Community aide vs residential counselor

The differences between community aides and residential counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a community aide, becoming a residential counselor takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a residential counselor has an average salary of $34,117, which is higher than the $23,688 average annual salary of a community aide.

The top three skills for a community aide include developmental disabilities, CPR and autism. The most important skills for a residential counselor are direct care, medication administration, and mental health.

Community aide vs residential counselor overview

	Community Aide	Residential Counselor
Yearly salary	$23,688	$34,117
Hourly rate	$11.39	$16.40
Growth rate	12%	12%
Number of jobs	74,509	81,287
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	43	41
Years of experience	12	4

Community aide vs residential counselor salary

Community aides and residential counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Community Aide	Residential Counselor
Average salary	$23,688	$34,117
Salary range	Between $18,000 And $30,000	Between $27,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City	Santa Ana, CA	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	New Hampshire	Washington
Best paying company	Trinity Health	The Evergreens
Best paying industry	Professional	Education

Differences between community aide and residential counselor education

There are a few differences between a community aide and a residential counselor in terms of educational background:

	Community Aide	Residential Counselor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	SUNY at Binghamton	California State University - Long Beach

Community aide vs residential counselor demographics

Here are the differences between community aides' and residential counselors' demographics:

	Community Aide	Residential Counselor
Average age	43	41
Gender ratio	Male, 29.2% Female, 70.8%	Male, 33.0% Female, 67.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 19.2% Asian, 6.9% White, 55.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.7%	Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 3.2% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	11%	15%

Differences between community aide and residential counselor duties and responsibilities

Community aide example responsibilities.

Assist in managing inventory for student and staff culinary and scholastic supplies.
Provide relationship-base treatment plans to patients that involves high quality acute psychiatric evaluations, crisis stabilization, and intensive short-term treatment.
Collaborate with community health councils and other community agencies to provide programs that enhance community awareness of health and safety.

Residential counselor example responsibilities.

Lead recreational activities for adolescents with ADHD and other behavior disorders.
Engage, educate and empower participants to access community base resources in order to achieve greater self-determination, rehabilitation and recovery.
Train in AMAP, SCIP, and first aid procedures.
Assist residents with ADL, occasionally accompany to medical appointments, administer medications.
Refine an understanding of HIPAA and DMH programs.
Assist special needs students to reach their IEP and treatment plan goals in 1:1 and group settings.

Community aide vs residential counselor skills

Common community aide skills

Developmental Disabilities, 24%
CPR, 22%
Autism, 7%
Behavior Management, 6%
Community Resources, 5%
Front Desk, 4%

Common residential counselor skills

Direct Care, 9%
Medication Administration, 9%
Mental Health, 8%
Social Work, 7%
Developmental Disabilities, 6%
Mental Illness, 6%