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The differences between direct support specialists and community support specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a community support specialist has an average salary of $39,320, which is higher than the $37,771 average annual salary of a direct support specialist.
The top three skills for a direct support specialist include direct support, mental health and CPR. The most important skills for a community support specialist are social work, mental health, and rehabilitation.
| Direct Support Specialist | Community Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $37,771 | $39,320 |
| Hourly rate | $18.16 | $18.90 |
| Growth rate | 36% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 95,560 | 111,431 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 48 | 43 |
| Years of experience | - | 12 |
A direct support specialist provides care and assistance to individuals with intellectual and physical disabilities. They may work at nursing facilities, government institutions, or at the patients' homes. Their responsibilities usually revolve around helping patients with daily tasks such as bathing, dressing, going to the toilet, and attending appointments. They may also assist patients in taking medications, handle the laundry and dishes, cook and prepare meals according to nutrition plans, and run errands as necessary. Moreover, they are also responsible for coordinating with physicians, maintaining daily records, and processing documents.
A community support specialist is responsible for supporting and providing care services for citizens with mental health conditions and other medical illnesses. Community support specialists coordinate with organizations and health institutions to generate resources that would help the patients in their daily activities, medications, and treatment plans. They also strategize community events and activities to observe the patients' social and personal behaviors and endorse them to a mental health professional for in-depth examination and counseling.
Direct support specialists and community support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Direct Support Specialist | Community Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $37,771 | $39,320 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $54,000 | Between $27,000 And $56,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | California | Alaska |
| Best paying company | BP America Inc | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Real Estate | Non Profits |
There are a few differences between a direct support specialist and a community support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Direct Support Specialist | Community Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | - | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between direct support specialists' and community support specialists' demographics:
| Direct Support Specialist | Community Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 48 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 27.7% Female, 72.3% | Male, 28.8% Female, 71.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 7.7% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | Black or African American, 12.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 7.0% White, 59.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 11% |