Developmental technician vs direct care worker

The differences between developmental technicians and direct care workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a developmental technician has an average salary of $31,175, which is higher than the $29,343 average annual salary of a direct care worker.

The top three skills for a developmental technician include developmental disabilities, direct care and autism. The most important skills for a direct care worker are direct care, patients, and CPR.

Developmental technician vs direct care worker overview

	Developmental Technician	Direct Care Worker
Yearly salary	$31,175	$29,343
Hourly rate	$14.99	$14.11
Growth rate	9%	36%
Number of jobs	58,292	140,788
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 34%	High School Diploma, 32%
Average age	34	48
Years of experience	-	-

Developmental technician vs direct care worker salary

Developmental technicians and direct care workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Developmental Technician	Direct Care Worker
Average salary	$31,175	$29,343
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $39,000	Between $23,000 And $36,000
Highest paying City	South Portland, ME	Portland, ME
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Washington
Best paying company	West Tennessee Healthcare	Arizona Training & Evaluation Center
Best paying industry	Energy	Professional

Differences between developmental technician and direct care worker education

There are a few differences between a developmental technician and a direct care worker in terms of educational background:

	Developmental Technician	Direct Care Worker
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 34%	High School Diploma, 32%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	Northwestern University	-

Developmental technician vs direct care worker demographics

Here are the differences between developmental technicians' and direct care workers' demographics:

	Developmental Technician	Direct Care Worker
Average age	34	48
Gender ratio	Male, 27.5% Female, 72.5%	Male, 23.4% Female, 76.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 14.3% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.1% Asian, 6.4% White, 51.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	Black or African American, 12.6% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 13.7% Asian, 7.6% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	15%	7%

Differences between developmental technician and direct care worker duties and responsibilities

Developmental technician example responsibilities.

Manage the behavior of students using the CPI training skills when necessary.
Assist individuals with their ADL's yet allowing and encouraging independence.
Develop, plan, and run vocational and safety goals for individuals.
Assist with ADL's, supervise meals, activities daily, provide a safe and structure environment.
Provide rehabilitation opportunities through facilitation of integrate rehabilitation and recreation services.
Enhance the independents of individual with DD.

Direct care worker example responsibilities.

Provide caring companionship to elderly and developmentally disable patients with or without chronic health diagnosis.
Assist individuals with developmental/intellectual disabilities with ADL's.
Conduct socialization groups to aid individuals in development of ADL and socialization skills.
Prepare daily documents administer medications handle patients hygiene house cleaning and provide transportation to and from appointment
Provide caring and companionship to elderly and developmentally disable consumers and provide primary resident care and assistance with daily living activities.
Provide day to day services that include transport, nutrition, hygiene, housekeeping and activities to MRDD clients.

Developmental technician vs direct care worker skills

Common developmental technician skills

Developmental Disabilities, 16%
Direct Care, 13%
Autism, 9%
Food Preparation, 9%
Behavioral Training, 8%
Mental Health, 8%

Common direct care worker skills

Direct Care, 22%
Patients, 11%
CPR, 7%
Developmental Disabilities, 4%
Crisis Intervention, 4%
Vital Signs, 4%

Developmental Technician vs. similar jobs

Developmental Technician related careers

Developmental Technician related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Developmental Technician
Developmental Technician vs Direct Care Worker

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse healthcare practitioner and technical jobs