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The differences between chaplains and youth pastors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a chaplain and a youth pastor. Additionally, a chaplain has an average salary of $46,392, which is higher than the $39,712 average annual salary of a youth pastor.
The top three skills for a chaplain include patients, social work and clinical pastoral. The most important skills for a youth pastor are outreach events, disciple, and youth program.
| Chaplain | Youth Pastor | |
| Yearly salary | $46,392 | $39,712 |
| Hourly rate | $22.30 | $19.09 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 2,600 | 3,120 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 51 | 51 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
The word chaplain is originally referred to as representatives of the Christian faith. In tradition, a chaplain is a cleric or formal leader with an established religion or any non-ordained members of religious institutes. Chaplains now are diverse in terms of faith and often serve various constituencies. Chaplains are professionally trained and certified to provide spiritual guidance in a clinical setting to individuals who has issues with meaning, hope, and transcendence or any specific life circumstances it may be. They offer reflective listening and non-judgmental emotional and inner comfort in various settings, including the military, parishes, hospitals, prisons, universities, and schools.
A Youth Pastor is focused on offering spiritual guidance. They also ensure that the youth ministry is functioning in an effective and focused manner.
Chaplains and youth pastors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Chaplain | Youth Pastor | |
| Average salary | $46,392 | $39,712 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $83,000 | Between $31,000 And $50,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Jose, CA | Vancouver, WA |
| Highest paying state | California | Maine |
| Best paying company | UofL Hospital | First Presbyterian Church |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Education |
There are a few differences between a chaplain and a youth pastor in terms of educational background:
| Chaplain | Youth Pastor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Theology | Theology |
| Most common college | Emory University | Boston University |
Here are the differences between chaplains' and youth pastors' demographics:
| Chaplain | Youth Pastor | |
| Average age | 51 | 51 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 68.3% Female, 31.7% | Male, 87.7% Female, 12.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 6.6% White, 68.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 6.6% White, 68.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 16% | 16% |