Female, 65.7% | Male, 37.1% Female, 62.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 6.9% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 10.0% Asian, 8.4% White, 66.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 35% |