Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between direct care professionals and direct support associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a direct care professional has an average salary of $30,233, which is higher than the $29,934 average annual salary of a direct support associate.
The top three skills for a direct care professional include ADL, developmental disabilities and mental health. The most important skills for a direct support associate are intellectual disabilities, emotional support, and developmental disabilities.
| Direct Care Professional | Direct Support Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $30,233 | $29,934 |
| Hourly rate | $14.54 | $14.39 |
| Growth rate | 36% | 36% |
| Number of jobs | 122,720 | 111,451 |
| Job satisfaction | 3 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 35% | Bachelor's Degree, 31% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
Direct care professionals and direct support associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Direct Care Professional | Direct Support Associate | |
| Average salary | $30,233 | $29,934 |
| Salary range | Between $21,000 And $41,000 | Between $16,000 And $52,000 |
| Highest paying City | Vacaville, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Halliburton | The Carlyle Group |
| Best paying industry | Government | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a direct care professional and a direct support associate in terms of educational background:
| Direct Care Professional | Direct Support Associate | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 35% | Bachelor's Degree, 31% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between direct care professionals' and direct support associates' demographics:
| Direct Care Professional | Direct Support Associate | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 26.0% Female, 74.0% | Male, 26.2% Female, 73.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 7.9% White, 59.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 14.8% Asian, 8.8% White, 60.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |