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The differences between direct support professionals and direct care staffers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a direct support professional has an average salary of $32,077, which is higher than the $30,480 average annual salary of a direct care staffer.
The top three skills for a direct support professional include direct support, developmental disabilities and autism. The most important skills for a direct care staffer are mental health, developmental disabilities, and CPR.
| Direct Support Professional | Direct Care Staffer | |
| Yearly salary | $32,077 | $30,480 |
| Hourly rate | $15.42 | $14.65 |
| Growth rate | 36% | 36% |
| Number of jobs | 142,034 | 117,658 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 30% | Bachelor's Degree, 31% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
Direct support professionals are responsible for taking care of patients with physical or mental limitations. They do a variety of tasks for their patients, such as doing household chores, running errands for them, cooking for them, feeding them, bathing and dressing them, and helping them with their medication, among others. They also provide their patients with companionship, accompanying their patients to appointments, providing emotional support, and being with their patients for the most part of the day. They should be familiar with their patients' prescribed medicines, meal plans, therapy schedules, and other items related to the betterment of the patients' condition. Direct support professionals help the patients overcome their challenges and assist them in acclimating themselves with their current environment.
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.
Direct support professionals and direct care staffers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Direct Support Professional | Direct Care Staffer | |
| Average salary | $32,077 | $30,480 |
| Salary range | Between $18,000 And $54,000 | Between $19,000 And $47,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Clara, CA | Salem, OR |
| Highest paying state | California | Oregon |
| Best paying company | Meta | New York University |
| Best paying industry | Government | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a direct support professional and a direct care staffer in terms of educational background:
| Direct Support Professional | Direct Care Staffer | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 30% | Bachelor's Degree, 31% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between direct support professionals' and direct care staffers' demographics:
| Direct Support Professional | Direct Care Staffer | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 24.4% Female, 75.6% | Male, 27.5% Female, 72.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 8.3% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |