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The differences between direct care staffers and residential counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a residential counselor has an average salary of $34,117, which is higher than the $30,480 average annual salary of a direct care staffer.
The top three skills for a direct care staffer include mental health, developmental disabilities and CPR. The most important skills for a residential counselor are direct care, medication administration, and mental health.
| Direct Care Staffer | Residential Counselor | |
| Yearly salary | $30,480 | $34,117 |
| Hourly rate | $14.65 | $16.40 |
| Growth rate | 36% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 117,658 | 81,287 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 31% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Average age | 48 | 41 |
| Years of experience | - | 4 |
A Direct Care Staffer specializes in providing personal care and supervision to the disabled or elderly. Among the responsibilities include administering medication, managing schedules, assisting in hygienic tasks, preparing meals, and doing light to moderate household chores. Furthermore, A Direct Care Staffer also helps in transportation and preparation of daily meals, running various errands, purchasing groceries and daily necessities, and as well as monitoring health conditions. It is also essential for a Daily Care Staffer to update supervisors and guardians regularly.
A residential counselor is responsible for guiding and providing the residents with their basic needs and other resources to support them in their daily living. Residential counselors' duties include maintaining the safety of the community by enforcing safety guidelines and procedures for the residents' compliance, organizing productive and engaging community activities, updating the residents of any changes and policies in the community, and resolving conflicts by counseling and understanding each resident's differences. A residential counselor must have excellent communication and decision-making skills to ensure the development of residents in a living facility.
Direct care staffers and residential counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Direct Care Staffer | Residential Counselor | |
| Average salary | $30,480 | $34,117 |
| Salary range | Between $19,000 And $47,000 | Between $27,000 And $42,000 |
| Highest paying City | Salem, OR | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | Washington |
| Best paying company | New York University | The Evergreens |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Education |
There are a few differences between a direct care staffer and a residential counselor in terms of educational background:
| Direct Care Staffer | Residential Counselor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 31% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | - | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between direct care staffers' and residential counselors' demographics:
| Direct Care Staffer | Residential Counselor | |
| Average age | 48 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 27.5% Female, 72.5% | Male, 33.0% Female, 67.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 57.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 15% |