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The differences between community health counselors and community health workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a community health counselor and a community health worker. Additionally, a community health counselor has an average salary of $43,304, which is higher than the $37,079 average annual salary of a community health worker.
The top three skills for a community health counselor include social work, behavioral health and patients. The most important skills for a community health worker are patients, community health, and social work.
| Community Health Counselor | Community Health Worker | |
| Yearly salary | $43,304 | $37,079 |
| Hourly rate | $20.82 | $17.83 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 131,804 | 82,445 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 41 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A community health counselor typically provides health and welfare support to the disadvantaged members of a community. Their responsibilities revolve around devising strategies to reach out to community members, coordinating with schools and other institutions, and building positive relationships with the communities that they serve. They may also provide counseling sessions to individuals of all ages, conduct observations and assessments, perform interventions, and identify any signs of abuse or neglect, reporting to the authorities right away. Furthermore, they may refer families or individuals to other social services unit if necessary.
A community health worker is a health professional who is a lay member of the community that provides health care in both urban and rural environments. Community health workers offer the health needs of the community they serve and provide some direct services such as first aid and blood pressure screening. They help people understand their health conditions and deliver health information by using appropriate cultural terms and concepts. Community health workers also make home visits to patients who are clinically ill, pregnant women, and individuals at high risk of health problems.
Community health counselors and community health workers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Community Health Counselor | Community Health Worker | |
| Average salary | $43,304 | $37,079 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $63,000 | Between $27,000 And $49,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Apple | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Insurance |
There are a few differences between a community health counselor and a community health worker in terms of educational background:
| Community Health Counselor | Community Health Worker | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between community health counselors' and community health workers' demographics:
| Community Health Counselor | Community Health Worker | |
| Average age | 41 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 31.4% Female, 68.6% | Male, 23.5% Female, 76.5% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 6.4% Hispanic or Latino, 22.8% Asian, 5.8% White, 54.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 15% | 21% |