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The differences between community living assistants and community support specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a community living assistant and a community support specialist. Additionally, a community support specialist has an average salary of $39,320, which is higher than the $30,317 average annual salary of a community living assistant.
The top three skills for a community living assistant include medication reminders, quality care and patients. The most important skills for a community support specialist are social work, mental health, and rehabilitation.
| Community Living Assistant | Community Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $30,317 | $39,320 |
| Hourly rate | $14.58 | $18.90 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 72,067 | 111,431 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
Community living assistants provide fundamental health care and assist patients with daily living activities. They apply practical intervention procedures for behavioral issues as well. It is their job to lessen discomfort and preserve patient dignity while performing duties like bathing. Also, they support housing administration through equipment maintenance, staff contractors, and expense monitoring.
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 living assistants and community support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Community Living Assistant | Community Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $30,317 | $39,320 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $41,000 | Between $27,000 And $56,000 |
| Highest paying City | West Windsor, NJ | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | North Dakota | Alaska |
| Best paying company | American Senior Benefits | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Non Profits | Non Profits |
There are a few differences between a community living assistant and a community support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Community Living Assistant | Community Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Psychology |
| Most common college | University of Virginia | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between community living assistants' and community support specialists' demographics:
| Community Living Assistant | Community Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 23.0% Female, 77.0% | Male, 28.8% Female, 71.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 7.0% White, 58.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% | 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 | 11% | 11% |