Catholic priest vs bishop

The differences between catholic priests and bishops can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a catholic priest and a bishop. Additionally, a catholic priest has an average salary of $37,428, which is higher than the $34,665 average annual salary of a bishop.

The top three skills for a catholic priest include pastoral care, pastoral ministry and public speaking. The most important skills for a bishop are alumni, community services, and .

Catholic priest vs bishop overview

	Catholic Priest	Bishop
Yearly salary	$37,428	$34,665
Hourly rate	$17.99	$16.67
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	100	257
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age	51	51
Years of experience	4	4

Catholic priest vs bishop salary

Catholic priests and bishops have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Catholic Priest	Bishop
Average salary	$37,428	$34,665
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $57,000	Between $24,000 And $48,000
Highest paying City	Dublin, CA	-
Highest paying state	Rhode Island	-
Best paying company	Baptist Health South Florida	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between catholic priest and bishop education

There are a few differences between a catholic priest and a bishop in terms of educational background:

	Catholic Priest	Bishop
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common major	Theology	Theology
Most common college	Boston College	Emory University

Catholic priest vs bishop demographics

Here are the differences between catholic priests' and bishops' demographics:

	Catholic Priest	Bishop
Average age	51	51
Gender ratio	Male, 97.1% Female, 2.9%	Male, 58.6% Female, 41.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 6.7% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 6.7% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between catholic priest and bishop duties and responsibilities

Catholic priest example responsibilities.

Lead the largest VBS program and confirmation class ever, with aggressive marketing, recruiting, and coaching.
Perform other various functions as needed including communication with church leadership to ensure efficient operations for church outreach activities.
Perform other various functions as needed including communication with church leadership to ensure efficient operations for church outreach activities.

Bishop example responsibilities.

Develop, provide oversight and lead all ministries for middle school and high school students and their parents.
Sort and organize bulk monthly mailings and alumni quarterly mailings.
Lead the church in developing a process driven discipleship strategy in growing maturing disciples and disciple-makers enhance.
Develop deacons in fulfilling their respective leadership obligations.

Catholic priest vs bishop skills

Common catholic priest skills

Pastoral Care, 60%
Pastoral Ministry, 15%
Public Speaking, 10%
Spiritual Support, 8%
Bishops, 3%
Parishes, 2%

Common bishop skills

Alumni, 50%
Community Services, 50%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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