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The differences between direct support staff 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 $31,268 average annual salary of a direct support staff.
The top three skills for a direct support staff include direct support, direct care and transport clients. The most important skills for a community support specialist are social work, mental health, and rehabilitation.
| Direct Support Staff | Community Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $31,268 | $39,320 |
| Hourly rate | $15.03 | $18.90 |
| Growth rate | 36% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 182,001 | 111,431 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 30% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 48 | 43 |
| Years of experience | - | 12 |
The direct support staff is an individual who takes responsibility for the overall care of people with developmental disabilities. Direct support professionals work directly with developmental illness patients in long-term health care facilities. They perform their jobs as home health and companion care providers who assist their clients in their daily movements and actions. It is their duty to ensure the comfort and safety of their clients. Also, they encourage behaviors and attitudes which strengthen community inclusion.
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 staff and community support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Direct Support Staff | Community Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $31,268 | $39,320 |
| Salary range | Between $18,000 And $53,000 | Between $27,000 And $56,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Maria, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | California | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Rockwell Medical | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Non Profits |
There are a few differences between a direct support staff and a community support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Direct Support Staff | Community Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 30% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | - | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between direct support staff' and community support specialists' demographics:
| Direct Support Staff | Community Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 48 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 24.7% Female, 75.3% | Male, 28.8% Female, 71.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 8.0% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% | 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% |