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The differences between family counselors and residential counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a family counselor and a residential counselor. Additionally, a family counselor has an average salary of $41,510, which is higher than the $34,117 average annual salary of a residential counselor.
The top three skills for a family counselor include social work, community resources and POC. The most important skills for a residential counselor are direct care, medication administration, and mental health.
| Family Counselor | Residential Counselor | |
| Yearly salary | $41,510 | $34,117 |
| Hourly rate | $19.96 | $16.40 |
| Growth rate | 14% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 93,253 | 81,287 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A Family Counselor treats married couples or family members in order to help them overcome mental or emotional problems. They provide effective treatment measures to help the family members resolve their issues.
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.
Family counselors and residential counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Family Counselor | Residential Counselor | |
| Average salary | $41,510 | $34,117 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $62,000 | Between $27,000 And $42,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Washington |
| Best paying company | Shirley Ryan AbilityLab | The Evergreens |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Education |
There are a few differences between a family counselor and a residential counselor in terms of educational background:
| Family Counselor | Residential Counselor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between family counselors' and residential counselors' demographics:
| Family Counselor | Residential Counselor | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 26.3% Female, 73.7% | Male, 33.0% Female, 67.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.0% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 4.6% White, 68.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | 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 | 6% | 15% |