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The differences between community health representatives and community support specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a community health representative, becoming a community support specialist takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a community support specialist has an average salary of $39,320, which is higher than the $35,410 average annual salary of a community health representative.
The top three skills for a community health representative include customer service, patients and medicaid. The most important skills for a community support specialist are social work, mental health, and rehabilitation.
| Community Health Representative | Community Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $35,410 | $39,320 |
| Hourly rate | $17.02 | $18.90 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 67,046 | 111,431 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 12 |
A community health representative is responsible for determining the health concerns of the community people and coordinating with officials and organizations to address these needs. Community health representatives facilitate health programs and activities within the community, implementing quality health services to maintain the welfare and stability of the citizens. They also handle social promotions of sponsorships, donations, and charity events to secure financial assistance in case of emergencies and outbreaks. A community health representative must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in advocating and educating the people for health awareness.
A community support specialist is responsible for supporting and providing care services for citizens with mental health conditions and other medical illnesses. Community support specialists coordinate with organizations and health institutions to generate resources that would help the patients in their daily activities, medications, and treatment plans. They also strategize community events and activities to observe the patients' social and personal behaviors and endorse them to a mental health professional for in-depth examination and counseling.
Community health representatives and community support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Community Health Representative | Community Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $35,410 | $39,320 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $49,000 | Between $27,000 And $56,000 |
| Highest paying City | Henderson, NV | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New Hampshire | Alaska |
| Best paying company | IBM | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Telecommunication | Non Profits |
There are a few differences between a community health representative and a community support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Community Health Representative | Community Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Business | Psychology |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between community health representatives' and community support specialists' demographics:
| Community Health Representative | Community Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 28.1% Female, 71.9% | Male, 28.8% Female, 71.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 6.4% Hispanic or Latino, 21.7% Asian, 6.2% White, 55.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | Black or African American, 12.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 7.0% White, 59.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 21% | 11% |