Direct support professional vs primary caregiver

The differences between direct support professionals and primary caregivers 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 $29,576 average annual salary of a primary caregiver.

The top three skills for a direct support professional include direct support, developmental disabilities and autism. The most important skills for a primary caregiver are home health, senior care, and PET.

Direct support professional vs primary caregiver overview

	Direct Support Professional	Primary Caregiver
Yearly salary	$32,077	$29,576
Hourly rate	$15.42	$14.22
Growth rate	36%	36%
Number of jobs	142,034	50,392
Job satisfaction	4	4
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 30%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	-	-

Direct support professional vs primary caregiver salary

Direct support professionals and primary caregivers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Direct Support Professional	Primary Caregiver
Average salary	$32,077	$29,576
Salary range	Between $18,000 And $54,000	Between $22,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	Santa Clara, CA	-
Highest paying state	California	-
Best paying company	Meta	-
Best paying industry	Government	-

Differences between direct support professional and primary caregiver education

There are a few differences between a direct support professional and a primary caregiver in terms of educational background:

	Direct Support Professional	Primary Caregiver
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 30%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common major	Psychology	Business
Most common college	-	-

Direct support professional vs primary caregiver demographics

Here are the differences between direct support professionals' and primary caregivers' demographics:

	Direct Support Professional	Primary Caregiver
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 24.4% Female, 75.6%	Male, 29.2% Female, 70.8%
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, 11.0% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.3% Asian, 7.5% White, 58.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between direct support professional and primary caregiver duties and responsibilities

Direct support professional example responsibilities.

Work with adults who have disabilities to help manage everyday tasks such as laundry, cooking, preparing groceries, etc.
Provide care to adults with intellectual & developmental disabilities while administering their medication via AMAP certification
Support the development of individuals with autism by promoting community involvement and performing exercises to strengthen their cognitive and social skills.
Assist with toileting, including urinals.
Maintain medical records according to all HIPPA guidelines.
Assist coordinator to train new DCW on assign shift.

Primary caregiver example responsibilities.

Assist patient with ADL's.
Handle all referrals to housing, detoxification, rehabilitation, organization, and agencies.
Verse and familiar with caring for a patient with mild to advance Alzheimer's disease.
Step away from full-time work to serve as caregiver to grandmother diagnose with Alzheimer's disease.
Provide routine personal care and companionship.
Provide transportation within community, supervise and provide companionship for clients during physician appointment, shopping and errands.

Direct support professional vs primary caregiver skills

Common direct support professional skills

Direct Support, 19%
Developmental Disabilities, 12%
Autism, 9%
Direct Care, 7%
DSP, 7%
Mental Health, 6%

Common primary caregiver skills

Home Health, 44%
Senior Care, 19%
PET, 16%
Autism, 11%
Dementia Care, 4%
Taking Care, 2%

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Zippia Careers
Personal Care and Attendants Industry
Direct Support Professional
Direct Support Professional vs Primary Caregiver

Updated January 8, 2025

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